"If it's the hope that kills you then Wallabies fans have been dying a slow death for 39 years at Eden Park, the venue for this Saturday's first Test of the Bledisloe Cup. The Auckland venue is the All Blacks' fortress. They have not lost there since 1994 and are unbeaten across 51 Tests (49 wins, two draws). No Australian team has won at Eden Park since the 1986 side led by Andrew Slack and coached by Alan Jones."
"It's not so much Eden Park, says Slack. The House of Pain at Carisbrook and Death Valley at Dunedin are just as scary. The hardest thing is you're always playing the All Blacks. But this year we've got an extremely realistic chance of winning. Plenty agree. New Zealand are coming off their worst Test defeat, a 43-10 whipping by South Africa whereas a resurgent Australia lead the Rugby Championship."
"In the decade before the 1986 tour, Australia was beating the All Blacks regularly. They won a one-off Test for the Bledisloe in 1979 and backed it up with a 2-1 series win in 1980. But one-point defeats had cost them dearly in the 1984 and 1985 series. We knew we were their equal so those wasted opportunities made us hungrier, says Slack. After 84 we went to Europe and beat the home nations to win a Grand Slam. By the time we arrived in Wellington for the first Test, we were ready."
Eden Park stands as a long-standing fortress for New Zealand, unbeaten there since 1994 and across 51 Tests (49 wins, two draws). No Australian side has won at Eden Park since the 1986 team led by Andrew Slack and coached by Alan Jones. The 1986 success followed a period in which Australia beat the All Blacks regularly, including a 1979 one-off Test and a 2-1 series win in 1980, while narrow losses in 1984 and 1985 intensified Australian resolve. A 1984 Grand Slam tour set up a Wellington victory, and current form—New Zealand's heavy loss to South Africa and Australia leading the Rugby Championship—fuel Australian optimism.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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