All Blacks wary of complacency

The All Blacks hold a 100 per cent record from their opening three Tri-Nations contests and go into this weekend's fixture fresh from a 49-28 defeat of the Wallabies in Melbourne.

Lock Tom Donnelly, though, guarded against complacency, despite the All Blacks' formidable run of form. "You couldn't wish to play for a better team at the moment," he said. "Everything we touch is turning out pretty well but there is going to be a day soon when things aren't going to go too well and that's probably going to be the test of the team to see how we fight back out of it."

It will take a historical turnaround for Australia to triumph this weekend. The Wallabies have lost eight successive contests with the All Blacks and not won in New Zealand since Dunedin in 2001. They are without a win in Christchurch since 1998. Adam Ashley-Cooper, who will line up at centre for Robbie Deans' Wallabies, said: "It's not a mental block, we believe we can beat a New Zealand team.

"We have at Super 14 level. Obviously my last eight haven't been successful but it's not a hoodoo for us, it just presents a bigger challenge."

Australia will take a more physical approach to the breakdown and "move bodies as best (we] can," Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom said.

While Elsom said the breakdown had been a problem last week in Melbourne, he stopped short of following former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer, who called the All Blacks "the biggest cheats in world rugby" earlier this week. "That was definitely an issue for us with bodies around the ruck and that does slow down our attacking ball," a more circumspect Elsom said yesterday after his side's final training run at Lancaster Park.

"We will have to address that because anything that takes the sting out of your attack then it's not going to help. You just have to move those bodies as best you can. Whether they're on our side or attacking the ball then we have to make sure the space is there for (scrum-half] Will (Genia] to get in there and do what he does best."

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said he was not surprised the Wallabies had said they would target the breakdown today, though he thought his opposite David Pocock had been particularly effective last week in stealing the All Blacks' ball.

"They had a lot of success last week when we didn't get it quite right and put a bit of heat on our ball, so we have to make sure we get it right and are better there," McCaw said. "There were a few times when we didn't get it quite right and they got a few turnovers but this year I think we have got it mostly right and have got the ball we want to play with."

New Zealand: M Muliaina; C Jane, C Smith, M Nonu, J Rokocoko; D Carter, P Weepu; T Woodcock, K Mealamu, O Franks, B Thorn, T Donnelly, J Kaino, R McCaw (captain), K Read. Replacements: C Flynn, B Franks, S Whitelock, V Vito, A Mathewson, A Cruden, B Stanley.

Australia: K Beale; J O'Connor, A Ashley-Cooper, A Faingaa, D Mitchell; M Giteau, W Genia; B Robinson, S Faingaa, S Ma'afu, D Mumm, N Sharpe, R Elsom (captain), D Pocock, R Brown. Replacements: S Moore, J Slipper, R Simmons, M Hodgson, L Burgess, B Barnes, C Shepherd.

Referee: J Kaplan (South Africa)