NZ v SA 1970
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All Blacks given chance to defend Investec Tri Nations
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Australia have opened the door but the All Blacks must discover their attacking mojo if they are to sneak a fifth consecutive Investec Tri-Nations rugby title, and tenth overall.
The Wallabies ended the Springboks' unbeaten run in last night's 21-6 test at Brisbane, meaning New Zealand have destiny in their own hands on home soil over the final two weeks.
The Wallabies ended the Springboks' unbeaten run in last night's 21-6 test at Brisbane, meaning New Zealand have destiny in their own hands on home soil over the final two weeks.
Victory is needed over the Springboks in Hamilton next week followed by the same outcome against Australia in Wellington a week later.
That outcome is achievable for coach Graham Henry's men but the difficulty will be reversing their less than impressive attacking form of this year.
The All Blacks must snare a bonus point for scoring four tries in at least one of those tests to have any chance of winning the championship. That would require a major leap from the one try they have managed in each of their four Tri-Nations tests so far.
Two winning bonus points would hand them the title -- as long as they can deny the Springboks a bonus point for finishing within seven points at Hamilton.
In that scenario, or if the All Blacks manage just one bonus, then it will come down to points differential.
The Springboks have a points differential of plus-25, compared to New Zealand's minus-14.
To close the gap, the All Blacks would need a healthy win at Hamilton.
For example a 10-point winning margin would leave them needing to beat Australia by 20 points. A 15-point win at Hamilton would leave a 10-point winning requirement at Wellington.
The All Blacks squad gathered in Hamilton today and will train for the first time at Waikato Stadium tomorrow. Their team is named on Tuesday.
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