History on line in All Blacks vs Wallabies - can Australia be ones to write it?

On Saturday, Australia travel to face New Zealand at Eden Park in the latest Bledisloe Cup contest on their best run of form for nearly a decade, live on Sky Sports.

Not only that, they face an All Blacks side suffering from injuries and under pressure to avoid a fourth Test defeat in a row for the first time in some 28 years, dating back to 1998.

Under new head coach Les Kiss, the Wallabies have beaten Japan home and away, beaten Argentina at home and drawn against them away, and beaten South Africa in Perth despite finishing with just 11 players in a madcap Test match.

That run of games was preceded by victory over Italy in July, meaning Australia are on a six-Test unbeaten run for the first time since 2017.

Yet to continue such a run, Australia are going to have to create several massive pieces of history.

Firstly, they face the All Blacks at Eden Park on Saturday, where the men in black have not suffered defeat since July 1994 against France. A remarkable 32-year record, stretching 51 unbeaten Tests (49 wins, two draws).

Of course, New Zealand travel around the country to play their Test matches rather than having one permanent home, so the record is unique in that sense, but over the three decades since that last defeat in Auckland, New Zealand have lost 15 home Tests, but none at Eden Park.

Secondly, New Zealand are on a record win streak of 11 Tests in a row against Australia since the Wallabies last tasted success in November 2020 during COVID times, and have held the Bledisloe Cup for the last 24 years.

Indeed, Australia held the Bledisloe between 1998 and 2002, and have never held it since.

To hold the Bledisloe Cup, you have to win more contests between the sides in a year than the other, with any years drawn seeing the current holders retain it. The record has been drawn in five calendar years for New Zealand to retain, while they have also won out in 18 of the years since.

This New Zealand had shown an uptick under Dave Rennie, winning his opening four Tests, including beating the Springboks in South Africa with a stunning 33-16 success at Ellis Park, but have since had the stuffing knocked out of them with three straight Test defeats to the Boks in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Baltimore, USA.

Therefore, for New Zealand to lose on Saturday, they would have to suffer defeat in a Test for the fourth time in a row. The last time that happened? 1998, in the midst of a five-match losing run to Australia (three times) and South Africa (twice).

In 181 previous Tests between New Zealand and Australia dating back to 1903, there have been 128 All Blacks wins to 45 wins for the Wallabies, with eight draws.

In 123 years of history between the nations, Australia have only won in New Zealand on 15 occasions. The weight of history is firmly against them.