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Australia secure lineout possession and set up a driving maul that builds a head of steam as it wobbles from right to left around 10m out. The penalty award is inevitable. O'Connor

drills it home. 28 MINS: New Zealand have struggled with Australia's kick-offs this half and Ioane fumbles the latest swirling ball his way. Australia are straight on the attack and

soon are awarded a penalty for a Tuipulotu hit on Hooper that failed to include arms. The Wallabies kick to the corner. And another lineout win for the All Blacks on Australia's throw!

Huge overthrow read by Tuipulotu. From the next phase New Zealand put heads down and bums up and try to burrow their way through the Wallabies defensive line. And eventually they do, but

they can't find the grass with the ball carrier held up and Australia survive. But there's a penalty in their somewhere and Barrett makes no mistake. 25 MINS: New Zealand take no

risks behind the scrum and continue their kick-first strategy, McKenzie drilling the ball into the right corner. 23 MINS: Another lineout fail from Fainga'a sets up a scrum on halfway.

Australia cannot afford to give away possession like that in these conditions - that's two lineouts and a scrum against the feed already. 21 MINS: Safe scrum from the Wallabies this

time and from the back White darts dangerously 10m forward before finding Philip charging on his inside shoulder. The All Blacks bring him to ground but the attack is well and truly on -

until it isn't. McKenzie laid the tackle on the Australian lock and was on his feet in a flash ready to steal possession only for an illegal infringement denying him. Close from the

Wallabies who are giving as good as they're getting so far. Superb defence from McKenzie. 19 MINS: New Zealand take no risks and punt the ball clear but the Wallabies are patient in

response, building momentum with a series of phases in tight with Tupou to the fore. The gainline isn't crossed by much, but it's safe possession for Australia, and eventually it

forces an error fro New Zealand with an illegal strip earning a centrefield scrum 20m from the All Blacks line. 17 MINS: After a couple of resets the referee's whistle goes in New

Zealand's favour and Australia lose the scrum. Again To'omua's muscle in midfield slows the All Blacks down and when the turnover is completed O'Connor is quick to switch

the ball wide before To'omua dabs a kick into the corner to secure territory. This is the tactical kicking game talked about beforehand in a situation where a Cheika-coached side would

have been expected to run. 15 MINS: Again New Zealand force Australia back with their kicking game, seemingly accepting that into the teeth of the wind the running game isn't going to

be the smart play, especially from slow breakdowns. The Wallabies are unconvincing handling the swirling conditions but they do enough and the clearing kick bounces, befuddling New

Zealand's onrushing defence. Another kick from Australia, this one high and menacing, invites Mckenzie to claim the bomb in traffic but inevitably he spills and Australia gain a scrum.

13 MINS: Penalty to the All Blacks midfield allows them to kick to touch on the 22 but they can't make anything from the lineout thanks to a crunching tackle from To'omua. Smith

cleans up in broken play and his teasing kick over the top forces the Wallabies to concede a drop-out. 12 MINS: Replays indicate that in the second phase of the build-up to that try, when

Ioane continued New Zealand's momentum down the left wing, his foot clipped the whitewash. The transgression was not seen by the touch judge and the All Blacks escape. The All Blacks

steal the first lineout against the throw for the day and immediately kick deep into space to gain territory. The Wallabies clear their lines but only as far as Mckenzie who fizzes and jinks

his way in the left channel, setting up an excellent attacking platform. With Australia's defence slow to regroup the All Blacks shift the ball from left wing to right - simple catch

and pass - until Barrett exploits the overlap and dives over in the corner. Barrett fails with an absurdly difficult conversion attempt that swirls midair like it's caught in a twister.

8 MINS: Australia have controlled the early exchanges, clearing out the ruck efficiently and taking the game on with ball in hand. Everything is going down the right wing, until

O'Connor cuts left and feeds To'omua but his kick to two possible chasers is easily read by Ioane. 6 MINS: Australia continue to threaten down the right with Daugunu again to the

fore but after Paisami failed to break the line or offload safely the All Blacks counter at rapid pace until they run out of space on the right touchline near halfway. 4 MINS: New Zealand

haven't looked fluid in possession yet with a couple of scruffy passages in midfield before Mo'unga makes a dart down the left. The ball then gets recycled infield but

Australia's back row is up early to hammer the ball carrier. Eventually the All Blacks are forced to kick into the swirling wind but the Wallabies defuse the bomb and set off on a

counterattack, orchestrated by White but involving Daugunu showing a clean pair of heels along the touchline to gain a good 40m or so. 3 MINS: The Wallabies win the lineout securely then

launch a series of tight plays that fail to puncture the All Blacks defence. Sensing that strategy isn't working O'Connor tries to step from five-eighth but when he accepts contact

the ball doesn't come out and New Zealand clear with a penalty. 2 MINS: New Zealand struggle to handle a deep swirling kick-off and a slow ruck leads to a hurried clearance that only

just crosses the 22. Good start for Australia. We're underway in Bledisloe one! TJ Perenara leads the All Blacks haka while Australia stand a respectful distance away in a crescent

formation. No throat-slitting today after all. Is it just me, or has the theatre of that spectacle overtaken any prematch intimidation it's supposed to deliver? It all seems a bit

cosplay from both sides compared to years past when there was genuine menace in the air with both units facing off. Australia are out onto the field in Wellington, all wearing drill tops.

Close behind are the bare-armed All Blacks. There has been speculation the All Blacks intend to perform their controversial _Kapa o Pango_ haka today, which concludes with a throat-slitting

gesture. We'll find out after the national anthems. True to form, conditions at the Cake Tin are horrendous - you wouldn't want it any other way, right? There's rain around,

temperatures are in the low teens, and there's a howling gale blowing from the north. To add to the inhospitable conditions for an Australian unit fresh from a training camp in balmy

northern New South Wales, there will be 30,000 or so locals in the crowd barracking on their heroes. One of the surer things in the world of sport to provide comfort in these uncertain times

is for Australia's TV coverage of the Wallabies to rival the most one-eyed supporter in the outer. And so it continues, with Matt Burke putting his best politician's spin on the

question of who he thinks will win today's contest, ending with an "anything's possible" if the Aussies bring it conclusion. Why is it so hard for people to just admit

they think the team they never played for are going to win? In Victoria recently a former state premier upbraided the incumbent for not tipping in favour of Victorian teams in the local

newspaper when they were taking on sides from interstate. It's barmy. What has all the to-ing and fro-ing over scheduling and revenue led up to? The Rugby Championship fixture list.

Whatever the result in Wellington it will be a day to remember for Wallabies centurion Michael Hooper. Dave Rennie has named a raw outfit for his first Test in charge of the Wallabies. There

are four debutants – Harry Wilson at blindside flanker, outside-centre Hunter Paisami, winger Filipo Daugunu and back-up five-eighth Noah Lolesio - and a further six players who have played

fewer than 10 Tests. Tactically, Australia are expected to jettison Michael Cheika's signature ball-in-hand approach and prioritise tactical kicking. There's also a hope that the

Wallabies pack can go toe-to-toe with the All Blacks and provide a solid platform from which to exercise control. Ian Foster's plans were disrupted twice in the lead-up to today's

clash with star fullback Beauden Barrett a late withdrawal with a tight achilles' tendon and prop Nepo Laulala pulling out for personal reasons. In their place come Damian McKenzie and

Tyrel Lomax. NEW ZEALAND: 15. DAMIAN MCKENZIET, 14. JORDIE BARRETT, 13. RIEKO IOANE, 12. JACK GOODHUE, 11. GEORGE BRIDGE, 10. RICHIE MO'UNGA, 9. AARON SMITH; 8. ARDIE SAVEA, 7. SAM CANE

(CAPTAIN), 6. SHANNON FRIZELL, 5. SAM WHITELOCK, 4. PATRICK TUIPULOTU, 3. OFA TUUNGAFASI, 2. CODIE TAYLOR, 1. JOE MOODY. RESERVES: 16. DANE COLES, 17. KARL TU'INUKUAFE, 18. TYREL

LOMAX, 19. TUPOU VAA'I, 20. HOSKINS SOTUTU, 21. T.J. PERENARA, 22. ANTON LIENERT-BROWN, 23. CALEB CLARKE. A bit more on Dave Rennie from BRET HARRIS, following his appointment late last

year. > After guiding the Wellington Lions to a first ITM Cup title in 14 > years, Rennie steered the New Zealand Under-20s to three consecutive > world titles from 2008 to 2010, a

 successful coaching pathway that > led him to the Chiefs as head coach in 2012. Rennie achieved > immediate success with the Chiefs, guiding the Hamilton-based side > to back to 

back Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013. They played in > the finals in each of the six seasons Rennie was in charge. There's been plenty of talk around the culture change Dave

Rennie will bring to the Wallabies as head coach. "Wherever I've gone, I think culture is crucially important," Rennie said shortly after his appointment. "When you look

at professional sport all over the world, there's a lot of emphasis on skill sets and the training and so on, maybe less emphasis on connecting and community and what I've found is

really important is that players understand who they are and who they represent and so that means we need that genuine connection with our people, I reckon it helps us play better on

Saturdays." It already seems to be filtering through. Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa spoke recently about the culture change in the Wallabies dressing room. "There's definitely a

lot more positivity around the place, a lot more players are buying in to what Dave is about," he said. "I think it's just a lot of difference in culture." Here's a

nice example: More on the background to today's clash from BRET HARRIS. > The straining of relations between Australia and New Zealand dates > back to July when the Kiwis invited

 just two or three of Australia's > five Super Rugby teams to participate in a trans-Tasman competition, > which RA refused to entertain. Since then Australia and New Zealand >

 have found a way to bicker over almost every issue that has arisen, > particularly scheduling for the Bledisloe Cup and the Rugby > Championship, leading to threats of boycotts. Hello

everybody and welcome to live coverage of the first Bledisloe Cup international of the year between New Zealand and Australia. We'll be underway in Wellington at 4pm local time (2pm

AEDT). Rarely can there have been a murkier build up to one of the showpiece events on the sporting calendar. Neither side has played a full international since the World Cup almost exactly

a year ago, since when sport has been rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic leading to rugby authorities indulging in round after round of in-fighting over scheduling, quarantine, and finances.

Considering all the bickering that has taken place it's a wonder there's a Bledisloe Cup to be contested at all this year. That said, it's as clear as mud what constitutes the

2020 Bledisloe Cup with two standalone fixtures in New Zealand (today and next Sunday in Auckland) preceding two Rugby Championship clashes in Australia. Communication has been desperately

poor over recent weeks as details have been thrashed out behind the scenes and confirmation drip-fed to a bewildered public. Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan has only been in the hotseat

a few months but already has the experience to declare relations with New Zealand Rugby to be at their "lowest ebb". This is not ideal for such a co-dependent rivalry. Putting the

off-field machinations to one side, there is no shortage of intrigue in the actual rugby itself. Both nations appointed new coaches many months ago at the start of a new World Cup cycle,

and this will be their first opportunities to stamp their marks on their respective sides. There are 16 uncapped players in Dave Rennie's first training squad with just six of the

44-strong group aged over 28. The former Chiefs mentor has been tasked with reinventing the Wallabies, and his first international season looks likely to be one full of experimentation.

However, one constant remains, captain Michael Hooper, who will lead his side out today in his 100th appearance in green and gold. By contrast, the All Blacks approach is one of continuity.

Ian Foster, formerly assistant to Steve Hansen, is now in the club suit, and he's backing a familiar group to recover from a chastening defeat to England at the semi-final stage last

year in Japan. For Foster and the All Blacks the next fortnight carries plenty of expectation. Not only will the frustration of that defeat to England need blowing away, the animosity behind

the scenes with Australia has created palpable tension between the near neighbours. In front of sizeable crowds baying for blood the heavily fancied New Zealand outfit will not only need to

win, but put on a show. I'll be back in a short while with line-ups and whatnot. If you want to get in touch at any point, you can reach me on Twitter or email.