Stick to the plan, Hooper tells Wallabies

Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has implored his team to stick to the plan that they ignored in the first half of last week's Bledisloe Cup belting.

Australia team captain Michael Hooper

Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper has implored his team to stick to their system against New Zealand. (AAP)

The Wallabies simply need to stick to their plan to stay in contention for a shock victory in the second Bledisloe Cup Test, skipper Michael Hooper says.

Few give Australia any chance of winning on Saturday, with New Zealand hotly tipped to triumph at a canter and retain the trans-Tasman trophy for a 15th consecutive year.

But the view inside the team is naturally far more optimistic.

Still smarting from last weekend's 54-34 defeat, Hooper believes the Wallabies will be right in it as long as they do the things they did in the second half in Sydney, when they scored 28 consecutive points against the world champions - the same things they went away from in the first half.

Hooper credited the Australian coaching staff for providing clarity to the playing group after the hysterical fallout from that match.

"I pat the coaches on the back for that one this week," Hooper said.

"They've given us a really strong plan around where we went wrong and how we went wrong in the game and when you look at it, we didn't do the things we prepared.

"(In) the second half we came back a bit and showed that we could play some really good rugby."

Hooper said belief has never wavered internally.

"There was disappointment at the start of the week because you build up and go into a game where you get dropped by 20 points," he said.

"Our preparation shows where our belief is at. We're putting ourselves in the best possible shape to win this game."

The Wallabies haven't won in New Zealand since 2001, but the last time they did was also in Dunedin - albeit at Carisbrook, a venue which no longer exists.

It has been replaced by Forsyth Barr Stadium, which opened six years ago.

The All Blacks have never lost in four matches at the new indoor arena, and no Australian Super Rugby team has won there since March 2014.


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Source: AAP



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