Melbourne — The Wallabies head to New Zealand for the second Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks in Auckland with fresh doubts over their set piece and familiar queries over their mental fortitude when pressured by the world champions. The 38-13 defeat at Sydney’s Olympic stadium was Australia’s third successive humbling at the hands of the champions in the tournament opener, leaving them with a mountain to climb at Eden Park, where they have not won since way back in 1986. Coach Michael Cheika and his captain, Michael Hooper, have a job ahead of them to lift the squad out of their funk after their meek capitulation after halftime. Trailing 6-5 at the break, the All Blacks ran in five second-half tries as the Wallabies coughed up possession with a slew of handling errors and bungled set pieces. Losing seven line-outs and conceding six scrum penalties is no way to play Test rugby, let alone upset Steve Hansen’s men. For Cheika, however, the Wallabies’ most egregious crime...
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