Folau Fainga'a looking to steer Wallabies forward pack into a physical All Blacks Bledisloe Cup battle

Now Fainga'a is hoping to carry one of the ACT Brumbies' most potent weapons into the Wallabies search for a drought-breaking Bledisloe Cup triumph.

The Wallabies hooker says the tourists have been working to perfect the rolling maul ahead of their series opener against the All Blacks in Wellington on Sunday.

The Brumbies are near-perfect with the move which has turned their hooker into a try-scoring machine, and now the Wallabies could follow suit with a set piece Fainga'a is adamant can trouble the all-conquering Kiwis.

"We've worked hard together as a group to try to bring that in," Fainga'a said.

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"The group has been training really hard and we're hoping to bring a physical forward pack into this first Test match.

"We've got a strong pack and we're backing ourselves this week. We've been working hard. These three or four weeks we've had together, it has really bonded us really tight. We've been training really well together."

Fainga'a will be joined by James Slipper and Taniela Tupou in the starting front-row, in a move which sees Allan Alaalatoa and Scott Sio shuffle back to the bench.

The chance to call on Alaalatoa and Sio to finish the job is a huge boost for new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie, who knows anything less than an intense 80-minute effort could leave his side wondering what if?

"The big Tongan Thor mate, you've seen the damage he can do on the field, especially set-piece wise," Fainga'a said.

"It's exciting for us as a pack to have Niela out there, to express himself out there on the field. To have a guy like Allan come off the bench, just to back him up, you've got pretty much two of the same blokes switching.

"When one comes off, you know the other bloke is going to bring the same thing. In international games, experience means a lot.

"[Payers like Alaalatoa and Sio], they're just going to bring everything they have and all the energy they've got off the bench to bring us home strong."

Rennie is banking on Tupou to set the tone in the early stages. He is, after all, "a bit of a freak from an athletic perspective". He is among world rugby's most powerful runners and his scrummaging continues to improve.

Big minutes for the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby AU - at times "79, 80 minutes every week" - suggest he has made huge strides from a conditioning point of view.

"We're well aware of the power and the game the All Blacks will play. We're trying to grow this side, not just for this weekend but for the future," Rennie said.

"We've put a lot of emphasis on defence though, and we know that's going to be very important. Teams that have beaten the All Blacks in the past have limited them to less than 15 or 16 points, that's our challenge.

"The sides that have beaten them have defended really well, you can't get away from that. We've put a lot of time into our defence, but it's going to be constant.

"The ability of the All Blacks to score in a heartbeat, or score twice in five minutes, we're well aware of the threats there. We've got to be able to apply pressure through our defence."

BLEDISLOE CUP

Game one: Sunday October 11 - New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, 2pm AEDT.

Wallabies squad: 1. James Slipper, 2. Folau Fainga'a, 3. Taniela Tupou, 4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5. Matt Philip, 6. Harry Wilson, 7. Michael Hooper (c), 8. Pete Samu, 9. Nic White, 10. James O'Connor, 11. Marika Koroibete, 12. Matt To'omua, 13. Hunter Paisami, 14. Filipo Daugunu, 15. Tom Banks. Replacements: 16. Jordan Uelese, 17. Scott Sio, 18. Allan Alaalatoa, 19. Rob Simmons, 20. Rob Valetini, 21. Jake Gordon, 22. Noah Lolesio, 23. Reece Hodge.

All Blacks squad: 1. Joe Moody, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Samuel Whitelock, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Sam Cane (c), 8. Ardie Savea, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 11. George Bridge, 12. Jack Goodhue, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Jordie Barrett, 15. Beauden Barrett. Replacements: 16. Dane Coles, 17. Karl Tu'inukuafe, 18. Nepo Laulala, 19. Tupou Vaa'i, 20. Hoskins Sotutu, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Caleb Clarke.