Wallabies prop James Slipper stands tall as All Blacks look to secure Bledisloe Cup

Wallabies captain Michael Hooper says Slipper took time to speak to the group about the opportunity before them while in camp in the Hunter Valley this week.

But now the time for talking is done with Slipper desperate to help Australia win back the Bledisloe Cup on home soil.

The first task is a must-win clash against the All Blacks at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday night, with the visitors holding a 1-0 series lead after two matches.

It has been 18 years since the Wallabies lifted the Bledisloe Cup and game three this week is effectively do-or-die in a relentless pursuit to end the drought.

MORE RUGBY UNION

Slipper believes a new-look Wallabies outfit is good enough to get the job done with the hosts boasting four debutants in the match day 23.

"I'm definitely confident in this group, I believe we can win the Bledisloe. At the end of the day mate, we've got to actually win it," Slipper said.

"I've been in a lot of teams over the years that have good feelings and had that one-off game where they played really well.

"For us, it's a results-driven game. We've got to win the Bledisloe. That's all we're concentrating on. It doesn't matter if we played one good game in Wellington, we've got to back it up with two here in Australia to win it."

The Wallabies will have to do so with an untested pairing in key positions with Brumbies duo Noah Lolesio and Irae Simone to make their debuts at flyhalf and inside centre respectively.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane is determined to pile on the pressure and rush the new pairing as they fill the void left by injured veterans James O'Connor and Matt To'omua.

The context of the clash makes the selection gamble seem even more daring but Wallabies coach Dave Rennie is confident his troops will be up to the task.

The Wallabies missed a whopping 40 tackles in their loss in Auckland - a staggering 27.5 per cent of their tackle attempts.

Rest assured the All Blacks took notice, but more pressing is bettering a 50 per cent win record on Australian shores since 2011.

"We've alluded to that our record in Australia probably isn't as good as it is in New Zealand, so there's no hiding from that," Cane said.

"Australia is a tough place to play in and they've got a pretty good record and it's a pretty unique situation, particularly in my time in the All Blacks, with the way the schedule's worked out.

"It's always been test matches in Aussie first, followed by New Zealand, so when it comes to the Bledisloe and crunch games, they've been on New Zealand soil, so the shoe's on the other foot here this weekend, but we're pretty excited by that challenge."

TRI-NATIONS | BLEDISLOE CUP

Saturday: Australia v New Zealand at Sydney Olympic Park, 7.45pm.

Wallabies squad: 1. James Slipper 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa 3. Allan Alaalatoa 4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto 5. Matt Philip 6. Ned Hanigan 7. Michael Hooper (c) 8. Harry Wilson 9. Nic White 10. Noah Lolesio 11. Marika Koroibete 12. Irae Simone 13. Jordan Petaia 14. Filipo Daugunu 15. Dane Haylett-Petty. Replacements: 16. Jordan Uelese, 17. Scott Sio, 18. Taniela Tupou, 19. Rob Simmons, 20. Fraser McReight, 21. Tate McDermott, 22. Reece Hodge, 23. Hunter Paisami.

All Blacks squad: 1. Karl Tu'inukuafe, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Ofa Tuungafasi, 4. Patrick Tuipulotu, 5. Samuel Whitelock, 6. Shannon Frizell, 7. Sam Cane (c), 8. Hoskins Sotutu, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 11. Caleb Clarke, 12. Jack Goodhue, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Jordie Barrett, 15. Beauden Barrett. Replacements: 16. Codie Taylor, 17. Alex Hodgman, 18. Tyrel Lomax, 19. Scott Barrett, 20. Dalton Papalii, 21. TJ Perenara, 22. Ngani Laumape, 23. Rieko Ioane.