Bernard Foley handed Wallabies jumper as Noah Lolesio ruled out of Bledisloe Cup opener

The Brumbies fly half was always racing the clock to be fit for this week's New Zealand Test after he failed a head injury assessment in Australia's loss to South Africa last weekend.

The Marvel Stadium contest will be played on Thursday night to avoid a clash with AFL and NRL finals.

While a positive move for the code, the schedule ultimately worked against Lolesio, the 12 days between games not enough time to clear the concussion protocols and complete a full training load with the starting team.

With Lolesio ruled out, Wallabies coach Dave Rennie has turned to an experienced hand in Foley to lead the team around the park in the crucial Test.

It will mark the 33-year-old's first Test since Australia were knocked out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in the quarter-finals.

Foley has been training with the team since the Wallabies returned from Argentina last month and McKellar is confident the veteran can enjoy a winning return to the international arena.

"He's been a good fit since he's come back," McKellar said. "I've really enjoyed meeting him and getting to know him.

"He's a good man, a good team man and he helped us prepare really well in those first couple of weeks since he's been back."

The upcoming series shapes as Australia's best chance in years to snap a Bledisloe Cup drought that stretches back two decades.

The All Blacks have looked vulnerable in recent months, losing a home series to Ireland before splitting two Tests with the Springboks.

New Zealand also suffered a historic defeat to Argentina in Christchurch, however they followed that up with a 53-3 drubbing of the Pumas.

The Wallabies, however, aren't exactly flying either and have been unable to produce back-to-back wins this year.

They will need to secure two consecutive victories over the All Blacks if they want to hoist the Bledisloe Cup.

It's a fact that's not lost on the Australians.

"If you want to win a Bledisloe Cup or a Rugby Championship, someone's going to have to go back-to-back over the next couple of weeks," McKellar said. "That leads into next year's [World Cup] with the bigger prize available as well.

"We've spoken about mindset. Having confidence and belief and genuinely crossing the chalk thinking you're going out there to change the course of history is huge. It's been the best part of 20 years since we held the Bledisloe, so if we don't have those two things, then we'll be kidding ourselves.

"We'll find come Thursday there's 23 players incredibly excited to compete and win a game of rugby. That will allow us to be in a position to potentially win a trophy the following week."

ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham was a member of the Wallabies squad that last won the Bledisloe Cup in 2002.

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Having contested a number of fierce battles with the All Blacks, the former fly half recognises how tough it is to defeat Australia's fierce rivals.

"Generally New Zealand have been regarded as the best team in the world," Larkham said.

"They're not currently No.1 but it's rare that New Zealand drop a game.

"It's the biggest rivalry in Australian rugby. We see it now in Super Rugby, but traditionally the Bledisloe Cup has been the one trophy all Australians want to win.

"Speaking to the coaches in the Wallabies set up, there was a fair bit of disappointment out of [the loss to South Africa]. That will galvanise the team and give them an opportunity to focus on this game coming up."

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