Rugby: Wallabies preparing for All Blacks reaction after draw in opening Bledisloe Cup test

The Wallabies came within a post of a famous win over the All Blacks last weekend. Now, they're preparing for the backlash.

The sides will meet again in Auckland on Sunday at Eden Park – a venue at which the Wallabies have not beaten their New Zealand counterparts since 1986 – for the second Bledisloe Cup test, which now shapes up as a pivotal one with the victor moving within a win of hoisting the Cup.

In recent years, the All Blacks have thrived playing at Eden Park – particularly after a less than impressive performance.

In 2014 when the sides drew in Sydney, the All Blacks claimed a 51-20 win at Eden Park the next week. When Australia beat the All Blacks 27-19 in Sydney in 2015, they were handed a 41-13 defeat the next week in Auckland. Last year, when the Wallabies took a 47-26 in Perth, the All Blacks responded with a 36-0 win in Auckland seven days later.

After last weekend's draw, Wallabies halfback Nic White said he expected the All Blacks would lift to another level come Sunday.

Sam Cane and Nic White after the opening Bledisloe Cup test in Wellington. Photo / Photosport

"I'm not sure how much it is to do with the field and how much it is to do with the result," White said.

"I don't think it's going to matter where we play them this week, there's going to be a reaction from them. The All Blacks have always reacted after a draw, a loss or a performance they don't think was very good.

"But we're talking about our reaction this week. There are a lot of guys who haven't played at Eden Park before; there are a lot of guys in this group who hadn't played the All Blacks before. This is a new group and we're trying to talk about the reaction we want to get out of a game on the weekend we thought we could have taken.

"We were pretty gutted in the sheds after that game. That game was there for the taking, and we didn't take it."

While both sides are going through a period of adjustment with new coaches taking the helm, last weekend's result came as a surprise to many given the vast changes made in the Wallabies regime.

It had Wallabies great David Campese suggesting in an interview with Stuff that the All Blacks had "lost their aura" as world rugby's most dominant force.

White begged to differ, and said the All Blacks are still a very good team and have shown that for a long time.

"I don't believe that (they've lost their aura). Do I believe in us and that we can take it to them? Yeah, but that's not a reflection on them at all; that's a reflection on us and where we're going."

Nic White caused some problems for the All Blacks with his running game last weekend. Photo / Getty Images

White had a major influence in the Wallabies' performance in Wellington, with his vision and running game from the breakdown causing problems for the All Blacks who continued to give him the room to move.

It allowed the Wallabies to get on the front foot on attack and test the All Blacks' defence throughout the contest, but it isn't an area White expects to be allowed to excel in this weekend.

"I'll take each breakdown on its merits, but I certainly won't be surprised if they're going to shoot out of the line and try take me out of the game."