Inga Tuigamala: Henry unlikely to lose sleep over resurgent Aussies

Sonny Bill Williams will attract plenty of attention. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

The Wallabies sound very confident about breaking a long losing streak against the All Blacks.

But New Zealand have too many aces and will win the test in Hong Kong and go on to beat England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to complete a fantastic test season.

Australia's faith in their own ability is far more than hot air, to be fair to them. The gap between the two nations has definitely closed, as we saw in the last Bledisloe Cup test.

And a confident Wallaby is a dangerous one - we know that Australian sport operates best when the chest is puffed out. They thrive on the feel-good factor.

But they don't have enough firepower across the board and the All Blacks have a clear mental edge that will enable them to win well.

Australia are desperate though, needing something to really kick start their World Cup bid next year.

While the gap has closed, I believe a big All Blacks win is still on the cards and that could spell real trouble for Australia.

Having hauled themselves off the floor, a severe knock to the Wallabies' confidence will set back their campaign to claim a third Webb Ellis title.

A drubbing here and they will feel they have exhausted every avenue of hope.

Robbie Deans, as we have seen over the years, is a master of manipulation despite his apparently reserved public demeanour. He'll need all of those powers in Hong Kong.

As for the All Black squad, I'm delighted with the choices apart from one selection - I'd have the big Canterbury centre Robbie Fruean in there.

The fringe test selections are snapping at the regulars' heels, which is good. And the squad is well balanced.

Sonny Bill Williams will attract plenty of attention of course - whether he plays or not. The young man has phenomenal pulling power in the publicity department.

He has huge potential as everyone knows but I hope he is given time to prove his worth.

We love our rugby heroes but as a nation we can also be too quick to pull them down.

Sonny Bill will make mistakes as an international rugby rookie, and he will learn from them. He needs to be given time.

He has had the guts to follow his dream of being an All Black, and now we will find out how good an All Black he can be.

I have always believed the one ingredient missing from Graham Henry's World Cup recipe is the superstar factor - a new Jonah Lomu if you like.

Sonny Bill Williams could fix that.