KEY POINTS:
MELBOURNE - It's started again.
The Wallabies today turned up the rugby World Cup year heat on the All Blacks, with captain Stirling Mortlock claiming his side were sneaking up in similar fashion as they did in the 2003 tournament.
Then, they suffered a 21-50 loss to the All Blacks in July, and four months later knocked coach John Mitchell's side out of the World Cup, 22-10 in the semifinal in Sydney.
The All Blacks have since won 37 of their 41 tests to claim ownership of the world's No 1 tag. The World Cup remains elusive in the 20th anniversary of their only win.
"New Zealand have been that far ahead of everyone else over the past couple of years that realistically the teams below them have a lot more improvement left in them," Mortlock said ahead of tomorrow's Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"We've always been aware there's a lot of improvement left in us. The difference between last year and this year has shown that.
"We're fully aware that everything's got to be in the right shape and you've got to peak at the right time. We're lucky enough to have been thereabouts in most of the World Cup preparations we've been involved in lately."
So, does that mean the All Blacks may have peaked at the wrong time, again?
"I wouldn't say that," Mortlock said, barely concealing a smirk.
"The All Blacks side currently are No 1 in the world and there's daylight second. That's pretty much similar to where they were in 2003.
"There's no doubt when you're No 1 it's a lot harder. Any test match team that's playing the All Blacks lift. Similar sort of things happened to the Wallabies after winning the World Cup (1999), the same with England in 2003.
"It's part and parcel of being the No.1 team, everyone gauges how well they're going by how well they go against them."
- NZPA
