They've followed the All Blacks' lead in receiving their first Covid vaccination injection, and now Australia will be given two chances to end their 35-year hoodoo at Eden Park.
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Wallabies players had their first jab before flying to New Zealand ahead of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener in Auckland, and will receive their follow-up shot after returning to Australia for the third Test in Perth, rearranged for August 28.
That match has been pushed back a week, to allow for All Blacks players to receive the second dose of their coronavirus vaccination before traveling to Australia.
Fortress Eden Park will host the first two Bledisloe Cup matches, this Saturday, and a week later on August 14.
New Zealand's recent decision to close its travel bubble with Australia, due to a surge of cases in NSW, had threatened to wreak havoc with this year's Bledisloe Cup.
But Rugby Australia confirmed on Tuesday it had locked in a modified schedule for the series, which allows the third Test to be played in Perth following discussions with New Zealand Rugby and the West Australian government.
Players will not be required to quarantine after transiting between New Zealand and Australia between the second and third Tests.
Whether or not the series will still be alive come the Perth Test will require the Wallabies to end a 35-year drought at New Zealand's premier rugby venue.
Not since 1986 has an Australian side won a Test in Auckland.
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"It's a tough place to play, we've been on the back end of some bad losses there - hopefully this weekend it's a good one for us," Wallabies prop James Slipper said.
"People put it down to a bit of a hoodoo stadium for us. It's a hard place to win, it's a great venue, it's great for the fans and it's great for New Zealand rugby, probably not so great for us.
"Anywhere in New Zealand's hard, we haven't had the greatest record here in New Zealand over the past few decades.
"We've got two games in New Zealand off the bat, it doesn't really change much for us. We always had to win one game here to win the Bledisloe.
"We're going to try and win every game we can. We understand what we're up against, it's just about I guess taking our opportunities and putting the All Blacks under pressure. Regardless of where you play if you play your best rugby, it'll give you your best chance of winning."
The Wallabies were cleared last week to enter New Zealand, despite the reinstated temporary ban on travel between the two countries.
They traveled across the Tasman late last week.
"We've come over here a little bit earlier due to COVID and it's forced us to leave our homes and connect as a group and we're really enjoying ourselves - we understand how big this game is so we're pretty excited by it," Slipper said.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
