New Zealand may go into the final Tri Nations match of 2010 already confirmed as champions, but the All Blacks have a number of records within their sights, including the biggest ever margin at the top of the IRB World Rankings.
The All Blacks currently sit 8.25 rating points above Australia, their opponents at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday who leapfrogged South Africa following a dramatic last gasp win in Bloemfontein last weekend.
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However, a victory by more than 15 points will increase New
Zealand's cushion as the number one side in the rankings to
9.67 points, surpassing the 9.41 advantage the All Blacks enjoyed
over France back on 25 June 2007.
Their rating that day was 95.01 and a convincing win over the
Wallabies will bring Richie McCaw's men to within a hundredth
of that mark, not to mention leave Australia sitting only 11
hundredths above the Springboks.
A victory by a smaller margin will still see New
Zealand's advantage stretch beyond nine rating points before
they face the Wallabies in the final Bledisloe Cup test of 2010 in
Hong Kong at the end of October.
New Zealand, bidding to record a 15th consecutive test
victory - three shy of the new record set by Lithuania earlier this
year, will be without star fly half Daniel Carter because of
injury, giving former IRB Junior Player of the Year Aaron Cruden a
first test start.
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Australia, though, will be looking to deny New Zealand the
first clean sweep of the Tri Nations since 2003 - and the first
ever over six matches - as well as a 10th win in a row over them
dating back to September 2008.
If the Wallabies can record only their second win over the
All Blacks under coach Robbie Deans then New Zealand's
advantage at the IRB World Rankings summit could be slashed to just
3.67 points.
For this to happen Australia must win by more than 15 points,
but even a smaller margin of victory will reduce the deficit to
5.21 rating points and give them some breathing space above third
ranked South Africa.
The IRB World Rankings, which were introduced in October 2003,
update every Monday at 12:00 UK time.