The Silver Fern - Head to Head

Position	Wallabies	test caps	All Blacks
15	Adam Ashley-Cooper	19 v 64	Mils Muliaina
A no brainer here, the All Blacks most capped fullback against the talented, but unremarkable Ashley Cooper. Mils's ability to hit the backline, and strength in the tackle really coming to the fore over the last few tests as he hits top form again. The first time for a season or two really. Perhaps thanks to some constant rugby and getting selected where he belongs, at fullback. Advantage All Blacks
14	Peter Hynes	8 v 5	Richard Kahui
Nigel nobody versus Sydney Centre on the wing. Kahui looking comfortable now as a winger, certainly not a finisher in the Rokocoko or (in form) Sivivatu fashion, but effective now in his work. More so for his off the ball work than his with the ball work. His kick chase and cover being top notch - the high workrate that the likes of Wulf and Tahana, the specialist wingers in the All Black squad have been missing. His quick hands and distribution also make him a bit more dangerous than the other two non selected wingers. Hynes, like Kahui, nothing flash. This will be the biggest test of his game to date, will be up for it, but is really just holding the jersey until someone better comes along. Advantage split
13	Ryan Cross	7 v 20	Conrad Smith
Cross is making a good start to his test career, but I would, and do, rate Smith above him. While Cross is soild enough as an all round centre, his workrate does not match Smith's at all. Smith is the janitor of the All Black backline, cleaning up anything and everything that needs cleaning. Cross maybe be a bit quicker in a straight line foot race, but you don't get many of those in a test match at this level. Both safe defenders too, but the extra experience of the shaggy headed Wellingtonian gives the All Blacks the decision here. Advantage All Blacks
12	Stirling Mortlock	70 v 27	Ma'a Nonu
The master versus the apprentice. Nonu seems to at last have found a home in the All Black starting XV, at second five, and in this test finds himself up against the old master, Mortlock. nonu this season has had less brain explosions on attack, knowing when to slip the ball and knowing when to just make the yards and wait for the McCaw led cavelry to arrive! Mortlock is playing one closer to the scrum than usual. How this will effect the Aussies game, for the good or the bad, nobody knows. However, it is good news for Nonu, as anything, even as slight as this, to put Morty out of his comfort zone has got to be good. The match up is two heavyweights against each other, but the experience factor swings this decision quite decisively towards Australia. Advantage Wallabys
11	Lote Tuqiri	65 v 29	Sitiveni Sivivatu
An in form Tuqiri, who is on 65 tests now, it seems like yesterday that he changed from league, but nope, 65 tests ago (wow), against the horribly out of form Sivivatu. If both were playing at the tops of their games, this would be hard to call. Sivi though, is nowhere near his best at the moment, so hands down win to the Wobblues on this wing. Advantage Wallabys
10	Matt Giteau	59 v 53	Dan Carter
Two fine first fives, one flaky, the other an iceman. However, both match winners in their own rights, but, there is only one Dan Carter, and he is head and shoulders above any other ten on the planet, and that includes Giteau. Advantage All Blacks.
9	Sam Cordingley	20 v 16	Jimmy Cowan
The old campaigner Cordingley against the born again non drinker Jimmy 'you lookin at me' Cowan. Cordingly a tradesman, gives his best, but his best at times not really up to test level. Will have a hell of a time behind a Wallaby eiught that will be reversing over him faster than he can put the ball into the scrum. Cowan, now that he has been given the chance to start over the awful Ellis, has made every post a winner. He has to though, as the recalled Weepu is doing the business too when he gets onto the field. Cowan's cover defence is probably the best of any halfback in the world today, add to that the fact that he possess a kicking game, a solid pass and is an angry man close to the ruck and maul with ball in hand. A class above the solid, but unspectacular Cordingley. Advantage All Blacks.
8	Wycliff Palu	24 v 50	Rodney So'oialo
The human wrecking ball Palu versus Mr Perpetual motion, So'oilao. Both differing players, both super effective in what they do. However, Palu's effectiveness is based on the form of his tight five, and as such, he is often going off the back of a scrum in trouble - but still makes good ground. His fitness and work rate have improved no end over the last season or two too, making him a much more effective player. So'oialo, now he is back at 8 where he belongs is again playing his best rugby, a real pain at the breakdown and tidy around the field. A defensive rock. Too hard to separate, even though they are completely different players. Advantage split
7	George Smith	91 v 64	Richie McCaw
Another clash like the Giteau versus Carter one. Both fantastic players, but, like Carter, there is only one McCaw. He has the advantage of playing behind a dominant tight five more often than not, and his two loose forwards compliment him more at the breakdown. Unlike Smith, who gets a helluva fright when he sees Palu at a breakdown beside him! Elsom too not as effective as Kaino and So'oilao when it comes to helping his openside at the coalface. Thanks to the lack of support, McCaw comes out on top in this comparison! Advantage All Blacks.
6	Rocky Elsom	39 v 10	Jerome Kaino
Both very similar players. Good ball carriers, and used often for that in general play, and both the main lineout target of the loose forward trios. The All Blacks also use McCaw and Rodders to good effect, but Kaino the number one target. The Wobblies on the other hand have a bit of trouble getting Palu off the ground, and Smith, once he is hoisted, he is still only as tall as your average lock forward at any rate... Anyway, little to separate these two hard working flankers, Elsom's extra experience the deciding factor. Advantage Wallabys
5	Nathan Sharpe	68 v 55	Ali Williams
The two 'loose' locks from the respective packs. Sharpe a tad looser than Williams though, who does get through a fair amount of work in the tight, along with his gallivanting out in the open. Little to distinguish between the two though, both lineout king-pins, good with ball in hand, and hard workers at what they do. You would be able to swap both players into their opposing packs without losing anything, or gaining anything from the swap! Advantage split
4	James Horwill	9 v 19	Brad Thorn
The two big men in the pack - the grunters that power the scrum, and the two close in ball carriers whose main aim is to pull in as many tacklers as possible and inflict as much pain as possible on the opposition in the process. Horwill a better lineout option, while big bad Brad's defence is second to none. All round though, I think the young Aussie shades the All Black hard man. Advantage Wallabys.
3	Al Baxter	59 v 64	Greg Somerville
A tradesman in his craft in the All Blacks most capped prop, and the best of an avearge bunch in Baxter. Baxter probably better around the field than Somerville, certainly a better tackler, and has better ball skills. Although having better ball skills than Somerville is no great shakes. However, at the set piece, Somerville the better player by a country mile. Advantage All Blacks
2	Stephen Moore	28 v 34	Andrew Hore
The up and coming Wallaby hooker against the throwback who has found his feet at the highest level in Hore. Hore a reliable and hard to stop ball carrier in the close quarter exchanges, as is Moore, but not to the extent of Hore. Hore the better defender of the two, and both pretty solid at lineout time, although this season we have seen the Wobbly lineout implode from being the best on the planet down to All Black level, while the All Black lineout has done the reverse. On the balance of all factors though, these is little to separate the two players. Advantage split
1	Benn Robinson	14 v 44	Tony Woodcock
A rookie prop learning his trade, and making a good fist of it, against a man who in the here and now is at the prime of his career. A couple of hard working props who don't mind rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in. Woodcock perhaps a touch more skilled in the ball handling department than Robinson. Advantage All Blacks.

So there we go, final score 7 to the All Blacks, 4 to Australia, and 4 too close to call.

On paper and in pixels you can debate the merits of the players until the cows come on, but games are not won on keyboards and computer monitors. They are won on the paddock, where fifteen fit bastards smash the living shitters out of fifteen other fit bastards (14 if Matt Dunning is playing), trying to carry the ball over the opposing teams goal line.