The All Blacks will be aiming for their 20th consecutive victory at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, when they face the in-form Wallabies in the opening match of the 2009 Tri-Nations series.

The All Blacks have not been beaten at Eden Park since 1994 (against France) while the Wallabies last tasted success at Eden Park in 1986.

The All Blacks head into the Tri-Nations on the back of three unconvincing Tests while the Wallabies were impressive in sweeping aside their opponents so far this season and are the only unbeaten Sanzar outfit.

New Zealand boss Graham Henry has come under fire recently for the side's lacklustre performances but it has to be noted that they were heavily hit by a string of injuries at the start of the season. Fortunately, he has been able to make some real selection choices at key positions this week.

"There has been some genuine competition for positions which has been fantastic for the coaches and we have picked what we believe is the strongest team for this particular Test," Henry said.

"It is a team with a huge amount of experience with 500 caps in the starting XV and that?s crucial for what will be a huge Test to kick off the Tri Nations."

Despite the recent criticism levelled at Henry, he has developed a significant winning culture having won 57 of the 66 Tests at the helm, which includes 30 of the 32 played on New Zealand soil.

Henry positioned the Bledisloe Cup, which the All Blacks have held for the past six years, in a prominent place when he gathered his team for their traditional Monday meeting ahead of the Tri-Nations opener.

The All Blacks will be looking to the return of skipper Richie McCaw to provide the spark which was so desperately missing during their drawn series against the French and their scrappy win against the Italians last month. McCaw has been sidelined since the Super 14 playoffs, but after a rare club rugby appearance last week he said that his damaged knee ligaments felt "really" good and he is expected to go the full 80 minutes on Saturday.

With ace flyhalf Dan Carter sidelined, the All Blacks are still struggling to find a solution at No. 10, with Stephen Donald being handed another chance to make an impression this week. Donald and Luke McAlister have rotated the No.10 jersey this year but Henry admitted that it would have been 'too big an ask' to thrust McAlister in the flyhalf hot-seat against Australia this week.

The All Blacks' pivot poser caused a delay in the team naming, which suggests that the Kiwis are an unsettled bunch while the Wallabies have never looked more settled. But it's been seven years since the Wallabies last hoisted the Bledisloe Cup aloft, and even longer since they were called Tri-Nations champions.

While coach Robbie Deans admitted they were "thrown in the deep end", with their opener at Eden Park, where they haven't won since 1986, he stressed that breaking their duck in Auckland is a significant motivation.

"We go in the deep end there, so to speak, but that [win drought] will be a good focal point for us," he said.

"We came up well short there last year and I would envisage the All Blacks will present themselves in exactly the same way.

"It's obviously got a fair amount to do with the emotion. It's a bastion for the All Blacks; they're very conscious of their successful history [at Eden Park] and the opportunity to maintain that and also own a piece of it... it's a great place to test yourself."

An upbeat Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock, the cornerstone of an exciting Wallabies backline, predicted "a brutal affair".

"If we can keep on making strides forward at set piece time and the cohesiveness of the backline is improving as well, our kicking game has been improving, things are looking good," Mortlock said.

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: The All Blacks will be looking to the return of skipper Richie McCaw to boost their performance while the contentious pivot position - handed to Stephen Donald this week makes him an important player. Returning tighthead prop Neemia Tialata gets another opportunity to cement his place in the starting side while the impressive rookie lock Isaac Ross will be hoping to continue his rich run of form.

For Australia: As always, ace Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau's showing will be crucial to his side's effort, while Wallabies powerhouse Stirling Mortlock will be another key figure in the backline. Up front, flank George Smith - playing his 100th Test - will be aiming to be the dominant force at the breakdown while prop Benn Robinson will be keen to get the upper hand in the set-piece.

Head to head: The midfield battle between Stirling Mortlock, Berrick Barnes and All Blacks centres Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith, is an exciting prospect while the battle between Mat Giteau and Stephen Donald will also be crucial to the outcome of the match. Richie McCaw's breakdown battle with George Smith will be another feature while Isaac Ross will be out to make a strong statement against the experienced Nathan Sharpe.

Recent results:

2008: New Zealand 19-14 Australia, Hong Kong
2008: New Zealand 28-24 Australia, Brisbane
2008: New Zealand 39-10 Australia, Auckland
2008: New Zealand 19-34 Australia, Sydney
2007: New Zealand 26-12 Australia, Auckland
2007: New Zealand 15-20 Australia, Melbourne
2006: New Zealand 34-27 Australia, Auckland
2006: New Zealand 13-9 Australia, Brisbane
2006: New Zealand 32-12 Australia, Christchurch
2005: New Zealand 34-24 Australia, Auckland
2005: New Zealand 30-13 Australia, Sydney
2004: New Zealand 18-23 Australia, Sydney

iafrica.com Prediction: The All Blacks are desperate to gain confidence while the Wallabies will fancy their chances of breaking their infamous Eden Park drought. However, the 'Eden Park factor' can not be ruled out and with a Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations points on offer the All Blacks should come out on top by eight points.

Teams:

New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Stephen Donald, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Josevata Rokocoko.

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Stirling Mortlock (captain), 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 James Horwill, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Phil Waugh, 20 David Pocock, 21 Will Genia, 22 James O'Connor.

Date: Saturday, 18 July
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Kick-off: 19.35 (07.35 GMT)
Weather: 14 ?C (Showers easing in the afternoon. Strong southwest)
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Marius Jonker (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)