13 Aug 2018

Genia: Bledisloe is top priority

6:50 pm on 13 August 2018

Wallabies halfback Will Genia rates winning a Bledisloe Cup above the World Cup, describing a series victory against the New Zealanders as his "number one priority".

Australia's scrum half Will Genia passes the ball during a Pool A match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup between England and Australia at Twickenham stadium, south west London, on October 3, 2015

Wallabies halfback Will Genia. Photo: AFP

The Wallabies head into Saturday's 2018 Bledisloe opener in Sydney trying to end New Zealand's 15-year hold on the trophy.

Asked what winning the Bledisloe would mean to the Wallabies Genia said: "everything".

"I can only speak from my personal point of view and for me, I'd have to say it's the pinnacle."

"The World Cup is obviously up there but how often do you get to play the best team in the world three times and have to win two out of three to win a trophy?"

"I've been trying for a while now so really looking forward to another crack."

Genia said it was difficult to establish whether winning a Bledisloe was harder than claiming the World Cup given he hadn't done either but said the former was now his specific goal.

"I will say for me it's the number one priorIty because they are the best team in the world for the last 15, 20 years, back-to-back word cup winners," he said.

"You have to beat them two times out of three to win that trophy, so for me that makes it incredibly difficult and also will make it incredibly special if we're fortunate enough to do it."

Genia has played in just three wins in 20 Bledisloe matches stretching back to 2009.

He said intensity was the key to beating the All Blacks.

"Just making sure you are in their faces for the entire 80 minutes," he said.

"They are a good team but if you give them an opportunity, give them a sniff, they take it - whether it's in defence or in attack."

"It's being relentless in terms of the pressure you apply on them with the ball, without the ball, and just bring that physicality as well.

"I think that was a big trademark of our game when we played them last time in Brisbane."

Genia said Australia were in a lot better physical condition than at the same stage last year because of the recent trial, just over two weeks before Saturday's game.

"Playing that trial game certainly helps, for a lot of us it would have been several weeks until we played another game since the end of Super Rugby," Genia said.

- AAP