LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: It's one match early, but the much-anticipated Rugby World Cup show-down between the Wallabies and the All Blacks will take place on Sunday in Auckland in a semi-final. Australia are the underdogs, but they're trying to improve their chances by spooking the Kiwis, reminding them that they have a history of underperforming at key World Cup moments. Peter Wilkins reports.

PETER WILKINS, REPORTER: It's one of the fiercest rivalries in world sport. Australia and New Zealand battling for supremacy on the rugby field.

SIMON POIDEVIN, FORMER WALLABY CAPTAIN: As a 21-year-old in 1980, I played the All Blacks six times and won two. It was like, "Here they come again," and in those days it was full-on rucking, so I finished that All Black tour here in 1980 with very little skin left on my back from All Black studs.

PETER WILKINS: In the history of confrontations between the two nations dating back more than a century, never has a contest been laden with such intrigue.

BRETT PAPWORTH, FORMER WALLABY: The public expectation is enormous. We won last time out, and the last team they wanted to play was us.

PETER WILKINS: At the core of that intrigue is All Black rugby supremacy.

SIMON POIDEVIN: They're the best rugby team in the world.

PETER WILKINS: The records say that's not in question, winning 75 per cent of all matches played, including against their celebrated neighbour.

ANY ELLIS, ALL BLACK HALF BACK: As a Kiwi growing up, they're our big ones really. Love getting one over them. Bit of a smaller country than them so it makes it even sweeter when we do.

PETER WILKINS: But in the theatre of the World Cup, apart from success in the inaugural tournament in 1987 in New Zealand, there has been disappointment with only one trophy in six attempts of the standard bearer of the game.

BRETT PAPWORTH: I think their track record in World Cups plays on their mind a little bit.

PETER WILKINS: Gallingly, their less qualified archrival has two, the first in 1991.

Simon, holding the World Cup in your hands, what was that like?

SIMON POIDEVIN: It's 20 years ago this year and it seems like yesterday. That's how good it is to have that one in the bank.

PETER WILKINS: The next Cup deposit was eight years later. New Zealand's account dried up, but hopes are high for another instalment.

DAVID KIRK, FORMER ALL BLACK CAPTAIN: I feel good about us. I think we're good enough to win. I think we've got great people in this All Black team; really well prepared, so I'm confident we can do it but it's tough.

PETER WILKINS: Despite the Wallabies' inferior record over the years, particularly during the last decade, there's a conundrum: even in times of questionable form, the Australians think they can get the job done - just as they did in the 1991 and 2003 World Cups.

RUGBY PLAYER: No, we didn't choke at all. We just got beaten by a better team.

PETER WILKINS: Capped 59 times as a workaholic flanker, Simon Poidevin recognises an Achilles' heel.

SIMON POIDEVIN: It's the critical games where we've got them. 2003 semi-final in Sydney, roaring favourites. I think New Zealanders will remember that more than maybe the games they won in the previous two years against Australia.

PETER WILKINS: This weekend, Australia has the added hurdle of fortress Eden Park. The Wallabies haven't won there since 1986, when mercurial Brett Papworth was Man of the Match.

BRETT PAPWORTH: Possibly the highlight of my career was beating them there. I just remember them coming out all guns blazing. They ran it from everywhere, which surprised us, but we got there. We had a good team back then.

PETER WILKINS: But Simon Poidevin believes the long World Cup campaign is to the Wallabies' advantage in negating the Eden Park hoodoo.

SIMON POIDEVIN: It's always been a big trap for an Australian side to fly into Auckland or Wellington or Dunedin and play the All Blacks in a one-off test match. I think you're really at a disadvantage. Being there for virtually six, seven weeks rolling into this, big advantage.

PETER WILKINS: This battle is laced with uncertainty. New Zealand will be without injured star fly-half Dan Carter.

BRETT PAPWORTH: They will spend all week stressing about the fact that Dan Carter's not there, is the replacement up to it, what are they going to do? It's a good place for our guys.

PETER WILKINS: While Australia's play-maker Quade Cooper a confidence bypass against South Africa.

QUADE COOPER, WALLABY FLY-HALF: I don't care if I have a shocker and we win as a team.

PETER WILKINS: And the coaching corner is a psychological minefield; Kiwi Robbie Deans looking for a treasonous result against his homeland. The All Black legend has seemingly groaned with the intensity of their pregame ritual, the haka.

BRETT PAPWORTH: It wasn't as fearsome then, I promise. It was almost cartoon-like. Now they are just into it and it seems really meaningful for them.

PETER WILKINS: But the spoils from this semi-final seem greater than ever. Defeat on home shores for the favourites - defeat on home shores for the favourites would be the bitterest pill to swallow.

ROCKY ELSOM, WALLABY FORWARD: There is hell of lot of expectation. What it does to them I'm not sure but you definitely know it's there.

PETER WILKINS: Do the Wallabies deserve a third World Cup?

BRETT PAPWORTH: Not on what they've shown us this time around in this World Cup, no, but if they can knock the All Blacks over at Eden Park in a semi-final, they'll go into final as favourites.

SIMON POIDEVIN: We now play the All Blacks at their home patch knowing that all the mental stress is on those guys, so the more you can rattle them, smash them, put them on the back foot - which we can do - the more chance we have of winning that game.