New Zealand’s proud record at Eden Park – a 53-match unbeaten streak against all comers – is under threat as the hosts face in-form Australia at their Auckland fortress. Still shaken by a 3-1 series loss to South Africa, the battered and bruised All Blacks will strive to rebound in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test against a Wallabies side unbeaten in six matches and brimming with energy after a spellbinding victory over the Springboks. Les Kiss has made an impression since succeeding Joe Schmidt in July, racking up four wins and a draw.
A 42-38 upset of the world champions in Perth two weeks ago showcased a measured Wallabies gameplan, built on a solid set-piece, careful game management from scrum-half Ryan Lonergan and successful contesting of high kicks. Follow the action with our live blog. After an interminable three-week international break, the Premier League returns with a tremble in its hitherto cocky stride as fallout from the Manchester City scandal continues to spread its toxicity among the elite.
Enzo Maresca’s side face the music at Anfield on Sunday but before then there’s plenty of tasty clashes to keep blog host **David Tindall** on his toes. Manchester United and Tottenham badly need a win when they meet at Old Trafford, while Arsenal aim to bounce back at home to Leeds after a rare defeat. There’s also Aston Villa v Brentford, Chelsea v Bournemouth, Ipswich v Fulham and Sunderland v Brighton brushing off the dust on Saturday.
For updates and good vibes, join the conversation by sending your thoughts to [email protected]. Australia began a daunting 12-month stretch with a three-Test series against South Africa at Kingsmead on Friday, before tours of India and England next year and the defence of their ODI World Cup title. Having not won a Test series in England since 2001, India since 2004 and South Africa since 2014, the Baggy Greens face one of their toughest assignments in recent years.
Join us for our live blog, with **Geoff Lemon** reporting on the second day in Durban. Pat Cummins plays a shot during day one of the first Test match between South Africa and Australia. George Russell needs to throw everything he can at stopping – or just delaying – Kimi Antonelli’s title charge.
That won’t be easy from the back of the grid. The Briton was third, with Mercedes teammate Antonelli ahead of him in second, when his power unit packed in during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, leaving him with a penalty this week for an engine change. He made a good start on Friday by setting the fastest time in practice and must hope to make an impact in the final sprint race of the season as well as qualifying.
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