Once the man with the plan in the All Blacks camp, Australia coach Joe Schmidt will look to land a decisive blow against his home nation in a pivotal Rugby Championship at Eden Park on Saturday.

The Wallabies lead the tournament by a point, giving Schmidt the chance to breathe life into a rivalry deadened by decades of New Zealand dominance.

With the All Blacks still reeling from a record defeat by South Africa, and the Bledisloe Cup also on the line, the stakes have arguably never been so high in a trans-Tasman test since the 2015 World Cup final.

As a selector, strategist and assistant coach under former All Blacks boss Ian Foster, Schmidt once played a part in prolonging Australia's "Bledis-woe".

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