Coach Robbie Deans rejects suggestions the All Blacks have a mental hold over the Wallabies and says the gap between the two sides has narrowed considerably, despite a record 10-game losing streak.
The Wallabies have endured a torrid time against the All Blacks, who are odds-on to stretch that to 11 when the two sides meet in the DHL Bledisloe Cup encounter at Hong Kong Stadium on October 30.
But Deans, speaking from Sydney last night, remained cautiously optimistic the tide was turning, albeit slowly.
'We are close, but right now we don't have anything to shout about,' he said.
'We haven't quite got the measure of them, but we are starting to be competitive. There is enough evidence to show that.'
Richie McCaw and his men smashed both the Wallabies and the Springboks in the Tri-Nations this year, winning the crown for southern hemisphere supremacy in unbeaten fashion. To make matters worse for New Zealander Deans - who took over the Wallabies' job in 2008 - the All Blacks have never been beaten under his watch.
But Deans said there was no added pressure, despite rumblings of discontent from sections of the public in Australia.