Australia will be a “different beast” to the side that suffered back-to-back thrashings by the All Blacks in August when they line up for another clash at Eden Park this Saturday, according to flanker Jerome Kaino.
 The Wallabies were destroyed by the All Blacks in the opening two matches of the Rugby Championship but found some form in winning three of their last four games in the tournament against South Africa and Argentina.
 The All Blacks have not lost to Australia at Eden Park in 30 years and are currently riding a 17-match winning streak, a record for Tier One nations shared with South Africa (1997-98).
 But Kaino is mindful of the Wallabies’ history of bursting bubbles. He was a member of the team that lost 26-24 to Australia in Hong Kong in 2010, which ended a 15-match winning streak. The 33-year-old was also a part of the 12-12 draw in Sydney which snapped their 17-match streak in 2014.
 “They do rise to the challenges, and this is one of them,” Kaino told local media at training yesterday.
 “We’ve spoken about that they will be better and they will rise to the occasion. We know they’re not going to lie down. There’s nothing more they’d like than to spoil our party. Australia will be a different beast this time round, a lot better than when we played them last in Wellington.”
 Humiliated 42-8 in the Rugby Championship opener in Sydney, a more abrasive Australia turned up at Wellington but were still trounced 29-9.
 The visitors are likely to be reinforced by backrower and breakdown enforcer David Pocock, who has been sidelined for over a month with a broken hand.
 “They’ve got more competitive at the breakdown, and if they have David Pocock back that will just add more steel to what they already had,” said Kaino. “They’ve got a lot stronger. But we’re a lot better as well. What we’ve learned is how we prepare during the week. Although a lot will be said in the media about how we’ll easily beat them, it’s important we don’t believe that.”
 The All Blacks will be without Aaron Smith for another week after the scrumhalf voluntarily stood down for the match on Monday. Smith was disciplined after revelations he had a tryst with a woman in a disabled toilet at Christchurch airport last month.
 Waikato Chiefs halfback Augustine Pulu has been drafted in as cover but TJ Perenara and Tawera Kerr-Barlow are expected to be named as the halfbacks in the matchday
 Meanwhile, star forward David Pocock is optimistic of being fit after a month out with a broken hand as the Wallabies look to halt the All Blacks’ bid for a world-record 18th consecutive Test win. The back-rower has been out of action since picking up the injury in Australia’s Rugby Championship win over Argentina in Perth last month.
 The setback continued his wretched run with injuries during a chequered playing career, which has included two knee reconstructions, ankle and calf trouble and a fractured eye socket.
 But he came through a non-contact training session and is hopeful of being ready for the Bledisloe Cup clash at Eden Park in Auckland, where Australia haven’t won since 1986.
 “It’s feeling pretty good,” he told reporters in Sydney ahead of testing his hand in a contact session. “I’ve done all the rehab that’s been required, the last little bit is the uncontrolled contact, see how that goes. Yesterday was good, enjoy training in the rain so we’ll see what today holds.”
 Fellow flanker Sean McMahon’s recovery from an ankle injury has been slower and he is unlikely to feature on Saturday. “It’s a bit of a long shot as you’d expect it was with the type of injury that it was but I’ll just keep trotting away and working on building the strength back into it and see where that takes it,” he told the Australian Rugby Union website.