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Hong Kong - Australia may have lost 10 straight matches to New Zealand to break a 63-year record, but captain Rocky Elsom still believes the All Blacks can be beaten in their final Bledisloe Cup game of the season next month.
New Zealand has already retained the Bledisloe Cup and clinched the Tri-Nations with a perfect 6-0 record, including a 23-22 win over Australia on September 11 that surpassed its then-record nine straight victories over the Wallabies between 1936 and 1947.
Elsom said the All Blacks' ability to close out tightly fought matches has given them the edge in the rivalry. In the first two tests of the series, the All Blacks beat the Wallabies 49-28 in Melbourne and 20-10 in Christchurch.
"We definitely can win - it's obvious we've improved over the length of the tournament," Elsom said on Wednesday of the October 30 game in a teleconference.
"We're No. 2 in the world and New Zealand is No. 1. The main reason is that they've been able to get away with the tight matches against us and against everyone else, really. That's what we're focused at."
With New Zealand having won 15 straight Tests to close in on Lithuania's world record of 18, Elsom doesn't believe the Wallabies will have trouble finding motivation for a dead rubber despite a long season.
The All Blacks' recent dominance comes ahead of next year's World Cup, at which they will enjoy home advantage.
"You never need a reason to win a Test match - probably more so in this one. We're obviously not happy the way the Tri-Nations went, particularly against New Zealand," Elsom said. "We have an opportunity, which is something we'd really like to take.
"There's just a lot of work we want to do. I'm expecting us to make some further gains."
There had been reports, denied by both country's rugby federations, that the game may be moved because of poor ticket sales.
But Sean Moore, a publicist for the match, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that organisers have sold more than 16 000 tickets for the Test at Hong Kong Stadium, which has a capacity of 38 000.
Hong Kong previously staged a Bledisloe Cup match in 2008 and the two sides also played in Tokyo in 2009, two places not used to hosting top-level rugby Tests.
"I think the guys definitely enjoy it, traveling somewhere we don't often go to," Elsom said.
