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New Zealand 'still hurting' from defeat to Australia, says Ian Foster

during the Bledisloe Cup match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia.
Image: Australia ended a seven-game losing streak against the All Blacks in October 2017

All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster says last October's defeat to Australia "still hurts" ahead of their Rugby Championship clash next Saturday.

New Zealand face the Wallabies live on Sky Sports Action on August 18, looking to retain the Bledisloe Cup, which they won after two games in last season's Rugby Championship despite losing the third in a dead-rubber.

Foster hopes his players will carry memories of that rare loss next week.

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"I try to move on, but it is still there," he said. "We saw that after the game, how much it meant to them. It still hurts."

Australia's 2017 win ended a seven-game losing streak against their rivals but the All Blacks still hold the superior head-to-head record, winning 15 of 19 games since their semi-final meeting at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Of those 19 games, the Wallabies have two wins and two draws, and have not won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002.

New Zealand are looking to secure a third straight Rugby Championship, which also includes southern-hemisphere sides South Africa and Argentina, with Australia last winning the tournament in 2015.

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Despite their dominant record, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has tried to paint his back-to-back World Cup winning side as underdogs.

"We lost to Australia the last time we played them, so no doubt they'll have a lot of self-confidence and are worthy of starting as favourites," Hansen said on Monday.

Former Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock, however, said: "I think it's pretty laughable that Steve could put it out there and claim that they're underdogs.

"New Zealand's dominance has been outstanding. Not just against Australia but on a global stage."

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