Wallabies to play warm-up match against Super Rugby XV

SYDNEY — The Wallabies will play a trial game against an Australian Super Rugby invitational XV on Friday in the hope of ending New Zealand's stranglehold on the Bledisloe Cup in next month's Rugby Championship.

The match pits the Wallabies against players not involved with the New South Wales Waratahs in the Super Rugby semifinals this weekend.

Australia opens its Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup campaigns against New Zealand in Sydney on Aug. 16.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said "spending five weeks on the sideline before a Bledisloe test match is not what we want ideally. It's not just about the contact, because you can get all that in training, but just the little things. The pressure in front of a crowd, the referee telling you what to do, the dressing room build up, all those things."