Wallabies shrouded in mystery ahead of Bledisloe opener, says All Blacks coach

But this year is different. Coaches always trot out the cliché that they only need to worry about their own backyard and this could not be more applicable for the All Blacks given the genuine lack of intelligence on who Rennie will select in his maiden Wallabies side on Friday. Even Wallabies veteran Matt To'omua even said he didn't know when asked on Tuesday.

"We've just got to second guess," Foster said. "If you try and get too smart in that space, then we're going to worry about things we can't control. Do we have an idea? We can second guess.

"They've got a new coaching group. [There is] a bit of English background, a bit of Scottish background and a bit of Kiwi background. It's an unusual mix for an Australian team, so we've just got to try and figure that out," Foster said.

"We've got an idea where we think they'll progress their game and we'll find out the same time as you."

All Blacks veteran Sam Whitelock went as far as saying this would be the least the Kiwis have known about the Wallabies going into a Bledisloe fixture in recent times.

There is also the added layer that both nations had to abandon trans-Tasman Super Rugby matches due to COVID-19.

"Obviously Super Rugby as we all know it is completely different, so playing within your own country means that crossover didn't happen," Whitelock said. "We still know a little bit about them. We can't exactly know how they're going to play."

The same, to a certain extent, could be said about the Wallabies trying to analyse a team who have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 but Foster, in his first outing as head coach since Steve Hansen stood down after New Zealand's semi-final exit at last year's World Cup, will be acutely aware that Rennie, who was in the running to be All Blacks boss, will have something up his sleeve.

It would be a stretch to say the All Blacks are nervous given they always exude an air of confidence but the uncertainty isn't ideal.

Foster believes it's more important to predict how the Wallabies will play, rather than who is set to take the field.

"With everything going on, this is a week we've been waiting for, for a long, long time. There's that natural desire to jump ahead and play the Test today," he said.

"It's about harnessing that energy and making sure we go on the park really clear and hungry and excited about being an All Black at home."

To'omua said the group had watched footage of both Bledisloe matches last year - Australia won in Perth before being thumped across the ditch a week later - yet feels the Kiwis will be in the dark a little more.

"They're probably in the same boat as well and maybe even more so because we've got a completely new coaching staff," To'omua said.

Foster already knows his starting XV, including who will play at No.10, but said all would be revealed on Friday, two days out from the first rugby Test anywhere in the world since the outbreak of COVID-19.