All Blacks captain Sam Cane plays down talk of dead rubber as they face Wallabies in Dunedin

New Zealand captain Sam Cane played down talks of a dead rubber contest as they face the Wallabies for the second time this year in Dunedin.

The All Blacks have already claimed the Bledisloe Cup for the 21st consecutive victory following their victory in Melbourne which also saw them clinch the Rugby Championship title.

Despite the success, Cane, who is returning from an injury said they will treat every game equally as they step up the preparations for the Rugby World Cup to be held in France later this year. The weekend's game will also be the last home game for Ian Foster's men before they head to the showpiece event.

“Absolutely, mate,” said Cane when asked if anything was on the line.

“For one we’ve got three guys, two making their debuts and one potentially, and a lots guys having an opportunity.

“On top of that, we know that where we're at right now is not going be good enough later in the year [at the Rugby World Cup].

“Every time you get a chance to take the field as a team, you get a chance to take a step forward and get better and hopefully get to where we want to get to.”