Ben Kennedy has heaped the pressure on Australia, saying it would be a "disaster" if the Kangaroos failed to beat underdogs New Zealand in Saturday's opening Tri-Nations match in Auckland.

Kennedy said the Australians were confident of victory against the Kiwis, who played out of their skins at North Harbour Stadium this time last year to convincingly beat their trans-Tasman rivals.

"We always expect a victory. We'd expect nothing less," said the Manly-bound back-rower, who will come off the bench for the Roos.

"It's a disaster if we don't win.

"Every time you play for Australia you are expected to win and we expect to win, so nothing has changed."

Kennedy's comments demonstrates the mind set of the dominant Australians, who gave the Kiwis a 37-10 pasting at Newcastle in April.

SportsTAB is offering $3.60 on a New Zealand win while Australia is the short-priced favourite at $1.25.

The Australians trained in temperatures peaking at 38 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, forcing coach Wayne Bennett to cut short the session.

But they can expect a cool reception in Auckland where the mercury is tipped to hover around 15 degrees on Saturday by the 5pm (2pm AEST) kick-off, with showers and strong winds predicted.

Kennedy, who missed the Anzac Test after being ruled out due to a hamstring injury, believes the colder conditions will benefit the Kiwis.

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