Like any team that's taken on the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup, the Wallabies will try to shut down their audacious five-eighth Carlos Spencer.

Ahead of their long-awaited meeting in Saturday's semi-final in Sydney, Australian coach Eddie Jones praised Spencer, but said he was no superman.

"He's a very talented player, he's very good at picking up opportunities," Jones said.

"That first New Zealand try (against South Africa on Saturday) came off a fractured scrum ball. They were under pressure and he turned it into a try for MacDonald.

"Any player who can do that is pretty special."

Against South Africa in Melbourne, Spencer showed why he had ousted long-term five-eighth, the more conventional Andrew Mehrtens, from the playmaking role.

With his impressive running and passing game on display, he stood deep and wide outside halfback Justin Marshall to launch the relentless All Blacks' attacking raids.

As well as setting up MacDonald's try, he threw a spectacular pass between his legs to seal the third.

The Wallabies haven't had much luck in their attempts this year at stifling the mercurial 28-year-old, who was a key to New Zealand's two Bledisloe Cup victories, 50-21 and 21-17.

But that won't stop them trying again.

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