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Watching his team waltz its way to the brink of a seventh straight World Cup, Australian coach Ricky Stuart’s chest almost bursts with pride.
Sure it was the scenario many expected and yes their domination may have come at the tournament’s expense, but Stuart’s message to his players has been simple from day one – go out and show the world you are the best.
And so far they have done just that, the Kangaroos crushing New Zealand 30-6 in the opening game of the tournament before following it up with an embarrassing 52-4 thrashing of England, a 46-6 win over Papua New Guinea and a 52-0 annihilation of Fiji in a lopsided semi-final.
Such has been their supremacy that critics have questioned the worth of the tournament, but having taken on the Kangaroos job at one of Australian rugby league’s lowest ebbs, Stuart was having none of it.
“It’s not our fault that our players are so talented,” Stuart said.
“All we can handle and control is how we play the game and that’s what we worked upon in the first four games.
“That’s what we’ve really worked hard for, just to play good football for the fans of the game and I think the World Cup has been a great success and I think the boys have been a part of it with the way they’ve played their footy.”
Now all that’s left is another 80 minutes against the Kiwis in Saturday night’s final at Suncorp Stadium.
And despite New Zealand having never beaten Australia in World Cup competition and the Kiwis not scoring a point in the first half of their last four trans-Tasman tussles, Stuart knows how easily the empire could come crashing down.
When he took over the job, Australia had just lost the 2005 Tri-Nations final with a 24-0 capitulation at the hands of New Zealand.
Victory on Saturday night would be Australia’s 10th in a row and 13th from 14 games since Stuart assumed the reins, their only defeat coming against Great Britain in the 2006 Tri-Nations.
Since that shock loss the Kangaroos have not put a foot wrong with the likes of Darren Lockyer, Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis leading the green and gold to another level.
But the World Cup is the prize that matters most in the international game, and Australia’s dominance of the tournament to date will mean zilch come kickoff on Saturday night.
“I think the players have exceeded my expectations over the first month but now that’s all out the window and we’ve got a final to play,” said Stuart.
“The last two weeks (against PNG and Fiji) is probably not the ideal preparation in regards to playing a final against New Zealand.
“But how we handle that is going to be the most important issue now.”
This is not foreign territory for Australian players.
When the Kangaroos beat the Kiwis 40-12 in the 2000 World Cup final they’d chalked up cricket scores in their four previous games with an average winning margin of 61 points.
This year their average winning margin at the World Cup is 41 points – including victories over the two other “powerhouses” in the league world England and New Zealand.
The Australians are firing and a class above the rest of the world.
Fullback Billy Slater is the best player in the world at the moment with seven tries in three games, while props Petero Civoniceva and Steve Price defy their age to lead a robust forward pack.
The Kiwis are playing catch up and only time will tell if they have done enough in the past four weeks to turn that opening 24-point defeat around into an unlikely win – or at least a contest.
Stuart concedes the Kiwis have had a better preparation and produced a brilliant dress rehearsal last week when they jumped England for an early 16-0 lead.
The Australian coach is expecting a similar ambush attempt in the final.
“I know exactly what New Zealand will be thinking in regards to us, they will want to come out and have that big, tough, physical game of football,” he said.
“I think they’ve got a better halves combination than they’ve had for a number of years with (Nathan) Fien and Benji Marshall … they create a fair bit of flair.
“Everybody lifts for a big game. That football team will be a better team next week and I hope we’re better again.”
Having conceded just three tries in the World Cup and scored 32, it’s hard to imagine the Australians getting any better.
But just in case his players need any reminding, Stuart will again hang up a sign in the dressing room which reads:
“The Australian Kangaroos uphold a tradition. But equally as important they uphold a standard. The Kangaroos are the best of the best.”
AUSTRALIA
Coach: Ricky Stuart (2006-present)
Record: 12 wins, 1 lossPath to final
Pool games
bt New Zealand 30-6 at Sydney Football Stadium
bt England 52-4 at Telstra Dome
bt Papua New Guinea 46-6 at Dairy Farmers Stadium
Semi-final
bt Fiji 52-0 at SFSNEW ZEALAND
Coach: Stephen Kearney (2008 present)
Record: 3 wins, 2 lossesPath to final
Pool Games
lost Australia 30-6 at SFS
bt Papua New Guinea 48-6 at Skilled Park
bt England 36-24 at EnergyAustralia Stadium
Semi-final
bt England 32-22 at Suncorp StadiumKey facts and figures between in Tests between Australia and New Zealand:
* Australia has won the last eight Tests against New Zealand by an average of 22.6 points.
* New Zealand has failed to score in a point in the first half of its last four games against Australia.
* New Zealand has not scored more than six points in the first half against Australia in their last eight Tests.
* The last time New Zealand beat Australia was in the 24-0 thrashing in the 2005 Tri Nations final.
* Australia has won all 13 World Cup games between the two nations.
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