Australia’s army sent homeward, to think again

 
CraigB Roar Rookie

By CraigB, 23 Nov 2009 CraigB is a Roar Rookie

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Sitting watching the dying embers of what proved to be Australia’s latest and most embarrassing loss in recent times, I found myself mentally torn on who to support for the first time that I can remember.

As I watched the Australian forwards drive towards the line, desperately seeking the score that would put them in striking distance, I felt nothing.

In fact I would say I wanted them to lose the ball. It seemed the most fitting way for the game to end.

With Scotland having put up a modern Hadrian’s wall for the last 79 minutes it seemed wrong that a late try would allow the Wallabies to squeak home and deny the Scots what they had earned.

The Wallabies did score however and then it came down to Giteau and for a second I wanted him to get it, get the kick and walk away with victory.

Then as he was lining it up and in the background I could see the Scots, crouched, angry, ready, like they were about to run the Olympic 100 metre final.

They were prepared to do anything for victory on this day and despite the fact they had no chance of actually getting to the kick in time they were were not going to sit idly by.

I thought to myself ‘miss you little pretty boy’. When he did whilst not happy exactly, I did feel the joy for the players and even more so the crowd who have been coming to Murrayfield with high hopes for years only to see them dashed time and again.

You see as much I love and support the Wallabies, this current collective are no such thing.

Sure some of the individuals within the side are worthy of the moniker, but too many are not and this is the ultimate team game.

This is not down to talent, sure Wallaby teams have been worse than this one. It is the attitude that it is all too hard that seems to come to the fore when anyone asks them the hard questions.

Questions like ‘Can you defend your line when victory depends on it?’ or ‘Can you get the ball past us?’ I don’t seem to see players ‘leaving it all on the field’ as is the modern saying.

The dissections of this game will no doubt take place all week on forums like this and pubs and lounge rooms. Hell it might even take place on tour in Wallaby camp.

Hopefully it will show the massive holes in the game style, but more importantly the culture in Australian elite rugby. As you do this though, please don’t focus entirely on the Australian woes that come from having all the ball and all the territory and still coming second.

Spare a thought and raise a wee dram for the Scottish players and Scottish rugby in general. They have shown us why we can love this game.

Even in the modern era with hit and run tours, no rucking and ice baths with players and not beer in them, they have shown that heart and pride can be enough.

The ability to refuse to accept what other people see as inevitable can get you to great places. That one off upsets can start a momentum that is nigh on impossible to stop.

For this Wallaby fan it also show that turn arounds can come quickly and that is why, regardless of this result I will be up in wee hours next week, hoping for our own Murrayfield

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