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The Test match loss by the Wallabies to the rampaging All Blacks last Saturday night was not just the fault of the players or the coach, but the Australian rugby union’s stupidity in having the game in Melbourne in the first place.
Melbourne gives no home ground advantage to the Wallabies. If anything it favours the All Blacks who are known to like the Melbourne experience due to the high number of ex pats living there, and the attractive short tours to bring thousands of supporters over in packages from the shaky isles.
The ARU needs to look back and ask itself why it allows the most premier rugby Test match of the year to be played on a ground that gives no advantage to the Australian team.
The Wallabies were not helped by the shape of the ground, its location, surface and the parochial New Zealand crowd support. In fact, the playing surface was like a cow paddock at one end after two scrums, and that would have added to the All Blacks pleasure of the experience.
Sure, take rugby to Melbourne for demonstration purposes and to promote the two elite rugby teams there (Storm and Rebels), but not a Test match – especially the premier Test of the year’s calendar – the first Bledisloe Cup game.
When does England play anywhere else but Twickenham; or Wales playing a Test anywhere but Cardiff Arms Park (Millennium Stadium); or France anywhere but Stade de France?
No, their unions know and understand the meaning of the “home” ground advantage.
The Wallabies got thrashed at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, the heartland of Australian rules football, as if it is a foreign country.
The home-grown supporters do not know the difference between league and union. There was no psychological advantage for the Wallabies. They were out psyched by a fired up committed and brilliant All Blacks team that had the crowd behind it all the way.
The apparent Wallaby attitude seemed vastly different to the previous week in the cauldron of Lang Park with the close in support of an Aussie rugby friendly crowd who at least have an understanding of the passion and pride of the Wallaby jersey.
It is time for the ARU to forget its expansionist dreams and put the nation’s premier team in front of a premier crowd in Sydney or Brisbane for these important clashes.
This writer was fortunate to be at Stadium Australia (Sydney) for the first ever Bledisloe Cup clash there in 1999 amongst a crowd of 108,000. The atmosphere, hype and theatrics before the game were immense and the comment was made that just the sheer patriotism of the pre-match entertainment was worth at least 12 points to the Wallabies.
They won 28-7 thanks to the boot of Matt Burke who did not have to suffer the indignity that Matt Giteau did in being booed by his home crowd as he came in to kick for goal last Saturday night at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne.
This was an indicator of the All Blacks support that would never have surfaced at Stadium Australia or Lang Park.
Sydney and Brisbane are the only two venues Bledisloe Cup matches should be played at and someone needs to tell the ARU something about home ground advantage before the next scheduling of the Bledisloe Cup for next year, before we end up with one in Adelaide or Perth!
Ends
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.