Is there an elephant in the Wallabies camp?

 
The Crowd Roar Guru

By George Shirling, 16 Jul 2011 The Crowd is a Roar Guru

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It hasn’t taken very long for a win in a two-horse race to prompt Elton Flatley to declare: “They’re (All Blacks) not getting any younger”. Lauding the Reds and acknowledging their seriously entertaining playing style has given a much-needed boost to Australian rugby, particularly so in a World Cup year.

What the Reds’ track record in 2011 and win in the Super Rugby has NOT done, though, is to give any validation to the spruikers.

They now:

1. Draw a direct connection to Australia’s chances in the 2011 World Cup, and
2. Make extraneous evaluations comparing “Australia’s all-conquering youngsters” to plodding and ‘past it’ key All Blacks players

The elephant that entered the room (and trampled many self-overheated experts and commentators) in the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups already has its head in the Australian team room in 2011.

In 2003, by demeaning their English opponents with labels like boring, arrogant, and ‘Dad’s army’, and the diversion of Jonny Wilkinson (“That’s all they’ve got”), the Australian management, followers, and media, were burnt by the fire they had lit themselves.

Putting down the opposition with what is really no more than infantile sledging about some thought-up weakness, is what many see as part of the “mental game”. Or, as is stated in coverage of Flatley, “firing a psychological shot across the Tasman”.

This does two things.

Firstly, people (including players themselves) will start to believe the fantasy created; and secondly, it encourages a view that sports contests are more predicable and manageable than they really are.

In both 2003 and 2007, Australia fell into exactly this trap.

Following the 2003 World Cup, England’s coach, Clive Woodward said: “I still don’t understand why some teams continued to try and wind us up… thy just don’t learn. The best (response) is to say nothing, because all those comments just helped us”.

In the 2007 World Cup, England did not have the luxury of a winning reputation nor copious talent, indeed, Mike Catt was 36 years old.

Australia’s coach, John Connolly, kept sprouting quite naïve and inappropriate predictions about how England would play the game, and that his well-tuned, young and adventurous Australian team were capable of meeting all challenges.

No ‘psychological edge’ was ever gained. Differences (or weaknesses?) were highlighted and we all know Australia lost the game, albeit narrowly (10 -12).

Captain Stirling Mortlock was left in the invidious position of having to admit: “Perhaps the occasion got to us”.

Sportwriter Roy Masters, summed it up thus:

“Australia were beaten in every aspect of the game. England’s principle weakness(s) were never tested”.

Now in 2011, the tsunami of astonishing commentary has begun.

Self-serving and wishful thinking abounds, flawed connections are being made, and ‘psychology’ is seducing both the seducer and the seduced.

Wallabies beware: there is an elephant in the room, and he looks very familiar to the one that was there in 2003 and 2007!

George Shirling is the author of ”Exploding Sports Myths“

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