Not since Frank Bainimarama’s coup of Fiji has Australia been unprepared and shocked by a Pacific Island nation. Samoa’s victory in rugby has bewildered the rugby establishment of this nation.
However, could the loss to Samoa be the beginning of a World Cup win for Australia?
Hear me out before laughing into your morning coffee.
Since the middle of the Super 14 season, when the Queensland Reds were stupendous, fans and the media have been licking their fingers at the prospect of a successful year of rugby for this nation.
As the Reds and Waratahs made and played finals and the Reds won the title, all that people could talk about was how good the Wallabies would be this season.
People were fawning over the skills of Genia and Cooper, the talent of Kurtley Beale and the improvement of the Wallabies’ forward pack.
This toadying, however, came before a ball had been kicked in anger to start the international rugby season.
This was coupled with the alarm bells sounding out of the media in New Zealand about the Wallabies’ chances of raining on their parade.
The New Zealand rugby establishment has become concerned that an All Blacks world cup win may not happen, based on the performances in the Super Rugby season gone.
So how does this affect the outcome last Sunday? From watching Robbie Deans in the media, he would have tried to hose down all the media attention on the Wallabies.
However, I feel that the players, especially the fringe ones (many of whom played on Sunday), got caught up in all the media’s predictions and jubilation that 10 years of frustration might be over.
So essentially, the loss to Samoa, was a kick up the pants and a reminder that anything that happened in the 2011 Super Rugby season counts for nothing in international rugby.
Fringe players will learn and train harder, while the top stars that missed the match will get a shock to their system.
What you should expect against South Africa next week is a strong performance by the Wallabies, that will continue through to the World Cup.
Losing to Samoa, reminds the team that you cannot just turn up against the minnow sides (Wallabies have US, Russia and Italy in their rugby world cup group) who will be inspired to cause an upset.
While the Samoa loss was disappointing, it is a blessing in disguise for the rugby fraternity of Australia. Being reminded that they have yet to do anything, can only inspire the Wallabies to work harder over the Tri Nations.
Perhaps the first step to a Wallabies’ World Cup win needed to be a trip and a fall to remind them to walk with purpose.
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.
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