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I couldn’t believe the number of people who commented on my column last week that I wouldn’t have made it in rugby today. In reality, I think more than half of today’s players wouldn’t have cut it in my era.
Sure, the players today are faster and stronger, but they’re no way near as skillful.
Think about the great teams I played with. We played like a team. And we played because we enjoyed it.
These days, players don’t know how to play as part of a team. All they think about is themselves.
Back then, we were getting £20 a game to play (when playing for the Wallabies). We often played several times a week (Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday).
For the 1984 grand slam, we played 18 games over six weeks. We trained every day; we stayed at three-star hotels; ate dodgy food; and we flew economy. We were in it purely for the love of the game, the respect of our teammates, and to entertain our fans.
In the modern day, players have a week at least in between matches. And people talk about how tough the players are today. Ha!
Back when I was playing, there was rucking. Trust me, if you were caught in the wrong place, at the wrong time against a team like the All Blacks, you knew about it (I did get caught once).
If you put your hands in the ruck, you very quickly learned not to do it again.
We played attacking rugby and believed in the way we played.
The way in which the modern game is played can be seen in the lack of opportunities that Western Force’s wonderful Fijian winger, Napolioni Nalaga, got on the weekend. I coached him in Fiji last year. What a great player.
But watching him now, he is just a another winger who never gets the ball to show what he can do.
Why?
In fact, can someone explain to me why we even have wingers these days. You never see them in the backline.
Really, I can’t think of too many of today’s players who would oust the guys from some of the great teams over the years.
Kurtley Beale is a fine fullback, for instance. But would he really depose Roger Gould? Or Matthew Burke?
What about the halves: could you seriously select Will Genia over Nick Farr Jones? Or any of the five-eight options ahead of Mark Ella, Michael Lynagh or David Knox?
I read Clyde Rathbone’s Roar column from last week with great interest. He talked about all the different training techniques coaches use today to get the best out of their players.
We didn’t need to watch a video to know what to do because players made the decisions back then. Coaches gave us the plan and we carried it out. If we didn’t, we would get dropped.
We wanted to win for each other, so that’s why we trained and left no stone unturned.
Back then half-time breaks were often spent on the field itself, without the coach around. These days, the water runners are all over the park, running out directions for the team to follow.
I know of a Super Rugby coach who used to sit on top of the grandstand and display coloured lights for players to know what to do.
We wanted to play and win.
Contrast this with the Waratahs vs Brumbies game on the weekend, which I nearly fell asleep watching.
There are just too many players in that NSW team who should not be playing because they simply aren’t good enough. Impact players have no impact on the game.
It seems like Australian rugby cannot sustain five teams, especially with all the injuries that the teams suffer. Now the Brumbies have lost their number 10, who are they going to put in there?
Professionalism is not about money. It’s about attitude. We would never have won the Rugby World Cup if we hadn’t have played as a team.
So to all you critics who think that the modern players have it over players from my era, let me tell you this: Players from my generation would have run rings around them.
All you need to do now is run straight, don’t pass, and tackle well.
Next week I will focus on the Wallaby selection. Stay tuned and thanks for all your replies.
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.