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Now the dust has settled on the Trans-Tasman battle, and the chest beating, posturing, claims and counterclaims, accusations of cheating by both sides and the odd offensive posts are behind us.
To all but the most biased Australian supporter it must appear that the All Blacks have settled down to their usual domination.
The Wallabies did get closer on the scoreboard in the last match, but I attach no importance to that.
The Dunedin dead rubber could blow out to a 50-point margin, or heaven forbid (I have my All Black hat on as I write) the Wallabies could sneak it. It’s irrelevant, because over a longer period the All Blacks will statistically win a much larger proportion than they lose, and that applies to all other opponents as well.
Why? I won’t go into the old jingoistic argument of how we are only a small country but we are full of some kind of superhuman rugby gods, or subscribe to the comments from across the Tasman about Union being the fourth or fifth sport in Australia, or that they don’t care.
In small time periods in the not too distant past Australia produced wonderful teams that dominated us and caused us considerable pain, and our cousins across the ditch did care then, in their droves.
So coming back to my title why is New Zealand so dominant? Let’s discount the obvious: good depth, skills and coaching that is a given with New Zealand (well OK, they had the odd dodgy coach, but not that many).
Let’s also discount the pull of the jersey that amazingly, in this mercenary world of the professional era, still convinces most top Kiwi players to forgo overseas riches and stick with the All Blacks.
No, their trump card and the one that nobody else has managed to emulate, is the top down control the NZRFU voluntarily (or no so voluntarily) exercises over the game. The Kiwis are as parochial as anybody else, and the local rivalries between regions are legendary, heated and sometimes even spiteful.
However mention the All Blacks and they fall into line> Whether it’s voluntarily or kicking and screaming, everyone falls into line. Even when they disagree with selections, style and moan incessantly about it.
What does this control achieve? It allows them to monitor and control their playing stock almost from school to All Black level, obviously more loosely at the lower levels and more tightly higher up.
What are the benefits of this?
Talent is identified early and is nurtured and developed. Very little top talent is lost. In spite of popular conception, other sports such as football and cricket do compete with union at an early age, and although I stand to be corrected, they command larger numbers.
By contracting their top echelon (ITM Cup, Super Rugby and All Blacks) player stock directly, they have a large say in how and in what position they play, and whether they have rest periods or the much talked about sabbaticals.
It is not a compulsory requirement, and sometimes needs override this, but on the whole they are in sync with ITM, Super and National managers. In reality the NZRFU are the players’ employer.
And here comes the master stroke. As I sit here in comfort watching an ITM match, I might as well be watching a slightly less skilful Super Rugby or All Black team. The same applies to Super matches.
By having this homogenous and evolving style, whether the match is poor, good or outstanding, the basics such as when to pass, when to run, when to kick and when to go to ground are much more fluid that I have seen from the Wallabies and most other teams all year.
It’s not rocket science, they are all singing off the same music sheet at all levels, so all these things become instinctive, not something you have to think about. They just recognise what is in front of them and instinctively execute it because they have done it a hundred times before.
In contrast I have watched Will Genia (admittedly at his worst moments) degenerate into crouching over the ball, looking left, looking right, putting his hands on it, taking them off, picking it up, taking a step and finally passing it.
I don’t for a minute assume that he doesn’t know his job, more that he is not sure, comfortable and confident about what is happening around him. Aaron Smith almost doesn’t have to look, he knows what is happening, and it is no different from countless other times in different teams.
On a side issue, if or when the Wallabies are out of contention for the Rugby Championship, the ARU should send Genia on a sabbatical, he is on his knees. Your most valuable resource is in danger of burning out, and what a waste that would be.
Let me finally re-enforce my argument with a hypothetical scenario. If you were going to hold a three team tournament between the composite top two teams from each Super conference this year (Brumbies/Reds, Bulls/Cheetahs and Chiefs/Crusaders), would you argue with me if I stated that the Chiefs/Crusaders would hit the ground running straight away while the other two would take considerably longer to gel, looking at their wildly contrasting styles of their component teams?
That is why whatever injuries the All Blacks suffer, the replacements seem to slot in seamlessly. Romano/Retallick, Messam/Luatua, Carter/Cruden/Barrett/Taylor are all examples.
The plan and style is the constant, the players the variable. You don’t alter the plan and style to accommodate the player, unlike almost every other representative side.
It’s not rocket science, but completely improbable that the Northern Hemisphere juggernauts could implement something similar with the strangle hold clubs have on their playing stock.
The same sadly applies to South Africa, with the gross political interference in their game, although it is more probable.
Australia is almost there, all they need is that elusive third talent feeder tier, even if they have to go cup in hand to the NZRFU with a request for a couple of teams in the ITM comp to kick start it.
More importantly they need some far-seeing and visionary officials that would discard their parochial Queensland and NSW hats and start laying the foundations loosely on how their franchises play, developing a common “Australian” style that suits you.
You don’t have to re-invent the wheel, we have seen that style in your successful past teams, and very enjoyable (or painful depending on your allegiance) it was to watch. That is the foundation style to evolve from. Rod Macqueen wouldn’t be a bad start as a uniting appointment.
I hope it happens, because believe it or not an Australasia rugby scene without a competitive Wallabies team would be like fish and chips without the chips (or fish if you prefer).
And putting aside all the gloating and nationalistic fervour, every All Black supporter with half a brain would recognise that.
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.