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Eden Park gets me every time
Adam Longhurst
Roar Rookie
28th August, 2014
17
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1877 Reads
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Kicking a field goal is an under-appreciated art. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
Adam Longhurst
Roar Rookie
28th August, 2014
17
1877 Reads

For the past six years, I have booked a flight across the Tasman. I walked through New Zealand customs proudly wearing my Wallabies jersey.

Unlike every other airport in the world, had a very friendly chat with customs officials not about my intended stay, but whether the Wallabies could manage Mission Impossible and beat the All Blacks at Eden Park.

I stayed home this year. Not because I didn’t want to go, but because I knew the outcome the moment the team was announced.

After passing through customs, I am greeted by my business partner Tommo, in his very Black Holden V8, with the AB flag flapping from his window. We go straight to the pub and so the weekend begins.

It is early afternoon Friday and we should be going to his office to do some work, but there is no time for work – we have some serious rugby to discuss.

Putting Nic White in alongside Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua was suicide and this should have been evident the week before. Nic White is simply guilty of too much Jake ball and boy does he know how to telegraph his useless box kick.

So much so, that even in the atrocious conditions in Sydney, he had two charge downs within a short space of time. What does Ewen do…..nothing.? He leaves him on the field. Not only does he leave him on the field but then selects him as run on at Eden Park the following weekend.

Am I missing something?

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Back to the pub. After banter about how strong the Wallaby line up is, it is generally concluded that the All Blacks will win.

I still bet a hundie on the very slim chance that maybe one day I will get to see the Wallabies win at Eden Park. I was 19 when we last won there and now my youngest son is 19. Maybe this year we will break the hoodoo.

Apart from picking on Nic White, I have absolutely no idea why Ewen McKenzie would select such a team to run on at Eden Park. Yes, a difficult task but at half time is when changes should been made, not the 65th minute.

Why on earth break such a strong and dominate backline of Nic Phipps, Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper – not to mention Izzy Folau lurking in the background. Forget the fact that they all currently play for the Tahs, they have all played elsewhere (except Izzy) so given that they all have worked so well this year and have smashed some Super Rugby New Zealand backlines to pieces.

We broke them up? What the?

As a Wallaby fan, I get frustrated beyond belief when a coach as good as Mackenzie can make these choices when playing the best team in the world.

The new era of having a strong bench can definitely work against weaker sides, but not against the All Blacks. You play the strongest team as run on and you lead from the front. Playing catch up will never work against the All Blacks. Last Saturday, we didn’t ‘run on’ our strongest team.

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After six years of sitting in what I call the Black Sea at Eden Park, I have certainly dished out everything that I have got back, especially when we hit the lead albeit on brief occasions.

The New Zealand crowd certainly know how to entertain guests and despite losing every time, it is a bucket list must do if you are a rugby fan. New Zealanders are very warm, friendly people and over the many times I have crossed the Tasman, I have never had a bad trip.

Well done All Blacks. But Ewen, please get it right. I would much rather a 1-1 draw for the Bledisloe this year as the bragging rights are then diminished from my mates in NZ.

And finally, a big thank you to Tommo’s wife for putting up with us for having too much fun. I missed you this year. I don’t enjoy reading New Zealand newspapers on the Sunday morning after another Eden Park All Black win, but the coffee tastes very good.

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