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Within the temporal lobe of the human brain sits an almond-shaped mass of cells known as the amygdala.
Among its various roles, this part of the brain is responsible for identifying threats. This is why we humans tend to preferentially look for and remember negative news.
For those Australian rugby fans among us, these marble-sized nuclei would have had their work cut out for them in 2014 as they sifted through a storm of poor player behaviour, grassroots levies, a coaching resignation, player departures and lacklustre performances from our men in gold.
Being a loyal follower of the game in Australia for all 31 years of my life, I can’t remember a harder annual slog than the one 2014 provided us. This seems to be amplified by the fact that interest in the game in this country genuinely seems to be waning, while other codes surge ahead.
But despite the consistent eye-rolling and head-shaking that defined 2014 for the average Australian rugby fan, there was some good in what seemed to be a pretty sad and sorry season.
As players and fans prepare themselves to embark on the final quarter of the all-important four-year cycle, I’d like to share with you some of my ‘glass half full’ observations from the season that was.
The Wallabies
The All Blacks are currently the deserved benchmark for the international game and the yardstick all others measure themselves against.
The Wallabies were unable to break their now three-year drought against the world champions, but they managed to get within a point of the men in black in two of this year’s three Bledisloe outings.
We also went one and one with the Springboks, who have been seen as the team that’s best equipped to match it with All Blacks over the last two seasons.
With a success rate under 50 per cent in 2014, wins were hard to come by. But despite some periods riddled with schoolboy errors and horrendous game management, there were considerable passages of play where the Wallabies got it right and played up to their much-hyped potential.
Think France at Sydney, South Africa at Cape Town, New Zealand at Brisbane and Ireland at Dublin. If these periods become 80-minute performances that we can expect game in, game out as opposed to every now and then, this Wallaby team will no doubt win far more often then they lose.
The Wallabies have been dealt some considerable injury setbacks over the last two or three seasons, and although this has lead to some tougher times on the field, it has helped to shore up our depth in a number of areas.
We still have some positions where we are under resourced (locks), a little bit skinny beneath the starters (props) or question marks exist over who the right starters are (back row and halves), but bar most of the tight five substantial depth exists in most positions.
We have some world-class players to pick a team from.
This includes a number of players who I believe are, were or have real potential to be, world XV quality players. This includes Israel Falou, Tevita Kuridrani, Stephen Moore, David Pocock, James O’Connor, James Slipper, Matt Toomua and Henry Speight.
Although Michael Cheika’s appointment as Wallaby coach resulted from a chain of incredibly unfortunate and undesirable events, few would dispute that he has the skills and expertise to put together a successful rugby team.
Furthermore, his ‘no fuss’ coaching style could be just what’s required to establish a positive team culture that gets the most out of a group of players that have promised so much but deliver not a lot.
Super Rugby
Although major successes at Test level have been few and far between in recent times, the performances of the Australian entities on the second tier have been far more impressive. This includes two champions over the last four seasons and a finalist in three of those four years.
The 2014 Super Rugby season saw two Australian teams through to the last four while the Force managed to push out an impressive nine wins which saw them fall agonisingly close to an inaugural finals appearance.
The season culminated with the Waratahs beating the Crusaders in the grand final in front of a Super Rugby-record 62,000 fans at ANZ Stadium.
After a slow start, the crowds returned to Allianz Stadium with the Waratahs ending the regular season on a crowd average of just under 20,000.
Like the Reds did a few years ago, the Tahs will no doubt be looking to leverage their success and their entertaining brand of rugby to ride their returning wave of popularity and put even more bums on seats in 2015.
Despite some high profile departures such as former Wallaby captain Ben Mowen, 2014 held some big signings news for Australian rugby that will no doubt impact on the 2015 Super Rugby season.
The Reds have lured the hopefully reformed James O’Connor and the code-hopping Karmichael Hunt to their stable for the coming season. Whether O’Connor can put his ‘bad boy’ ways behind him and Hunt can make a successful return to rugby football remains to be seen, but they’ll be behind a pack that will include some handy back row acquisitions that should make the going a little easier for the Reds backs in 2015.
The ongoing development of a number of key personal, a few finds from the NRC and some smart off season buying from the Rebels should see the other Australian team that languished at the bottom of the table in 2014 make some significant gains this year as well.
The National Rugby Championship
I must admit I have been, and to a degree remain, a sceptic of Australian rugby’s new shiny toy, but there’s no doubt that its inclusion on the landscape is an achievement for the game here.
My scepticism comes from the funds required to establish and maintain the competition. When selling the concept to Australia’s rugby public, Bill Pulver made it clear that the NRC would break-even due to the low cost model that would be covered by telecast rights forthcoming from Foxtel.
It’s well documented that the money tree at ARU HQ is broken and I’m doubtful as to whether the goals that this third tier concept sets out to achieve are worth any loss that it might accumulate. But if each dollar going into the NRC can be accounted for by its existence, then it certainly doesn’t harm the game being there.
We just have to be clear as to what the NRC’s role is within Australia’s rugby landscape. It’s clear that this concept isn’t going to be the vehicle that takes rugby to the masses while raising the games profile within the national sporting market.
This remains an important goal and an ongoing challenge for the ARU.
As has been discussed, I believe the Wallabies have sufficient depth at their disposal to select a strong team and even if depth at the Test level was an issue, I don’t believe an eight-game third tier competition is going to be a godsend in that regard.
What the NRC will do is help better prepare waves of new talent for the step up to Super Rugby.
I don’t buy into the idea that it’s a vital piece of infrastructure that was desperately missing from the Australian rugby development pyramid and the minute it’s not paying its way it should be disbanded like its predecessor (especially considering the ARU’s kitty), but it will no doubt be helpful in achieving the above endeavour.
The other positive the NRC provides is more content for the Australian rugby calendar and the game’s loyal fans. As I said, it’s not the answer for capturing the interest of the millions of Australians who live without rugby in their lives, but for us rugby nuts it helps feed the addiction.
No doubt Australian rugby took a battering in 2014, but there were a few shining lights and some positives to hold on to moving forward. It just so happens that the ARU is moving forward into another big season that has been three years in the making.
This is by no means a chest-beating, ‘look at us go’ article. The odds are still well and truly stacked against the Wallabies in 2015.
There’s one hell of a chasm to close if we are to witness Australian hands squeezing the contents of a bunch of tins into ‘Bill’ in the sheds at Twickenham, but the ingredients are there.
We might have a pinch of something when we need three cups of it but its there and nine months is a long time with enough rugby for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place.
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.