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Less is more: The one-game solution to save the Bledisloe Cup

Roar Guru
14th April, 2015
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Where have all the collars gone? (AAP Image/Joosep Martinson)
Roar Guru
14th April, 2015
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4678 Reads

For 30 long years from 1949-1979, New Zealand held the Bledisloe Cup, regularly dismantling an Australian side that for all intents and purposes just wasn’t at the level of the All Blacks.

Sound familiar? New Zealander dominance in the Bedisloe Cup’s 83-year history is nothing new for the Wallabies. Everyone knows that rugby in Australia just isn’t as big in comparison to New Zealand. They knew it then and they know it now.

Yet, that 30-year drought ended at one point and there were periods where the Wallabies dominated New Zealand. No one will ever forget moments like John Eales slotting an 86th minute penalty to win the Cup back in 2000.

» The latest Bledisloe Cup news and analysis
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So how then, did Wallaby rugby go from being a passing interest that had little relevance to the national psyche, to the stadium-filling, ratings-killing product that existed at the turn of the century?

The answer lies in the cleverness of the New Zealand Rugby Union. In 1979, they empathetically scheduled a one match series in Sydney. Australia won 12-6, and rugby in Australia was back on the map.

Without a doubt, this decision has benefitted New Zealand rugby. For years, the All Blacks never had any decent opposition. Playing a one-game series in Australia might not have given Australia the Bledisloe Cup, but it gave them a fighting chance.

In the years that followed 1979 the Bledisloe grew into the machine we now know. Of course, the 1979 win gave the Wallabies hope. Over the following few years, thousands of young boys would watch teams lift aloft the famous trophy and dream of playing for the Wallabies.

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The rivalry developed in New Zealand too. Attendances steadily grew and before long it was the most important game on the calendar. The All Blacks had credible opposition.

Yet in recent years, the Wallabies standards have fallen back. Rugby has again fallen out of favour with Australians, both at the box office and on TV. Much has been made of the ARU’s predicament, but the New Zealand Rugby Union stands to lose too. Already revenues have been hit from the low attendance at Bledisloe 3, which is split between the two nations on a yearly basis.

If the Wallabies fail to perform continuously, soon ratings in New Zealand will start to decline too – and that’s no good for rugby.

The answer, in my view, is to do it all again. Instead of the usual two or three-game series, make the Bledisloe Cup of 2016 a single match, held at ANZ stadium. This gives the Wallabies a fighting chance of legitimately taking the Cup, and reigniting interest in what is at times a forgotten rivalry.

In the short term, both organisations may need to forgo a little bit of revenue. But the prizes of Australia winning back the Bledisloe Cup would provide the game with prosperity and interest for years to come.

Under the current schedule, there is little likelihood Australia will win back the Bledisloe Cup. In 2015 the trophy will be contested via a two-match series, one game of which will be held at Eden Park. Realistically, Australia doesn’t have a hope in hell of winning – and it’s bad for rugby in both countries.

In 2016, two games will be held in New Zealand out of three. That means Australia has to win in New Zealand to take the Cup. Australia hasn’t won in New Zealand since 2001, so we might as well not show up.

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That’s already 2017 until you can say that Australia has a legitimate shot at winning the Bledisloe Cup, and all it takes is one key injury or one wrong call to lock it away for another year.

Giving the Wallabies a legitimate chance at winning the Bledisloe Cup by making it a one-game ‘series’ for a year could be a priceless decision for both the finances and interest of the game. It’s a thought definitely worth considering on both sides of the Tasman.

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