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Since the 2014 Spring Tour, the worst on record, things haven’t become much better for Australian rugby.
Australia has fallen to its worst IRB ranking in history – sixth, low-lying Portugal trumped the Australian men’s sevens side earlier this month – and controversy surrounded NSW Waratahs and Wallabies coach Michael Cheika after he engaged in half-time conversation with referee Jaco Peyper during a Super Rugby game in March.
Additionally, having just passed the halfway point of the 2015 Super Rugby season, Australian teams hold three of the five bottom spots in the competition.
More specifically, Australia holds the lowest two, the Western Force and the Queensland Reds on 10 and 11 points respectively.
The Blues from Auckland sit in third last spot, but are unlucky to be sitting there, having lost six of their ten games by ten points or less and acquiring their only win over an Australian side, the Brumbies.
One of the issues being detrimental to the success of Australian rugby, significantly highlighted this year in Super Rugby, is inconsistency.
The Waratahs have yet to consistently show that they’ve reached the same heights as last year, the Brumbies seem to be lost in some games but alert in others, the Reds have been thoroughly disappointing, so too the Force, while the real surprise packet has been the Rebels – defeating some of the best sides in the competition. Yet, no Australian team has been able to assert any dominance or build upon momentum so far this season.
If you watched two Waratahs games back-to-back this season for the first time, you’d be entitled to think they were not defending champions. Only once has a team from Australia, the Brumbies (2000-02), been a part of back-to-back Super Rugby finals.
Similarly, since Super Rugby began in 1996, there has never been an all-Australian final, whereas New Zealand have had four (1998, 1999, 2003, 2006), and South Africa two (2007, 2010).
It shows that we struggle to back-up a quality season with another, which is what the All-Blacks and New Zealand (and to some extent South Africa) Conference sides do on a regular basis.
It seems even the implementation of the new ARU laws revolving around Australian player eligibility has arguably been used to address Australia’s inconsistencies.
It will be interesting to see if we decide to select a player, like Matt Giteau, into our World Cup squad for 2015, even though he hasn’t played a Test match since 2011. Test match rugby is a considerable step up from domestic rugby, and although he was selected as the best player in the French Top 14 this year, it is unlikely that he will be able to replicate the same form when he returns to the international scene.
Is the expansion of Super Rugby partly to blame for our national inconsistencies, with competition for spots in Australian squads virtually non-existent? And has it contributed to Australian rugby officials to start implementing new strategies like the one above?
It’s evident to both New Zealand and South Africa that Australia is a nation that produces only three truly competitive teams on a regular basis, the Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds – proceeding to suggest that Australia would have been better off sticking with only three teams in the competition.
This point further reflects in the selection of the national team. The squad for the Spring Tour of 2014 included nine from both the Waratahs and Brumbies, seven from the Reds and only four each from the Force and Rebels.
Australia even showcases its regularity in playing individuals out of position. Adam Ashley-Cooper has now migrated from outside centre to the wing, Kurtley Beale established at centre and Matt Toomua plays fly half for the Brumbies, but inside centre for the Wallabies, virtually for no reason at all.
Compare this to New Zealand, where Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith to name a few have rarely, if at all, swapped or been forced to switch positions throughout their careers, which can obviously be attributed to some of their dominance.
One can only hope that Australia will curb these inconsistencies and show up for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which is set to be an absolute cracker.
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.