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When it comes to sport, Australians are not used to being the underdogs. When it comes to the Bledisloe Cup, Australians are not used to be the favourites.
We beat the All Blacks last Saturday night and we are still 4-1 to win the Bledisloe Cup this weekend when we venture across the ditch to stand face to face with the Haka once more.
13 years. That is how long ago it was that George Gregan hoisted the Bledisloe Cup above his head as we triumphed over the mighty All Blacks in front of over 79,000 people at what was then Stadium Australia.
To put things into perspective for you Ansett was still flying in Australia, Steven Bradbury won gold at the Winter Olympics and filling up your car cost you half the price it does today.
Not to mention that one of the heroes from that Bledisloe Cup match, Mat Rogers, is now a front runner on Dancing With the Stars. Not that I watch it or anything, but mum keeps me up-to-date. Anyway, back to the rugby talk.
This Saturday the Wallabies will go toe to toe with one of the greatest sporting teams that the world has ever seen. The All Blacks have been the most dominant team in Rugby since, well since forever.
Their incredible record includes a 76 per cent of matches won, two World Cups, 13 times Tri Nations victors. They have achieved a rugby ‘Grand Slam’ four times and they have been named the World Rugby Team of the Year seven times since 2005.
The accolades do not stop there though. On an individual basis four players from the All Blacks have won the World Rugby Player of the Year, including current captain Richie McCaw and international superstar Dan Carter. Fifteen past All Blacks have also been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, four of which have also been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Back to the Bledisloe Cup and the domination does not just stand at the series victories for the All Blacks. Since 2002 alone the All Blacks have outscored the Wallabies an incredible 959 to 653. Of the 35 Bledisloe Cup matches that have been played since 2002 the All Blacks have ran away victors 27 times.
Now I am not very good at maths, but when you include the two draws that have also been played out, that leaves Australia with just six victories and a winning percentage against New Zealand of 17 per cent.
We have the chance to begin the resurgence of the Wallabies this Saturday night. Well we did, until Cheika selected the team.
Quade Cooper in a starting line-up is like opening a Test match innings with Shane Watson.
The All Blacks are probably only just getting back to their feet after rolling on the floor with laughter at the selection of Cooper. They have been his kryptonite, and things do not look like changing anytime soon.
It started way back in the 2011 at the Rugby World Cup where they targeted him and he turned to jelly. In fact, that is probably a compliment for his performance.
Before I go any further, I want you to know that I am big fan of Quade Cooper. I love what the man can do on the football field. But I am worrying for the man this Saturday night.
The fact of the matter is that Quade Cooper can flat out play. No one can doubt that. He is one of the most entertaining, innovative and explosive players in the game. He can turn a game on its head in the space of seconds. The issue is that as often as he does that for a victory he does it twice as many times for a loss.
First and foremost Cooper feeds off confidence. When the team is running high, Cooper will be one of the best on the park. But if he makes a simple error you can almost certainly write him off for the rest of the match.
Just when the Wallabies had found a combination that had enough attacking force and football smarts to disrupt the All Blacks in Nic White/Matt Toomua/Matt Giteau, we go and throw an unpredictable force like Cooper into the starting side.
Why Cheika, why?
The starting selection of Palu certainly lives up to the first part of his name. Wy?
Why are we not going with the effective pairing of Pocock and Hooper from the first match?
How can Pocock, the man who dragged his Super Rugby team through to the post season, be demoted to the bench, especially after appearing in a winning Wallabies side less than seven days ago?
For the sake of the Bledisloe Cup I hope that Michael Cheika proves me wrong, but Pocock in a starting line-up seemed like a logical answer to me, and from what I can tell the rest of Australia.
What would normally ‘raise some eyebrows’ all of a sudden sends off alarm bells when we are inside a world cup year.
I am sure there are people out there who agree and enjoy Michael Cheika’s selections. Sorry what I meant was I am sure that there is a person who agrees with his selections. That person is Michael Cheika.
A lot of me wants to see this team ‘fail’ this weekend and a solid review of the team and the coaching is conducted by the ARU.
On the other hand, I really want to see the team succeed because I want the Bledisloe Cup back in the land Down Under more than anything.
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.