If there’s one thing I took for granted during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, it is that the time difference between Australia and New Zealand made it a lot easier to view the games live than at the 2015 tournament.
This isn’t really much of a deterrent I must admit. Although my sleep pattern has taken a beating and my liveliness and alertness during the day isn’t what it used to be prior to September 19, my new found love-hate affair with nocturnal living has been well worth the day-time naps and late-night red bulls.
A lot of my friends and family have been bemused when I explain my tiredness. “You have Foxtel IQ, can’t you just record the games and watch them later?”
Oh, if only it were as simple as that.
Unfortunately I can’t bring myself to succumb to a regular sleeping schedule. The rugby has simply been too brilliant. How dare I risk waking up early to watch a replay before work! What if social media should accidentally showcase a result before I’ve watched the game? Sure, I could just avoid using my phone or laptop in the morning, but I’m Generation Y – the chances of that happening are slim.
Although knowing the end score doesn’t always stop me from watching the whole game, there’s really nothing better than the suspense of not knowing how things will pan out, who will win, who will score and what will happen and when.
I must confess that there have been four games I didn’t get to watch live – sleep deprivation got the better of me – but of the 40 games that I watched and of the many that I re-watched, there was a lot to like about the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
For starters, this was the tightest World Cup to date. No triple-digit scores, a few minnow upsets and vast improvement from nearly every minnow nation. Fewer and fewer matches are seen as certainties and a new-found respect has to be given to teams ranked well below their opponent.
As a proud Australian and a huge Wallabies fan, it goes without saying that I’m delighted and impressed with our performances to date. A lot was made prior to the World Cup about poor selections, a lack of consistency and disagreeing with the constant swapping of players between games. It’s good to see that people are coming around and putting their faith in Michael Cheika – something I was hoping people would start doing a long time ago.
The biggest source of excitement for me was topping the dreaded Pool A, as between Australia, England and Wales it was very possible for any of these three teams to fall short and not make it to the quarter finals. Australia did more than just scrape through though and ended up topping the pool with two great displays against England and Wales.
These wins will either be forgotten if we don’t make it to the final, but will be remembered as the turning points and defining moments of this Wallabies squad if we do. I’ll be hoping, wishing and praying for the latter and have full belief and confidence that Cheika and Stephen Moore can lead the Wallabies to the grand final.
I’m getting side-tracked though, because the reason why I introduced being a Wallabies supporter wasn’t just to discuss my pride or my beliefs in this team’s chances, it was to highlight the most exciting and the most disappointing moments for me personally during the World Cup.
Outside of the Wallabies topping the pool, the single most exciting and joyful moment was to see Namibian centre Johan Deysel cross for their sole try against the All Blacks. This isn’t a New Zealand hate-article, not by any means; I respect them for their continued success and attitude more than any other team. They’re the team I support most behind the Wallabies – not to mention I qualify as an All Blacks supporter under the Grandparents Law. I think that’s a thing right?
However to see the excitement on the face of Deysel, the jubilation from the rest of his team racing over to celebrate the man of the hour and the look of complete awe and pride from Phil Davies in the coaching box was the most heart-warming moment of the tournament for me. I watched Davies fist-pumping the air with such vigour you’d think it was him who’d scored a match-winner. Namibia had never even played the All Blacks before and many were predicting this to be the biggest score of the whole tournament as the highest-ranked team took on the lowest.
Before the game, conceding less than 100 points would have been the perceived goal for most Namibian and neutral fans, but this team had other ideas, putting on their best game of the tournament to go down an incredibly respectable 58-14. How many other teams can say they’ve scored a try against New Zealand every time they’ve played them? What a proud moment for this developing rugby nation.
Sadly, there was also heartache and a sense of empathy for a team that got so close but came away with nothing. I’m referring of course to the Canadians. You can argue that their two bonus points are more than what Namibia, USA and Uruguay came away with, but Canada played with such pride and heart that I was on the edge of my seat for both the Canada-Italy and Canada-Romania games.
Admittedly, neither game meant a lot in the grand scheme of organising the finalists, but this was a team that had genuine and realistic ambitions to come third in the pool and gain automatic qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The game against Italy in fact I’d rate right up there in my top three games of the tournament so far, it was truly a great battle that see-sawed up and down for patches, but ultimately got away from the Canadians.
Coach Kieran Crowley confessed that more exposure to top level teams would help fix that, and that the 80 minutes was slightly too long against higher ranked opposition (as was also evident against Romania), but for a team ranked as low as Canada to excite me so much and get so close to two wins, I really feel for them. They’ll come back better for it next time.
It’s impossible to articulate every thought and feeling about the 2015 Rugby World Cup so far, there are too many good games, proud moments and close encounters to recall all at once. I will say that this month has been the most enjoyable of the year though.
This competition could keep going until the end of the year and I still wouldn’t succumb to sleeping regularly. I will watch the games live. I will enjoy every moment, whether the whole game is spectacular or I’m clutching at the slightest silver linings. I do this because I love rugby.
My team could win, lose, draw or not even be playing and you can guarantee I’ll be enjoying the spectacle on offer. Such is the nature of the game they play in heaven. Bring on the finals – the games are only going to get bigger and better from here!
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.
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