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I am dismayed at the continuing deterioration of trans-Tasman relations as was evidenced by Michael Cheika’s post-Bledisloe press conference.
This deterioration is not good for anyone, for Australian rugby definitely needs New Zealand in order to be successful, and, even if some New Zealanders do not believe it, New Zealand needs both South Africa and particularly Australia to be successful.
New Zealand is without a doubt the strongest rugby nation on earth.
Part of the reason why Australia and South Africa have been so strong is because they have been forced to improve by playing the All Blacks so consistently.
Neither the Springboks nor Wallabies could hope to consistently beat or even get close to the All Blacks by playing one-dimensional either forward-based 10-man rugby (with the notable exception of the Springboks in 2009) or back-based “running rugby”. Instead, the Wallabies and Springboks needed to be extremely fit, to have well coached teams and to have both good forwards and backs.
The major reason that Super Rugby is the best provincial rugby competition on the planet is because the Australian and South African teams have been forced to improve due to playing the New Zealand provincial sides.
Incidentally, this is another reason why the current Super Rugby strategy is not good for rugby in Australia and South Africa over the long-term.
The current format rewards mediocrity as it allows under-performing teams into the finals if they are not from New Zealand. It also means that neither Australia or especially South Africa get enough of an opportunity to play the New Zealand sides which are the benchmark.
In the regular season South Africa’s best side, the Lions, beat the Chiefs in New Zealand and beat the Blues in Johannesburg, while losing to the Highlanders and Hurricanes in New Zealand and to the Crusaders in South Africa.
This left them with an overall 2/5 winning percentage against New Zealand sides in the regular season and an uninspiring 1/3 percentage against New Zealand sides in Johannesburg. Admittedly the Lions did overturn some of these results in the finals, but it is clear that the South African provincial sides were shielded from how manifestly outclassed they were relative to the Kiwi sides.
Obviously, both Australia and South Africa need New Zealand as a benchmark to set themselves against and try to improve at both provincial and international level.
On the other side, New Zealand also South Africa and Australia to be strong for rugby’s welfare in New Zealand.
Kiwi fans live and breathe the All Blacks, and of course love to see them win.
However, winning can get boring if there is never any real tension or competition.
The All Blacks’ slaughtering of the three other teams in the Rugby Championship in 2016 may well have been enjoyable to the Kiwis, but we must ask ourselves, will it still be enjoyable if it continues for the next few years? If every Test match is already a forgone conclusion?
Was it not more exciting seeing the Hurricanes take on the Lions in the Super Rugby final knowing that the Lions had a legitimate chance of winning than seeing the All Blacks take on the Wallabies or Springboks and knowing they will win by 30 points?
Was winning the Bledisloe in 2015 in the second Test after having lost in Sydney not more exciting than winning in 2016 where, after the first 20 minutes of the opening Test, it was clear the All Blacks had already won?
The reason we watch rugby, or any sport, is for competition. Without competition sport is not as interesting.
In the same way that it is more interesting to see Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 9-7 in the fifth set of the Wimbledon final than to see him win 6-1 6-3 6-0 it is more interesting to see tight, close contests rather than drubbings in international rugby.
There is finally the fact that rugby has a number of hurdles to overcome in the coming years that may permanently decide the future of the sport.
Rich clubs in France and England continue to steal players from the Southern Hemisphere at greater and greater rates. Viewership figures for Super Rugby matches continues to decline.
Michael Cheika needs to accept Steve Hansen’s offer for a reconciliatory beer, and all four SANZAAR nations need to work together to provide a strong and united front to maintain the success of the game in all of the Southern Hemisphere.
Without a strong and friendly rivalry between all four nations Southern Hemisphere rugby could be in serious trouble.
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.