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Having recovered enough from the rage associated with the Great Game Robbery of 2017 at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday night, I thought I would write this article about my experience of that Reds-Waratahs clash.
Of course we have to start with the curious case of Mr Paul Williams, an up and coming young referee from Taranaki who was previously of good repute, before putting on this performance that would turn the udder of a Taranaki cow sour.
I have come to terms with the bitter loss by concluding that it is possible that Williams feared that Cameron Clyne would try to kick Taranaki out of the Australian conference if the Tahs didn’t get a win.
And before I get a chorus of Roar corporate governance experts reminding me “but point of order Rhys, Taranaki isn’t in Australia and doesn’t have a Super Rugby team”, I would invite you all to consider the possibility that on current form neither Clyne nor Williams were aware of that fact.
In any case, Williams gave us all the unique (for Reds games) experience of booing him off the park, which will hopefully sharpen his wits and lead to a glorious refereeing career including World Cup Finals and the Wallabies winning back the Bledisloe. Being in his early 30s, he is young enough for that.
But in a funny way the unjust loss and the crowd’s reaction to it probably served a purpose for Queensland Rugby by stoking the flames of tribal resentment that heat the boilers of the best rugby matches.
I can’t think of a game that has ever made me wish away a year of my life so that the Reds can have another go at a rival team, but this one has me itching for next year’s opportunity for the Reds to belt those Blue-Blooded Bastards.
And it has to be acknowledged that the parochial atmosphere at Suncorp, even less than a third full with eighteen thousand in attendance, was helped in no small part by a good effort on behalf of Queensland Rugby Union.
The obvious measure that went down really well was the old style Maroon jersey, which apparently the players loved and so did the crowd.
I have to admit not having been around Queensland rugby long enough to realise what it meant until it was explained to me, at first I thought it was a self-conscious hat tip to the dominance of rugby league in this state, like a few of the ‘State of Origin’ ideas that have being going around.
However, once I was clued up to the historical significance of that jersey I was very impressed.
The music at the stadium played a decent role in creating the atmosphere too. At least it did once they stopped playing bee bop boy band tunes after tries and cranked out Flametrees and Sweet Caroline, at which time the crowd had consumed enough mid strength XXXX to engage in a sing along fit for the Gaythorne RSL on Karaoke night.
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And of course the players did their bit to get the emotions wound up in the first 50 minutes, three spectacular running tries and one mighty pushover. I have to mention Quade Cooper getting the crowd to its feet with his spectacular intercept and deft grubber to set up Izaeia Perese for a try in the corner.
Backing up from the previous week’s cross-field kick in the Reds 22 to set up a length of the field try by Perese, I am sure that I am not the only fan to appreciate his return as the best catalyst for this ‘Exciting Brand of Australian Running Rugby’ that we keep hearing the ARU keeps banging on about.
Even when the Reds lose Cooper makes the games worth attending to see what he is going to do next and as a fan it is hard to feel that the price of your ticket has been wasted when you watch him play.
Apparently when writing these articles I am supposed to demonstrate sportsmanship by saying something nice about the opposition, so I am quite happy to say that Michael Hooper is a warrior for the ages and anybody who doesn’t think he is one of the best sevens in the world doesn’t know what they are talking about.
And an honourable mention goes to Bernard Foley for his goal kicking, which is accurate but has all the power of the ‘Little Engine that could’. I found myself repeating “I think I can, I think I can …” with every goal attempt.
Lucky Williams called his penalties close enough for the ball to fall over the bar.
Finally I would like to say Queenslanders – Go. To. Reds. Games – they are a fun night out if you chose to treat them as such.
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.