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For reasons that I still can’t really explain, I immediately went to a Green Day song as the Wallabies confirmed their second consecutive draw against South Africa this season, 27-27 in Bloemfontein.
I walk this empty street / On the boulevard of broken dreams
‘Broken dreams’ is certainly nothing new when it comes to Wallabies supporters. Broken dreams have effectively been the default post-match position for Australian rugby fans for more than a decade now. And this Green Day song, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ – released around the same time (2004) this default feeling began, funnily enough – hits the mark in more than a few ways.
The verse before the line above feels scarily familiar, for instance.
I walk a lonely road / The only one that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes / But it’s only me, and I walk alone
That could be Michael Cheika’s coaching executive summary, right there, particularly given the way the Wallabies have steadfastly stuck to their preferred method of play over his reign.
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
So, while I expected them to come out full of running in Bloemfontein, I did wonder how long it would last. Come the last ten minutes, the guys that started the game looked absolutely wrecked. The pace of the Wallabies game, coupled with the surprise pace of the South African game had me convinced it could only end in tears.
Kurtley Beale made a break on the counter later the game, coming out of the Wallabies half, and though it looked like he was going slower as he waited for support, I don’t know that he had too much more to give anyway. And the coach replaced him shortly after that, which kind of confirmed my suspicions.
But with all this said, the Wallabies damn near won.
They damn near lost, of course, but Elton Jantjies hooked his 79th-minute penalty.
Both sides will rue the missed opportunities, but that’s what happens after a draw. And as opposed to the Perth match a few weeks ago, where the draw was fair because neither Australia or South Africa really deserved to win, the Bloemfontein draw was a fair result because neither team really deserved to lose.
The Wallabies were great because they kept up their pace, and asked many more questions of the Springboks than were asked of themselves. They adjusted a few things on the run, made mistakes, but made some opportunities, too.
Bernard Foley had the rare issue of his kicks going too far, but aside from that turned out a pretty solid performance steering the side around. The Wallabies are so much more dangerous when Foley runs to the line, and with Beale perhaps not as good as he has been this year, the attacking structures remained strong.
I had a question on the pass for Folau’s try (and it wasn’t the last pass not pulled up), but that inside line has been a pet play well-used for a good while. They pulled it out at the right time and got the right reward.
South Africa were good because they just would not be beaten. Whenever the Wallabies scored, the ‘Boks made sure they were the next to score.
Despite Ross Cronje’s service – and why didn’t the Wallabies put more pressure on him as he danced sideways before passing? – and with Jantjies also struggling to find his target at times, the Boks played with exciting width and speed, with all their outside backs finding plenty of space to roam.
It was, in the end, a really enjoyable Test Match, and one I’m glad I set the alarm for.
That Wallabies were able to sustain their attack for so long and in the face of a pretty determined Springboks side was incredibly heartening.
Whereas after the Argentina Test in Canberra I was left lamenting the underwhelming first half (and considering the second half deserves much more memory space), this was a match in which the Wallabies left me feeling content that there is definitely an upward trajectory about them.
(Photo by Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
That’s not to say they’re world beaters suddenly, of course. But considering their overall level of performance of the side since the disappointment of the Sydney Bledisloe, it feels to me at least like we might be at least edging closer to the end of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
And this segues nicely into the other great musical highlight of the weekend – Richmond champion Jack Riewoldt crashing The Killers’ post-match concert at the AFL Grand Final and delivering a rendition of ‘Mr Brightside’ for which we should be glad his mic wasn’t turned right up. But he didn’t care how he sounded, he was having the time of his life.
There is a bright side to the Wallabies at the moment. Despite all the puzzling selection table surprises (does any know what the preferred lock combination is currently?), it is actually enjoyable watching a Wallabies side who are clearly enjoying playing the way they’re playing.
The disappointment of the final result came through in their body language. You could feel their pain. And that’s a great sign the connection is again strengthening. Part of me actually wishes the game was in Australia on Saturday night, sharing in the biggest football weekend on the calendar.
But as always, what they do next weekend and thereafter is much more important that what happened in Bloemfontein. Too often, the Wallabies have blown momentum like this and caused supporters to launch remotes at TV screens.
They now have a huge opportunity in Argentina and can still claim second spot on the ladder, which would’ve been gladly taken back in June.