That’s it. The bar is dry, the food’s gone, the cupboard is empty. As a young fan enticed by late-1990s Australian rugby, the 1999 World Cup was a professional epiphany, a veritable feast of accurate, modern rugby.
Harry, Blades, Giffin, Eales, Cockbain, Wilson, Kefu, Gregan, Larkham … Super, super stuff.
From there Australia have slowly declined.
They still made the 2003 World Cup final, but instead of being trendsetters as in 1999, they progressed through that tournament driven by sheer desire and perhaps home nation fear. The general conclusion being that they had got to the final against all odds.
That final was a close affair. But the next World Cup was not so generous and Australia were on the decline.
Against that backdrop, Robbie Deans was brought in.
The anointed one apparently, Deans has an excellent coaching record and he is a pleasant, warm man. I certainly wouldn’t question his pedigree.
However, on Saturday he made some bad, bad mistakes that cost Australia dearly. Whether it will affect the Wallabies in Brisbane is another matter, but what the record capitulation also revealed is something that a lot of fans have known for a long time.
There is no depth in Australian rugby.
Connolly set out to improve the front row. He didn’t, but I don’t blame him. Props mature as they age and Holmes and Shepherdson must still be long-term priorities.
He could only work with what he had, the same as Deans: Dunning and Baxter. Let’s be frank – the pair couldn’t scrummage their way out of a pack of crisps.
Nonetheless, the fans of Deans were applauding their new ‘attitude’, a mongrel anger that was previously missing.
On Saturday, this myth was blown out of the water.
Despite a meaty weight advantage, the Australian pack was once again blasted onto the back foot. In this context, it is logical to assume that the only reason Australia managed to win that particular battle against South Africa in recent weeks is because South Africa were non-committal to the ruck.
It appears that the problem therefore is mental, and I can’t see what Deans can do if the players themselves do not want to do what is required.
The front row is still a massive issue. Deans cannot immediately remove Dunning and Baxter because they are experienced and Dunning has utility value.
Improving the front row must be a long term process, but throwing in Kepu with Robinson would be the stuff of nightmares.
Robinson is showing promise but he will not peak until he hits 30.
Vickermann and Elsom are leaving, and suddenly the Australian pack looks softer than a tub of Lurpak.
All Deans can do is maintain the status quo and persevere until a real contender offers themselves. If Holmes, Shepherdson and company truly wish to improve their game, then they should look at moving to a Guinness Premiership club for a season.
Not only does Australia not have a climate that is accommodating to propping, but there are simply not enough games in the Super 14 for players to test themselves. As much as English players would bemoan their long seasons, I am sure that Rowntree, Woodman, White, Payne and others learnt more playing 40 odd club games a season than they would have with thirteen plus provincial starts a season.
Moving TPN to prop would not be an answer and he is another player who must be persevered with… at hooker, and not at flanker and not at prop.
Throwing in is a confidence issue, and until TPN can maintain a regular starting position his bench position should be under review.
He certainly won’t perfect his trade subbing behind Freier.
At least Moore has proved himself this Tri-Nations with rugged loose performances and largely excellent throwing.
The second-row is an improvement.
Horwill and Vickermann provide an excellent combination of grunt and intelligence. The problem lies in Vickermann’s sabbatical.
McMeniman is clearly a good player, but like TPN he must be a regular starter. And he also must decide on a position. What other countries have a flanker cum lock who can dominate international games?
To that extent, he cannot be considered an automatic replacement for Vickermann. The same applies to Mumm. There is no chance of Williams, Thorn, Matfield or Botha having the occasional game at six.
One or the other: five or six.
The departure of Elsom may make that decision for him, but Australia needs a true blue second row. And urgently.
The back row, often a position of Australian strength, is now under threat of becoming maligned. After Saturday it is irrefutable that Smith is the starter and Waugh is the impact sub, unless of course Deans decides to fast track the more physical Pocock onto the bench.
Elsom will be missing this Autumn and Palu has a habit of disappearing. Who is the back up no. 8? Who plays 6? McMeniman, Mumm? But then who plays second row?
Undoubtedly there are potential greats in the Super 14, but it is one thing losing with veterans and another with young, untested players.
The 4 and 6 are the most physical elements of the pack and that loss will hurt Australia badly. Chisholm, Hoiles, or Sharpe will not remedy that.
The back division pick themselves, but as with the second and back row, there is an issue with utility players.
Starting from the back: AAC is not an international fullback. Where does he play?
It is also questionable whether Shepherd is up to the task. Latham would have excelled on the weekend.
The wings pick themselves despite Tuqiri’s sloppy skill set and lack of midfield involvement. Hynes has been perhaps the Australian find of the Tri-Nations, but again he is another young gun.
Mortlock, although receiving criticism post-South Africa, is physically the glue holding the back division together.
Cross has looked very good when called upon, but he will have to be content with a bench position.
Which leaves the 12 slot.
Barnes is unequivocally the starter, but there is always the theory that he would be better at 10 and Giteau would be better at 12. If there is more broken play under the ELVs, then surely it pays to have your more electric players further afield?
Tyrone Smith had an excellent season and I am convinced that he has a future. Tahu too.
However, it was negligent of Deans to play Tahu in an fifteen of that composition and with so little experience under his belt. When Mortlock retires, which may be sooner than later, Australia will be short of some key experiences.
If the going gets tough, Mortlock can take the ball up if need be. But how good would it be for Australia to have an alternative kicking no 12!
Barnes got injured and look what happened? No plan B.
Even Giteau is not yet a consistent international 10.
Despite that, he is Australia’s key performer. Take him and Mortlock out of the equation and there are players with a host of question marks in need of answering. And also a host of players who need to play regularly in one position: Burgess, Mitchell, Tahu, AAC, Sheperd, Turner, Ioane, Gerrard, and so on.
Burgess has abundant talent but Cordingley is departing soon and Sheehan is barely Super 14 standard.
I am convinced that Deans has taken on a much bigger job than initially expected, and until Australia recognizes that rugby union is a game of specialists, the Wallabies will always be found out when it matters most.
Benjamin
Guest
There are cauliflower ears at my local club but they're an awful team in an awful league. The Currie Cup is full of mismatches and is tough if you're an amateur. I doubt it even compares to National League One.
gavin
Guest
I would have thought a couple of those Islanders a blessing actually, not all, but some have proved handy and capable. Ben Regardless of the amount of cauliflower ears on tour, the Currie Cup has a few which leaves me to believe they have a tough competitionI still reckon there's a couple round somewhere
Benjamin
Guest
Do you not agree with that sentiment OJ? Damn those ethnics to hell! There's far too many of them for my liking.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
This is beginning to sound like those people back home who think the All Blacks can't win the World Cup because there's too many Islanders in the team.
Benjamin
Guest
No, there isn't actually. Not one. Similarly in the England squad only Sheridan, Vickery and Moody have cauliflower ears. Only John Hayes does in the Ireland team and I don't believe that any Welsh, French or Scottish forwards posses swollen ears either. Mmm... there goes that point.
gavin
Guest
well we must look for a photo of the team. I'm certain there's more than one caulifl
gavin
Guest
The cupboard has just barer We won't even be using Overseas based players in the Wallaby squad http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/09/05/Wallabies_to_maintain_ban_on_overseasbased_players
Benjamin
Guest
How ironic that in a squad of about 16 forwards there is not one cauliflower ear. Not one. They must be really soft those Springboks. Rugby is a simple game, but only the best players in the world make it look simple. For the rest of the international field it is a vastly complicated and pressured sphere. That is why Guinness Premiership coaches have 18 hour days, 6 days a week.
gavin
Guest
All I can say is look at them closely, I must be honest and say I don't remember which players, but they are there. :Look closely. Have a good look at them in close up As for the nonsense you believe in re Jones's 30 page drill. It's a simple game. Keep it that way. For some strange reason, you seem to think it's a technical pursuit. It isn't!
Benjamin
Guest
Just to prove a point tell me one member of the SA pack who has a cauliflower ear. Other than that every other sentence you typed is literally the silliest bunch of nonsense I have ever had the misfortune of reading.
gavin
Guest
my mentioning of the cauliflower ears was not a measure of player toughness, but how they play the game. Again. you misunderstand and bring in total irrelevencies Search around that Bok pack and you'll find a cauliflower ear of two Eddie Jone's 30 page play book is a standing joke here. What nonsense. I though better of Jones. His still a man I respect, but that 30 page book is unnecessary bollocks. An over complication of a simple game where all you have to do is get the basics right and consistently so, as the ABs have demonstrated throughout their history I certainly could not run the line out. Although you must admit, it's hardly an intellectual pursuit How do you mean I should elaborate on the word "thug" It's obvious what I'm talking about Props are fat, there is indeed a public school conspiracy and practice in Australia and NH refs are rubbish. They don't understand allowing the advantage. They are whistle happy and the Irish are worst of the lot. Many SH people will tell you that. Irish fly halves aren't worth a crumpet traditionally compared to SH runners and passers The worst in the SH is Kaplan. Total goose he is. So you see, i Don't hide from what I said. I stand by it
Benjamin
Guest
Gavin, I would have asked you if you were thick but I think we all know the answer, and I have better manners than that. "The boks have at least two players every test that have cauliflower ears." No they don't. That is a factually incorrect statement. No member of the SA pack has a single cauliflower ear. As I have quite clearly illustrated cauliflower ears have no bearing whatsoever on a players hardiness, which you incorrectly asserted. Hard and often dirty play does not lead to having a cauliflower ear. "Modern rugby more complicated is it . Why ?" Because the game is faster, harder and more physically demanding than ever before. Defences are monumentally hard to breadk down and thus rugby is now a game of chess, hence Eddie Jone's 30 page play book. I would love to see you try and run an international lineout. I would imagine that you would struggle to run a bath. You have twice mentioned thugs and then declined to actually elaborate upon that point. You have also said that all props are fat, the Heineken cup should be ditched, there is a public school conspiracy in Australia, all Irish fly halfs have been boring and all NH refs have been rubbish. Congratulations to you sir.
gavin
Guest
PS Eveyone knows my opinion here and I've posted the link before. I sugest you read it
gavin
Guest
Are you thick ? The cauliflower ears is a leftover from when they played the game hard, as they still do in SA. What has this to do with the players you mention ? We know not all players have cauliflower ears. I was trying to show you the hard and often dirty play that leads to these things Modern rugby more complicated is it . Why ? I understand what you mean the contemporary game, but what is the contemporary game. How is it different and why ? I tell you what son, the galah in the local pet shop would fully understnad what I said and the context in which I said it. You apparently do not
Benjamin
Guest
1. What thugs? 2. No 3N South African forwards have cauliflower ears. I don't see what relevance that has. Fitpatrick doesn't have cauliflower ears, neither does Kearns, neither does Julian White, neither does Du Randt, neither does Mark Regan and so on. I know scrum halfs who have cauliflower ears, and I know a man with a cauliflower ear from when he got bashed up on the street. What has that to do with anything? 3. I think you'll find that modern rugby is far more complicated than it was ten, twenty and thirty years ago. The term modern is employed to denote that I am referring to the contemporary game. 4. If you're not alone Gavin then go for it, submit an article espousing all your views about public schools and biffo etc. Go for it.
gavin
Guest
I am not promoting violence. I am promoting the right to defend oneself against known thugs. Our lads are not of the type to do that. Their background is soft The boks have at least two players every test that have cauliflower ears. They get this in the Currie Cup, their domestic comp. They play it hard and often not fair The link I sent you explains how to handle this. You must fight fire with fire As for Henderson and Ryan well, i suspect they are not the only ones, but their are others who are, some ex rugby props with years of experience at school and club level Spare us all the drivel about the "modern game" HAHA! What the hell does that mean ? So there you have it Ben. You see, I am not a lone looney, but the holder of a common opinion I will however, draw the line at Bumper farrell the NSW police officer who, while playing for Newtown. bit an opposing player's clean off, read about it there. I am civiilsed and wouldn't expect that!
Benjamin
Guest
Thugs? What thugs? Good link, how completely irrelevant to the modern game. I suppose it's a coincidence that you ignore Henderson and Ryan, two league forward converts, two useless sacks of sh*t. Bring back the biff indeed, why don't you submit an article about how soft private schoolboys are and that there should be more violence in the game and see what response you get.
gavin
Guest
Ben, see the link below. I suggest you read it for no other reason than to qualify that my opinion is not isolated There is a large school of though that says "bring back the biff" as the game is getting soft You will see I am not alone here Hear it from the greats themselves http://www.eraofthebiff.com/p06-you.html
gavin
Guest
Ask Campese. He'll tell you as he told the rest of the country. Your reply infers we are not allowed to defend ourselves against thugs
Benjamin
Guest
*speechless*