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Australia's Wallabies react after their 19-14 loss to New Zealand's All Blacks during their Bledisloe Cup match in Hong Kong Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. AP Photo/Kin Cheung
Watching the kick fest that has become the staple of international rugby, I can’t help but hark back to my own playing days. Granted we were on rungs much lower than any professional match, we were not really told how we would play the game.
We had general tactics that played to what little strengths we may have had.
If we got super clever, we may even have tried to exploit an opposition weakness. By and large, however, we played the way we liked to.
When forwards got their hands on the ball, they just ran forward with as much aggression as they could muster. When the back got it, they tried loops or other fancy things to avoid tackles.
Sure, we kicked when we had to, but running was the name of the game and that’s what we did. We didn’t win every week, but we always had a good time.
My question to the Roarers out there is this: If Deans said “stuff this, the boys want to run, let them run and to hell with the result,” would you support it?
If he said, “we will do everything we can to win, EXCEPT KICK THE BALL AWAY,” would you support it?
Would you support it if the Wallabies, or whoever your preferred team is, decided that the spirit of the game and the manner in which it is played is more important than the score?
Even if that meant you would lose more often and by bigger margins (not really a concern for us Wallaby fans at the moment)?
It would also mean supporting a losing coach and team and not looking for blood when the results don’t fall your way.
You see, no manner of ELV’s, whinging, whining or cajoling will make any difference to the style of game we see. As long as winning is the only measure, you will not see teams who are prepared to risk defeat for a thrilling victory.
You will always get teams playing the percentages, like professional gamblers, when what we want to see is mug punters going for it all.
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.