At the end of this article is a video of the Wallabies’ change room after the Welsh win. I love how, during the Lions’ tours, they have a camera in the change room to show you what happens before the match. And this is also a frank look at the dressing room after a good win by the Wallabies.
Beale talks openly and humbly about his first cap and how they wanted to turn the results of the week before into a positive.
James O’Connor larks around like a gangsta giving high fives.
Giteau takes a stab at his detractors, showing how the press must have hurt him after the Scottish game. He says how he prepared for the Scottish game exactly the same as every other game, but “it just didn’t work out”.
He shows a side of himself that people on this site might doubt, in that it shows it does hurt him when the Wallabies lose, or perhaps they will say that it hurts him when his worth is questioned.
Later on, AAC even jokingly says, “Gits finally had a blinder”.
So even the squad must have known that Giteau has been down on form recently.
Genia also talks towards the end about Giteau and how he has answered his critics. I think Giteau did play really well, but he did so from second receiver, not first receiver.
Drew Mitchell drinks from the cup and dances around like he actually did something.
A lot of them speak about the midweek game and what that did for the squad. Certainly, I think they should keep up midweek games on these tours, if for no other reason than to suss out how the reserves are going and give them game time.
Beale got a bench spot because of how he played in the Cardiff game. He might never have had that chance in tours gone past.
Deans talks about finally getting the right combinations.
He says he waited for it to happen rather than forced it to happen, showing that he had a plan and wasn’t just cruising along hoping for the team to gel.
In fact, this is the most I have heard Deans speak, and he certainly speaks more candidly here than he does in front of press conferences.
He talks about doubt creeping in, but you can see he feels this could be a watershed moment.
I am not so sure.
That will depend on their next game, almost 7 months away, when they will all start from scratch again and try to re-invigorate their combinations.
I think we have all thought we have had several watershed moments over the last 12 months, only to be brought back down to earth the next week.
Now, at the risk of being the Grinch and taking away the players rights to celebrate a good win, as well as harping on about the Grand Slam, I don’t see a lot of thought given to losing the Grand Slam.
I say lose the Grand Slam because looking back you really must admit they should have won it quite easily. I didn’t give them much chance before they went, but after the Wales win, it dawned on me how much they let go by the last minute try by Ireland and the surprising loss to Scotland.
It really should have been dawning on these players right then after beating Wales that had they played like they did against Wales, over the whole tour, the Grand Slam would have been theirs.
Instead, some of them could only think about how good that particular game was, and how well they played.
Perhaps that is part of the problem.
Rather than recognise what they did well in that game, and what they need to do to keep that standard up, they see they have won and that is that.
Will they improve next year, or will they continue to be marred by inconsistency?
Ra
Guest
Geez I always thought it was successful. Four out of five ain't bad.
Parisien
Guest
The Giteau /Deans moment is a picture that tells a thousand words, or in the words of WS, "something is rotten in the state of Denmark".
nicknelo
Roar Rookie
I agree lcroft. "major dummy spit" Deans comes over, lays a hand on him, offers some banta... and what does Giteau do? nothing, just offers a cheeky smile back at the camera, he does not even acknowledge Deans. Giteau shrugs off his terrible performance against Wales as just "one of those things" saying he prepared in the same way he does every game, and just had a bad night. I suspect it may have been more then that, I think it was a big dummy spit, like a child braking all his toys in disgust with not getting his way, maybe because of the threat he faces at being moved to 12.
lcroft
Guest
from the body language in a couple of recent vidoes (press conferences as well as dressing room) i think giteau looks like he's having a major dummy spit and there doesn't appear to be a lot of love lost between him and deans. just read the report about cooper and my first thought is "good grief, is there no end to the ways these guys can torpedo themselves?" even if it doesn't come to anything, it's a cloud over his head
ohtani's jacket
Guest
There was some weird tension between Deans and Giteau in that video. What's with this news about Quade Cooper facing a robbery charge?
Nick
Guest
GREAT ARTICLE HOY! Good point about the opportunities lost for the tour, why do they need to have their "backs against the walls" for them to perform, it shows a lack of will. But thank god they did, putting some respect back into the jersey that has had so much taken out of it over the past years since 07 world cup.
DaniE
Guest
Matta you have just made my day... lol...
AndyS
Guest
Thanks for that Hoy. Nice for a change to see some genuine responses, rather than everyone picking carefully over their words. Much more humanising and relateable, and would love to see it more often.
mattamkII
Guest
Might sound a bit gay but did anyone see Pocock with his shirt off? the guy is a monster!
mattamkII
Guest
I am not a Drew Mitchell fan but he did a couple of good things and put someone over the try line.
anopinion
Guest
Yes Pete we come to this site to say nice things and agree with each other. Read my past posts no negatives re player efforts, just player capabilities. By the way, the posts by people come from many different people, each have things they want to get off their chests. No one hates every thing.
Pete
Guest
Can these guys actually please fans? One week its 'you played poorly, show some ticker..." the next week, 'great game but you can't articulate... ' ... for crying out loud... there is always something to find fault with...
CliffyTahTah
Guest
Maybe before a tour commences? Not at the end where they are now on holidays until Super 14 pre training starts in Jan. As for being ambassadors for the game and Australia, they did that on the field and through sportsmanship, not how they construct a sentance in front of the camera. Nick Farr-Jones was a lot older and was a professional outside of rugby. I am not disagreeing with you, just think the team, and especially the younger guys, need to be cut a bit of slack.
anopinion
Guest
Warren, May I remind you of these comments you made? warrenexpatinnz said | September 23rd 2009 @ 9:24am | "Very well put and if the players themselves took onus of their poor display last Saturday then you would think they would stand up and ‘do the right thing’. If my staff perform badly on a task which tarnishes our companies reputation or stuff up causing non chargeable repair work they put their hand up and don’t submit time for what ever is needed to repair the damage or to ‘make it right’. Now my staff aren’t on $200K plus so this is a huge sacrifice for them. Doing what is recommended in this article will ‘out’ some players and their MANAGERS and make them aware that they are playing for their National team" I know you are talking about playing rugby but I think your words would support my arguement quite well.
anopinion
Guest
Warrenexpatinnz, As for the cucumber sandwich comment, I am not concerned with annunciation. I am concerned with an ability to further themselves and the game through positive media events. If you think this display was ok then I shudder to think what speaking display would alarm you. As for private school, it was not a classist comment, instead, a comment about the waste in school fees by the boys parents. If I am paying $15-20 thousand a year I would expect to see from my son the kind of oral skills that would allow him a place in a boardroom.
warrenexpatinnz
Guest
Really enjoyed the video Hoy, as I don't get too see much of the after match celebrations as don't get Fox sports in NZ. Well done to the 'boys' and hopefully there will be plenty more celebrations like that to come.
warrenexpatinnz
Guest
Sorry mate but to have a dig at some of the players just because they don't talk with a cucumber sandwhich in one hand is a bit rich. Some of the players such as Elsom, Smith are used to the media scene and speak 'eloquently' however we were lucky enough to see a team high spirited, enjoying a victory and being themselves. Quade Cooper isn't paid to teach english, he is paid to play rugby union and to play for his country, well he must be a bit better than the average player and I think on the night he showed us all what he is capable of. anopinion you may have but 'dissing the boys' because you don't like the way they speak is almost unaustralian but then again I am not privately school taught so what do I know.
Ryan
Guest
Great to see the passion and excitement in the change room after the win. I hope they remember how good that felt and how bad it felt to lose to Scotland. As for Kurtley and his umm, ahhs and you knows. What did the Brothers at Joeys teach him other than footy. As mentioned above I am not having a crack at the kid but the ARU should do right by the young players and help them improve their speaking skills. I am sure Nick Farr-Jones would be more than happy to hold a public speaking session for the ARU.
anopinion
Guest
Actually Cliffy I think this is the right part of the season to have them work on anything that may make them better ambassadors for rugby and Australia. They have a couple of months with little rugby. Can you suggest a better time? Hoy, How do we talk to our mates? I would think naturally, with out the nervous "you knows". I think the problem is that they were aware of the camera and struggled with it. Stash, Was not concerned with how they acted, rather how they struggled to express their thoughts in a way that might suggest they could be more than just footballers. We do people no favours by allowing them to struggle with the English language. Ask Nick Farr-Jones if his ability to discuss issues without constant umming, arring or you knowing, has helped him in his life during and after rugby. I am not suggesting others join me in bagging them, just that the ARU or other concerned groups such as RUPA help them.
Stash
Guest
Fair call Cliffy - If I was 19 and had just beat Wales then I would be acting like an idiot. Well safe to say that the Wallabies are going to have a better year in 2010... in fact I'll throw in a lazy 100 if there's any pessimists out there that think Deans could go worse.