A first defeat to lowly Scotland in 27 years, four more losses to New Zealand – making it a sorry seven straight – last place in the Tri Nations, three wins from their past 11 Tests and no Australian franchise in the Super 14 finals.
Yet the Wallabies remain among the favourites to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Go figure.
But that is the extraordinary truth after Australian rugby’s leanest season of the 14-year professional era.
While the short-sighted point to the ill-fated grand slam campaign as further evidence the Wallabies are lagging behind perennial world powers New Zealand and South Africa, the end-of-season tour of Britain and Ireland in reality proved a resounding success.
Success should not be judged on results alone.
Besides, one one-point loss from six matches, including Tests against England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on consecutive weekends for the first time in 25 years, is hardly an unmitigated disaster.
Yes, the 9-8 humbling in Edinburgh was difficult for fans to swallow – but even more so for vanquished captain Rocky Elsom, who looked to have scored a match-winning second-half try that ultimately would have meant the 2009 Wallabies became the first Australian travelling team in a century to complete an unbeaten grand slam tour.
It’s a fine line, especially for the most-maligned national sporting team in Australia.
Unless the Wallabies are winning week in, week out, they are seen as flops.
To Australia’s rivals, though, coach Robbie Deans is the envy of the international rugby world.
Classy 21-year-olds Will Genia and David Pocock may well be the world’s premier players in their respective – and key – positions with another 20-odd Tests under their belts by 2011, while 25-year-old loosehead prop Benn Robinson already is.
All up, the average age of the Wallabies line-up for the year-ending rout of Wales at Millennium Stadium was just 24, with Elsom and long-time match-winners Matt Giteau and second-half injection George Smith providing the necessary experience.
Throw in the likes of outstanding teenage utility James O’Connor, plus Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper – who proved a revelation as an untried centre pairing in the absence of Stirling Mortlock and Berrick Barnes – and Kurtley Beale as the 17th player Deans has introduced to the Test arena and the Wallabies coach looks blessed with backline talent.
But Australia’s greatest strength, strangely enough, lay in the forwards.
With Wycliff Palu back firing and Elsom and Pocock also among the form players on the Spring tour, there’s no longer room in the back row for 109-Test veteran Smith.
Up front, with Robinson joining forces with converted tighthead Ben Alexander and powerhouse hookers Stephen Moore and Tatafu Polota-Nau, the Wallabies scrum, after years of derision, is now winning front-foot ball for Genia and Giteau and co to work their magic.
The emergence of Genia, who started 2009 as Queensland’s reserve halfback, was arguably the single most important development of the year for the Wallabies.
It was no coincidence Australia’s first and only Tri Nations victory came in game five against South Africa when Genia was handed his maiden Test start.
The Papua New Guinea-born No.9 continued to deliver in a man-of-the-match display at Twickenham before signing off his rookie international season with another five-star performance against Wales.
Regardless of whether Deans chooses to play Giteau – the 2009 John Eales Medallist and world player of the year nominee – or Barnes at five-eighth next season, the Wallabies attack should continue to improve with the razor sharp Genia inside giving his twin playmakers added time and space.
Despite a modest return of six wins, a draw and seven losses from 14 Tests in ’09, Deans has every reason to feel optimistic about the final two years of his reign.
It’s worth noting that two years prior to their previous World Cup triumphs in 1991 and 1999 the Wallabies also endured similarly difficult seasons.
In ’89, Australia were two from six and in the midst of a run of seven losses from nine Tests against the All Blacks.
In ’97, the Wallabies won just six from 12 Tests and suffered a 61-22 hammering at the hands of the Springboks in Pretoria.
Rome wasn’t – and World Cup-winning teams aren’t – built in a day and Deans is rightly ever hopeful after exposing so many young bloods while also preserving Australia’s ranking inside the world’s top three.
“There were a lot of pluses in terms of players who have emerged off very little background,” Deans said.
“Players who are going to be genuine Test players and are going to serve Australia well for a long period of time. It is evident that this group has a really exciting future.
“We’ve just got to add consistency which comes with experience. Obviously, when you look at the profile of the group, it’s a remarkably young group and they are learning in the toughest arena.”
As one Wallabies insider said after the sapping, last-minute 20-20 draw with Ireland in Dublin: “The deposit’s in the bank. Who remembers results two years before the World Cup?”
While the Wallabies appear on the up, the second-ranked Springboks seem in decline, their team of ageing stars ending an otherwise dominant 2009 with a series of dismal tour losses to English club sides Leicester and Saracens as well as to France and Ireland.
After helping the Boks capture the Webb Ellis Cup and this year’s Tri Nations trophy, key forwards Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and skipper John Smit are all now on the wrong side of 30.
As ever, in addition to a lack of depth at halfback, a shortage of back-up props and the absence of a world-class second row, Australia’s greatest worry two years out from the seventh World Cup again looks to be the top-ranked New Zealanders.
Seven successive losses to their trans-Tasman rivals cannot be good for self-belief, with newly-appointed vice-captain Barnes conceding before the last-up defeat in Tokyo ago that the continual beatings were starting to scar.
After masterminding the drought-breaking win in South Africa last year, Deans’s priority next season must be plotting Australia’s first win in New Zealand since 2001.
That would really leave the tournament hosts nervous come the World Cup.
SNAPSHOT OF AUSTRALIAN RUGBY IN 2009
Wallabies: played 14, won 6, drew 1, lost 7
bt Italy 31-8, Canberra
bt Italy 34-12, Melbourne
bt France 22-6, Sydney
lost to New Zealand 22-16, Auckland
lost to South Africa 29-17, Cape Town
lost to New Zealand 19-18, Sydney
lost to South Africa 32-25, Perth
bt South Africa 21-6, Brisbane
lost to New Zealand 33-6, Wellington
lost to New Zealand 32-19, Tokyo
bt England 18-9, London
drew with Ireland 20-20, Dublin
lost to Scotland 9-8, Edinburgh
bt Wales 33-12, CardiffYear-end world ranking: 3
Highlights: beat world champion Springboks, only team not to lose to Six Nations champions Ireland
Lowlights: first loss to Scotland since 1982, four losses to New Zealand in same year for the first time since 1962, finished last in Tri Nations.Individual honours
John Eales Medallist: Matt Giteau
Australian Super 14 player of the year: George Smith
Pete
Guest
Just came across this clip on the web "Wallaby Highlight 2009" Admittedly it was a long season so you could always put a decent highlights package together and you could equally put a low lights package for 2009! There were certainly some great moves and areas where we greatly improved. I can't wait for the Rugby to start again! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckWM8d1VD9g
Campbell Watts
Guest
At Go_the_Wannabe's odds (50/50) I would be!!!!
Campbell Watts
Guest
"Yet the Wallabies remain among the favourites to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Go figure." Wow - I thought New Zealand had already been alocated the right to host the cup!!! :-)
Tragic
Guest
True, and we are yet to see the carters and mccaws stand up. But I think Pocock is promising and plays a very McCaw type of game, and frankly there probably won't be a carter but I think Giteau will rise again. You can't put the star on the christmas tree with a shaky ladder. Carter was so successful because he had a steady platform on which to work, with great team mates and a great educator in deans. Once the platform is there I think that Giteau and Barnes will share the driver's seat adequately, to put the icing on the cake. Ok too many metaphors Im going to work.
Sam Taulelei
Guest
The only problem I have with any articles about the future of Australian rugby is exactly that. It's the future. It hasn't been achieved, written or reached. How about focusing on the present and learning from the past? Funny how "professionalism" has altered the definition and measurement of success. Take the world cup out of the picture and should the Wallabies results this year be more tolerable or less tolerable if there was no four yearly cycle to develop a side? Are the Wallabies more successful or less successful than they were in the amateur days? The world cup for all it's good qualities has really stuffed up perceptions and perspectives about teams, coaches and players performances. Winning a world cup is now the end to the means and everything else is subservient, irrelevant and negligible. Haven't you seen the folly of that thinking from your cousins across the ditch? It appears there is no longer a line separating development from failure. Lord give me strength.
Sport 24-7
Roar Rookie
An optimistic view no doubt. There are a lot of promising young blokes coming through. BUT - Remember the English pack of 2003 ? There were a few blokes over 30 in that squad and they all have World Cup medals. I wouldn't go writing off the Boks just yet.
zhenry
Guest
Absolute optimist vision plus PR that's what Australians read, tends mostly to the positive of centre. On the other hand New Zealand read absolute negative vision, still with the PR and mostly negative of centre. Australia owns both media.
PastHisBest
Roar Guru
"I’m not too concerned any more that Australia is not trying to engineer some ‘intelligent’ way of leveraging itself over the best teams in the world." Far from being 'not too concerned' Tragic, personally I'm rapt about this.
PastHisBest
Roar Guru
Putting some hard-earned on it MG???
Darwin hammer
Roar Rookie
he also had Carter and McCaw ... helps a bit when you've got talent like that to fall back on ...
crashy
Guest
Maddog - I tend to agree in that our media are ( how shall I say), prone to hyperbole! Whilst yes we are in a slump and the last few years have not been great, I can see light at the end of the tunnell. Rugby 7s is now in the Olympics and that we will have a 5th Super 14 team. This alone will lead to more funding and top level rugby for our 200 or so professional players. Just think, it was only a couple of weeks ago that the press were calling the death of Test Cricket! not in my lifetime sonny jim!
Tragic
Guest
I think that the missing ingredient is genuine, hard-earned confidence. Deans has been putting the Wallabies (and fans) through a cathartic process of re-blooding and re-building, to play what is essentially a crusaders/new zealander's game. I think that what characterised the attitude of the crusaders was their ability to maintain composure and resolve to win in tight situations on the back of a justified confidence in their own ability. They had tireless forwards that could all handle the ball and a backline that was skillfull (not primarily sizey). Confidence gives you the ability to seize opportunities as they arise - the Crusaders had this - and it was something that the wallabies didn't have in their loss to scotland. No sword. Next season will be interesting. I'm not too concerned any more that Australia is not trying to engineer some 'intelligent' way of leveraging itself over the best teams in the world. If you have a game style based on aggressive forwards that provide good platforms and can run with and pass the ball, and a skillful and fast backline that can kick it when they ought to kick it, and run it when they ought to run it, coupled with with tireless defence and support play, then that's all you can ask for. Oh, and someone who can kick a goal from anywhere on the park... I think these basic fundamentals are what won the crusaders so many games, with the knowledge they could do it, and i think this is what Deans is trying to bring to the team. If I'm correct then I would assess the Wallabies' development fairly favourably. I always knew this is what the development strategy of Deans was, but I have always doubted the time frame. I hope they can become the team in time!
Justin
Guest
Yeah fair enough...
Jerry
Guest
Oh, I'm impressed with Genia don't get me wrong. I was just pointing out that citing the English press opinion isn't actually really something that's gonna win you arguments.
Justin
Guest
To be fair Jerry he has played well in just about every game he has played for AUS. The great thing is he does the basics very well unlike Deans former love-child Burgess.
Jerry
Guest
I wouldn't pay much attention to the English press, they put an inordinate amount of emphasis on how players go against England. Genia played one good game against England and they were elevating him to 'new great' status.
stash
Roar Pro
Success should not be judged on results alone...ha ha, that's pure stand up. I hope you said that and not Deans.... Sheesh, if Henry said that there would be a necktie party in his honor. Australia has enough of a winning history that fans should be expecting them to win - just like the ABs and Boks are expected to win by their supporters. Personally I think they should all be hauled off to SAS training camp rather than prancing around for summer. Deans included... his reputation is fast becoming tattered.
Maddog
Guest
Thanks for a great article Darren! For too long the media at large have been all too happy to point the finger of doom when as you so rightly point out 'Unless the Wallabies are winning week in, week out, they are seen as flops.' I can't imagine this attitude prevailing in any other country in the world! Even in New Zealand, while being critical of play especially afetr a loss, the nation still has unreserved support and pride for the team and what they represent. Are there other factors at play with reporting here? Is the mungo element that controls papers and TV news to blame? Given the abundance of international fixtures on the Australian Rugby calendar, it is all too easy for the media to paint a picture of gloom following a loss. But let's put it in perspective...every test match is like playing an AFL or NRL grand final in terms of intensity! We should expect to lose our fair share of them, especially in the Tri-nations as we are constanstly playing the number one and two ranked teams in the world! If the Wallabies were and AFL or NRL team they would be sitting middle of the table and probably make the finals. Sure there would be nay-sayers suggesting ways to improve and there would be supporters saying look how we are rebuilding, BUT no one would be saying our game is dying! Why, because other teams will rise to take their spot...this is the natural eb and flow of the sporting world. Just because the Wallabies are not on top every year doesn't mean death for our game! Darren has written a great article here and more positive thought in the media and from us as supporters will go a long way to ensuring continued health of Australian rugby...no matter what the week in and week out results.
Howi
Roar Rookie
I agree with Darren's sentiments, though I readily acknowledge that I'm tragically optimistic at times. Many of the right pieces are in place for the Wallabies. There is some sort of ingredient missing but I don't know what it is, and anyway if it's at all obvious then I think they would have found it by now. Probably even Deans doesn't know what it is despite all of his zen-like musings. But he'll know it when he finds it. I tend to think that 2009 has hurt many individuals in the Wallabies squad and that this can fuel some serious learning and galvanisation in 2010 and 2011. I don't mind being painted an optimist but I tend to believe that the current squad with Deans and Elsom at the helm can go on to become one of Australian rugby's better success stories.
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
i agree with your sentiment that we cant allow puff pieces, but genia and pockock aswell as our front rowers really are extremely talented, even the english agreed they were the silver lining of the tour