So now our eyes shift from the bloodied fields of South Africa, to the spotlight of Sydney. The former champion Springboks, shadows of their former selves, are left with little to show other than bitter disappointment.
In retrospect, the Springboks’ steady stream of excuses, and cursing and finger-pointing and conspiracies during the tournament look jaded now, embarrassing even.
The rugby fields on the high veldt have grown silent and will remain so until 2011. But a vibrant Sydney warmly awaits the returning Wallabies and the noise is just beginning.
Has a new dawn risen in the southern hemisphere or is it, yet again, misguided enthusiasm by the Wallaby devotees drunken by the sweet nectars of victory?
And this was a victory that was last felt when most of us were hardly a twinkle in our father’s eye.
From across the waters, the All Blacks come with only one agenda – to beat the Wallabies for an unprecedented ten times on the trot, and to continue their rampaging march of fourteen victories, their path littered with the corpses of many a team including the Boks, Australia, Ireland, Wales and France.
As one battlefield closes for the Wallabies, another one opens, with the first salvos of the new war loaded with the dense fog of psi-ops.
On top of the agenda for Australia is to disempower the All Blacks’ Haka.
Only just in their last outing, those in charge of the South Africa media disgraced themselves by selfishly switching off the pick-ups so that the entire world of rugby watching fans were denied the opportunity to hear the Haka. Justice was vicariously served with a spectacular win over the Bok by the All Blacks.
This Saturday, the old boys rugby choir composed of 13 ex-rugby players will lead out with their rendition of Advance Australia Fair. The choir was able to raise 10,000 online signatures and deserve the opportunity to proudly rattle their tonsils for their country. They have vowed to deliver a version of the anthem that avoids vocal gymnastics so that the players can sing along in time.
After that, as is tradition, the All Blacks will present their challenge to the Wallabies by performing a Haka.
After the Haka, Australian country singer John Williamson has resurrected his solo rendition of Waltzing Matilda.
Williamson was used to promote the “alternative anthem” on several occasions after an initial Tri Nations crowd spontaneously burst into unified singing. However, attempts to reenact the spontaneity meet with an embarrassing shuffling of feet and only murmurs from the crowd and it was eventually abandoned.
This resurrection is puzzling.
Waltzing Matilda is essentially the story of a vagrant who steals a sheep (which was a hangable offence at the time), intentionally drowns himself in a watering hole to escape the law, and then haunts the site as a ghost figure.
The story is most likely based on the real life Samuel Hoffmeister (Frenchy) who shot himself after killing a number of sheep during a strike – although this year an investigation came to light that Hoffmeister may in fact have been a victim of a gangland assassination.
While no royalties are required to be paid by the ARU in Australia, the fact that it is broadcast internationally would likely mean that royalties are due to American Publishers Carl Fischer Music who own the copyright to the song. Is this the song we want to counter the Haka?
JottingsOnRugby.com
Guest
Stash - that 50,000 crowd at the SCG in 1907 is legit - photo and story here: http://www.colonialrugby.com.au/Waratahs-Rugby.htm Still the record for the largest Waratahs home crowd.
simon
Guest
I think it would be fantastic to have some sort of aboriginal war dance during the haka. Although I wouldn't get the players to perform it. Maybe something like a protective war dance with the aboriginal dancers surrounding the Wallabies. Get us back in touch with the spirit of the great south land and its traditional owners. Harness the power from our Australian history and cultutre. Put meaning into every game the Wallabies play.
MattyP
Guest
Am generally a big fan - but I just read that the ARU is being fined because our girls stepped up during their game against the Kiwis... Sorry, but that's taking this "respect the haka" thing a bit too far. Either let opponents react however they may, or piss the whole thing off. But don't legislate what can and can't be done in response. (That's not having a go at the Kiwis, by the way, but rugby organizers.)
JohnB
Roar Rookie
Apparently, they got those sorts of crowds for club games before WWI. I'd never seen that site before incidentally - other interesting stuff on it. If you enlarge that picture a bit in your browser, it's fair to say some of them seem to be getting into it - but look how skinny they all are! And you can see where our fathers and grandfathers got the idea that trousers should be worn snug up under the armpits.
Parisien
Guest
John Williamson is too laid back and relaxed sounding and he slides between the notes. I think ACDC's "Its a long way to the top if you wanna rock n' roll" would be appropriate right now.
Parisien
Guest
Does anyone else remember Sebastien Chabal the Caveman with twisted smile and wild eyes glaring down the haka in the quarter final at Cardiff in 2007? He was clearly saying bring it on, I want some, come to me and you're going to get smashed. It got my spine tingling. The Wallabies slowly walking up to about two centimetres from the All Blacks faces during the haka was a pretty good response too. I can't remember the year. Can someone help out?
Stash
Guest
Good hunting John - that's an interesting article. I quite liked "When the New Zealanders performed their Ka Mate haka before “a full house” at the SCG in 1907, “a mighty roar went up from 50,000 throats,” shouting “Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!” in reply to the All Blacks challenge" 50,000 at the SCG in 1907!!!! surely not.... but I do like the response....
True Tah
Guest
It wouldnt be more awkward than a bunch of Pakeha doing the haka. Remember the likes of Stu Wilson doing the haka, before the All Blacks started taking it seriously.
Mike
Guest
Cheers John B Interesting - heres the WALLABIES WAR CRY (Wallaby Tours of 1908 & 1912) Gau Gau [add opponent's name and the venue] Whir-r-r! Win-nang-a lang (Thur) Mu-e-an-yil-ling Bu rang-a-lang (Yang) Yai!Yai! Gun-yil-lang-yang-yah! ——————————————————————————– Greetings to [opponent] in [place] You are great men We are pleased to meet you We think we can beat you Come! Let us try!
JohnB
Guest
For those interested: http://jottingsonrugby.com/2010/05/21/haka/ has a photo of the 1908 side doing its "Aboriginal war dance" - a bit more enthusiastically than my memory of the photo suggested, although the bloke front right looks like he thinks it's a joke. Some of the accompanying text shows that some at least didn't like it at all.
bayboy
Guest
What an insular and arrogant poster you are James you just got shot down and you resort to attacking people. The only uneducated person in this forum is yourself. Like I said do a bit more homework before you start banging away on the keyboard. Face facts the Wallabies can't start the game without the ABs being ready the refs will simply not allow it what an overtly stupid thing to even theorize when it will never happen.
jameswm
Guest
That was the theory Macqueen brought in little bay boy. It worked when he was there and has been continued. Obviously they can't start the match till the ref blows time on - thanks for the huge insight into the rules. But the fact that they bolt straight from the Haka to the kickoff (if they are kicking), pressuring the ref to start the match, could put some presure on the ABs. It would certainly surprise them. Nothing wrong with mixing things up. MOC the Macqueen theory was that the ABs were fired up after the Haka and making them wait to start the game cooled them off and made it more of a level playing field. There's no point shooting the messenger some of you uneducated boofheads - this isn't my theory, it's what the Wallabies did and do deliberately. You've never noticed? And Republican (below) - if the Haka is just marketing and theatre, why did the SAffas turn off the mike and drown it out? More theatre?
stash
Roar Pro
I think the Wallabies performing an aboriginal war dance would be a more powerful response to the Haka than a lonely bloke with a guitar singing Waltzing Matilda!! Because the Haka has such a long tradition, kids in New Zealand are brought up with it... the current all blacks knew the haka a long time before they were all blacks. Not one all black would be embarrassed performing the haka, they would only feel pride. I think a long term phase in would work - say over five years. I would probably suggest they begin performing this with minnow teams, like Italy...and when they are on tour with the permission of the home nations. Build up the times they perform it until the team has grown in confidence and practice before introducing it into their Bledisloe calendar.
Sylvester
Guest
"it must take a bit of energy to do it well and it takes them time to recover" They probably expend more energy running out into the field. The haka takes what, about a minute all up?
jeremy
Guest
Either that or Working Class Man....
jeremy
Guest
Even for non-Maori, the haka is a familiar event in NZ - it's embedded in nearly every schoolboy and age-representative side on the way to becoming an All Black. You'd be hard-pressed to find a New Zealand rugby player who doesn't know the words or actions to Ka Mate...whereas an aboriginal war dance is a relative rarity. I didn't realise they'd done an aboriginal dance before...would be interested in the photos.
Parisien
Guest
I dunno, that shaky knees thing they do won't look so good in front of the haka.
CraigB
Roar Guru
Salesi Maafu as the fat guard of Jabbe the Hut that gets killed by that beast in the pit under the floor!
katzilla
Roar Guru
Lol omg OJ thats scary...........I posted below at the same time. We're like Evil black Droids
katzilla
Roar Guru
Lol Oj thats an Epic Quote. Kurtley Beale has obviously been rehearsing for the Part of Lando Calrissian what with his Dirty Tache and his homage to the Millenium Falcon in the dying minutes of the weekends game.