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On Sunday afternoon something amazing, something incredible, something truly remarkable happened. The Queensland Reds defeated the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium.
Come again, I hear you ask? No mean feat to be certain, but not all that remarkable! Remember Drew, that the Reds managed the exact same feat in the corresponding fixture last year.
Not only that, but they managed to do it much more emphatically, racking up a clinical 41-20 victory!
No, what made Sunday’s game so special was that it solidified the intangible hope we’ve been dreaming of for so long: Queensland rugby, and by proxy Australian rugby, is once again on the rise.
Despite last season’s tremendous improvements and this seasons table-topping efforts, serious question marks still hovered over the 2011 Reds.
Their two performances against arch rivals the Waratahs left plenty to be desired, and their efforts against some of the other lesser performing teams was equally perplexing.
But steadily their form (and with it their consistency) rose, until after dispatching the high flying Bulls, Stormers and Blues, people really began to start paying attention.
And it was this latest victory, against the undisputed premier team of the Super rugby competition and in front of a record 48,000 screaming fans, that captured our imagination and has finally allowed us to dream once more.
That the Reds can go all the way and take out the Super Rugby title this year is a possibility. That their excellent form and electric style of play can re-energise Australian rugby is a certainty.
Australian rugby has been in the doldrums for quite some time. A decade of underachievement can do that to the best of sports, but in a highly competitive sporting market like Australia this can be catastrophic.
Nowhere is this made more clear than at Waratahs HQ, where years of mediocre performances by star-studded sides has caused even the most die-hard of fans to question their support.
It’s a position Reds fans know all too well. But it is here, in the Reds’ performances of 2011, that put paid the idea that tenacity, youthful exuberance, sheer-bloody mindedness and a pure love for the game can totally reinvigorate an entire sporting code.
An incredible 48,000 fans headed down to Suncorp and soaked up this spectacle. Two years ago you wouldn’t have gotten a fraction of that number. Fans are desperate to see the exceptional, and in the Reds they’re getting it in bucketloads.
Once again, people are starting to talk about rugby. Punters are coming to watch it. Papers are dedicating whole segments to it. Joe Blow, who’d never seen a game of rugby in his life, is starting to follow it.
This is shaping up to be a watershed season for the young Queensland side. If they can continue to harness this energy, the title could well and truly be there’s. And while that’s fantastic for Queensland rugby, it’s just as good for Australian rugby.
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.