As astutley pointed out to me during the week, the much anticpated rematch between world rugby heavyweights New Zealand and Australia scheduled for 27 August 2011 in Brisbane is not a decider for the right to hold the Bledisloe Cup; that is a foregone conclusion.
However the Test potentially holds a much greater prize for the victor.
As I say this, I hear the sound of Zephyrs coming to a screaching halt; the scratching of a Dave Dobbyn and the Herbs LP slipping on the pin, and the collective thud of four millon cans of Tui, Speights or Lion Red dropping to the floor as a perplexed nation asks themselves, what could be a greater prize that whipping those loudmouth Aussies again?
Well bro, its the World Cup itself!
Thats right. The World Cup itself is up for play on 27 August. How so you might ask?
In the recent shambles in Auckland the All Blacks delivered a materclass display of rugby. I ask any rugger bugger to seriously consider whether the All Blacks could actually play a better 80 minutes of rugby against a top four team? I am not so sure.
The Wallabies conversly could and can play a lot better and in the recent win in Durban over 2007 world champions South Africa those signs were apparent.
As 19th Century battle ships would seek the ‘weather gauge’ prior to committing to open conflict on the high seas I can draw the comparison to the much-anticipated Brisbane Test.
To have the ‘gauge’ is to have the wind in your favour. In the context of Brisbane this ‘gauge’ will be the psychology of victory itself, as this is the true key to World Cup success and what is being played for.
If the Wallabies rise to the occasion and defeat the All Blacks then forget Auckland, its game on.
A victory will re-affirm to Deans’ men that they can mix it with the best and give them that all important edge and confidence leading into the World Cup knowing they can win it.
Conversly if the All Black blitzkrieg rolls on and the Wallabies are convincingly beaten in Brisbane then I think the Wallabies will carry too many doubts into the campaign and will not even make the final.
They will stumble in the earlier rounds always knowning in the back of their minds that at the top of that mountain waiting for them will be McCaw and Co., just itching for the chance to give them another belting.
So good luck Ireland, best of British to England, Scotland and Wales, enjoy your stay South Africa and take your spies home with you France, becuase if the Wallabies do the business in Brisbane against the All Blacks you will be watching another World Cup slip you by and like the rest of us, watching the All Blacks and Wallabies duke it out for rugby supremacy come World Cup final time.
ohtani's jacket
Guest
The 1987 Bledisloe Cup was played after the World Cup. You need to brush up on your history.
Argyle
Roar Guru
Hi Paul, i agree with the confidence thing. I think Australia has plenty of belief but not confidence. I see belief as 'i think' and I see confidence as 'i can.' I think Australia has belief in bucketloads, not sure about the confidence thing yet. that is why i think a win in Brisbane is so vital for australia's world cup chances. Without it i think we will be stuck with all the belief in the world. i for one would rather hear I can win' over "i believe i can win', subtle difference but one that potentially is a game changer. i agree with the injury thing in context to Pocock. thanks for the comment.
Argyle
Roar Guru
Hi Tui, I am sure you did. I think the loss in Auckland really put it into perspective for us. we thought we could do the business but didn't. That is why it is vitally important we at least get 1 win on the board against New Zeland prior to the World Cup to prove that we can. Without it I really think we will struggle. Not sure about moving the posts, just calling it how i see it.
stillmatic1
Guest
didnt every team say they would leave no stone unturned? the reason the abs are so good is because they fear losing and hate it. doesnt mean they CAN'T lose. and as fans we expect this also. can u please bring up examples of where the ab team or management has said that they cant be beaten. or is this myth making just based on just some over zealous fans. but hey, if it suits your ridiclous assertion, then go with it!! i can tell you that a majority of ab fans go in to every game with a nervous optimism, irrespective of how good they are supposed to be. probably due to having to go back to work on monday and cop it from our aussie mates!!
stillmatic1
Guest
where did they choke? they lost a test match. they had 4 others in that previous 4 years aswell. so did they choke on those occasions also? the french beat us, but if you watched the games (99,07) u would notice how much had to go their way to pull out the victory. it was effectively the frenchies final and played accordingly and got dusted the very next game. every loss a team has is a learning curve (coulda/woulda/shoulda) but when a team loses only 5 times out of 45 in a WC cycle, then the choking nonsense is just brought up by children pretending to be adults. how bout giving credit to the french or admitting the circumstances that helped with the oppositions victory. unbelievable i know, but sometimes the abs play poorly and most times are good enough to win, but on some occasions you dont get so lucky. maybe they should be terrible at their jobs for 4 years just to win the WC, but i dont have a stake in them to watch a string of poor performances. winning the WC doesnt feed the flock for 4 years, just remember that.
mikeylives
Guest
WTF? The "Blitzkrieg" metaphor is in the article and the "Rats of Tobruk" are the stuff of folklore. 1. After initially being told they would be relieved in weeks, the Oz division had to hold out the Germans for 5 months, an amazing feat and turning point of the war. 2. Australians fighting alongside NZ'ers/anzac tradition is not lost on me 3. The NZ army in WW2 are widely considered to be one of the best of all time (alongside the Germans) - as good as the Australians, but with much better discipline. 4. The Nazi soldiers should not be considered evil - They were also extremely brave fighters and men - They just happened to be fighting under a despicable regime. The SS on the other hand... Well the less said the better.
Ionz
Guest
The world cup is there as an excuse for Australias poor form under Deans, its helped him keep his job and secure 2 more years before the event has even started its almost as if Australia can take all the losses and there have been plenty (These overshadow the achievements) if they can just win that one tournament, if history is your marker then your coach also has some history from 2003, part of the reason he was replaced - dropping experienced players, playing the flashy exuberant youthful players and relying too heavily in the backs, selecting most of the S15 winning team and hoping that would translate to international form ... this is all too familiar for many NZ'ers...and for many NZers winning everything else in between World Cups is non negotiable, the alternative is losing everything in between like Australia...Lose to Scotland, England, Samoa, 10 consectutive defeats to NZ and an empty trophy cabinet plus winning % under Deans thats just embarrassing, winning the world cup won't erase these defeats they are in the record books now and the Wallabies under Deans have been awful, NZ would never accept this and thats the big difference between Champs and Chumps - Would the Kangaroo league team accept that kind of record no the coach would have been sacked long ago and although they are not world cup holders they are in everyones eyes the world champs Historical data can be manipulated to read any way you want it to .....
Paul_T
Guest
People miss the point if they look at history and try to forecast the future. What in rugby is important is the quality of the playing squad, coaching, form and confidence. The boks don't have much of any at the moment, so no one should be surprised at how poorly they are playing. The wallabies as usual have plenty of the latter, but that alone does not make up for the first three. They have a squad with only a few very good players. Dingo deans is proving himself an ordinary coach when he has ordinary players. And the wallabies cannot beat Samoa so there is no form. Oh but, you say, that was not the frontline team. Well that is the point. The wallabies are only one or two injuries away from an early RWC exit.
Ionz
Guest
Winning the World Cup gives bragging rights to all sorts of teams that are capable of winning a one off tournament that is held every four years, these teams use the World cup tournament as an excuse for dropping "Important" test matches or as something to fall back on when not winning any silverware in between we often hear we are rebuilding, our ultimate goal is the world cup....however this is a tournament where outcomes can be decided by forward passes poor refereeing and othe vagaries such as injuries to key players - NZ have no excuses they go out to win every game and every trophy on offer but for some reason fail at world cups, every other nation uses the choker tag or NZ have peaked to early tag when NZ starts winning test matches and silver its something for other nations to hold on to..... The scary thing is NZ might actually win the cup this year then watch out, they do not relinqish siver ware easily...
Quakezone....
Guest
Uncle Argyle Wait a minute now you make perfect sense, everything hinges on the next game in Brisbane....(Or if Aust lose the game after that I guess...) every game is the crucial one til you actually win one I guess. The game in Auckland was crucial for the Wallabies the best chance in years this one was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the final according to Wallaby fans but that didn't happen, you won in Hong Kong and finally the tide had turned the dawn of a new era, the TV commentray was ..."Bring on the World Cup..." These games are now all resigned to HISTORY now, time to move on to the next one...or the next "Most important game" hahahaha
Argyle
Roar Guru
An excellent point Paul, I dont recall the last time the All Blacks were beaten at Eden Park, or when either Australia or the Boks put three wins together. That is why I say it is vitally important for Australia to win in Brisbane if they are any chance of beating New Zealand at Eden Park. How can you expect to win away in a WRC final if you can't beat your main rival on home soil. It is a different arguement for New Zealand, if they were to loose in Brisbane I still think they are a very good chance of winning the whole WRC given the home groud advantage.
Argyle
Roar Guru
Thanks Digger, I wouldn't say they were irrelevant and 30 man squad picked yesteday is not the team that played against Samoa, England or Scotland for that matter. But thanks for the constructive respose Digger.
jus de couchon
Guest
I think its cruel the way Kiwis are favourites to win Bill again. Allez Les Bleus.
Digger
Guest
"I ask any rugger bugger to seriously consider whether the All Blacks could actually play a better 80 minutes of rugby against a top four team? I am not so sure." Uncle Argyle, I did consider this immediately following the Auckland match. My take was that the All Blacks had plenty of improvement yet to make within them. The Wallabies - I'm not so sure. Improve to what standard - how they played against Samoa, how they played against England, how they played against Scotland ? Your optimism is to be applauded, but it smacks of blind, unhindered optimism. So if the Wallabies win at home against NZ, all other matches this season are irrelevant ? Hardly so. Demand more of the Wallabies than the odd universe changing victory, and look more for a run of meaningful victories against quality sides. I fear your quest for 'weather gauge' may lead you into shoal waters.
Tui
Guest
Didnt we hear all this before the last Bledisloe? You are conveniently moving the Goal posts Uncle Argyle.
niwdEyaJ
Guest
if the Kiwi's lose this weekend it will be interesting to see what team Henry puts out against the wallabies. can't imagine he'd want to keep his big guns rested and risk heading into the RWC with two losses on the trot!
niwdEyaJ
Guest
sh*t happens but the reality is the odds of both NZ AND Australia getting knocked out at the QF stage would have been well over 100-1 so don't expect that to happen for another century or so... this world cup is all about Australia and New Zealand.
Chuck
Guest
Pretty clear to see who the arrogant poster is here. If you knew anything about history and ruby you would know that New Zealand has not been the favorite at every world cup as you are inadvertently trying to suggest. Anyone can prove anything with statistics they are here to be manipulated any way you like to suit your argument. Since Australia's last world cup win what have they gone on to acheive? We may lose to France but your lot just lost to Samoa what is more embarrassing here?
Argyle
Roar Guru
Mr Zone. Its hardly a glimmer of hope that the All Blacks may drop a game in the World Cup they have done it 5 times before. The glimmer of hope for Australia gets alot bigger if we beat New Zealand in Brisbane, it get so much smaller for Australia without that win. (the point of my article) Australia did beat New Zealand in 86 but lost to New Zealand in 1987. If we study history we learn from it, that is why it is done. But you obviously know better as did the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 & 2007 All Blacks who all left no stone unturned blah blah blah. Your blinded by your own arrogance that the All Blacks can't be beaten. Suits Australia and the rest of the World Fine as we 'glimmer' with knowledge from histories lessons New Zealand struggle to win world cups useually becuase 'They can't be beaten'. History proves otherwise!
Quakezone....
Guest
Ok so do we look historically at the Tri nations or the Bledisloe so Australia and for that matter SA can work out when they can win those peices of silverware again..... history always seems to have some relevance when it comes to WC's as if its some glimmer of hope the rest of World cling on to hoping that maybe just maybe the AB's will drop a game they are expected to win. If you are going to use the historical relevance argument then include the 87 World cup Wallabies won the 86 series against the ABs...but the AB's go on to win the world cup...I guess history tells us that losing the last game against Australia the year before is good sign for NZ...and the ABs have never been beaten in a world cup at home...Pfft history can be relevant any which way you want to pu it....but at the end of the day has no bearing on the here and now....