Be afraid New Zealand, be very afraid. The Wallabies’ resounding victory over our first XV in Saturday’s Tri-Nations decider was more than a random result of immaterial consequence in the context of a Rugby World Cup year.
This trans-Tasman trouncing, exposed the mental fraility of our men in Black to the entire watching world. It is the headspace or the mental muscle – the top two inches – which is the dreaded choke factor.
Question: What the hell has Graham Henry and the other coaching retreads been doing since the epic Rugby World Cup fail of four years ago to work that underbelly of mental-flab into peak condition?
This year’s 30-man Rugby World Cup squad reflects the most experienced body of New Zealand players ever assembled for such a mission. If ‘experience’ was Henry’s answer to the missing link, Robbie Deans scribbled a big black ‘Fail’ on Saturday’s test paper.
In post-match comment, king Henry and his knight in waiting, Richie McCaw, were as perplexed as the rest of us as to how the All Blacks unraveled so remarkably across 40-50 minutes of Test match acid.
Says Henry: “I think they just had more edge than us and we suffered because of that. We did not do the business in the finish.”
Somebody slap that man. How is it, on the eve of the pinnacle tournament being hosted in our country, the birthplace of where it all began, that our Aussie counterparts possess “more edge” than we do?
Henry’s concession is an indictment on Saturday’s elect 22, and coaches and management, even right down to the bloke who drove the Black bus to Suncorp Stadium. Nobody, but nobody, at this moment in time, should possess more edge than us.
But here’s what really annoys me. There was nothing in the Wallabies’ well-executed game-plan that wasn’t already signaled, in Neon Lights.
Coach Deans’ introduction of well-known enforcers, Dan Vickerman and Radike Samo into his mix had mongrel all over it.
Hard-man Rocky Elsom was retained in spite of the fresh appointment of inspired captain James Horwill. Decoded, these strategic adjustments stated, “We’re getting ready to rumble.”
The next Aussie storm-warning came in the form of an extended Wallaby stare-down of the All Blacks cut-throat haka.
If you didn’t see it, watch the replay. It was an unnerving and genius response.
So it transpired that 10-minutes into the first half, the All Blacks back-row comprising Read, Thomson and McCaw were damaged and decimated. The former two hobbled off hopelessly before half-time.
And for some unfathomable reason, McCaw and Co looked so utterly flustered that we can only deduct they didn’t see the Wallaby onslaught coming, or the Aussie “edge”, as Henry so aptly puts it.
The extent of Wallaby distain, however, was best exemplified in the actions of a player not remotely renowned for throwing his weight around. Because Quade Cooper doesn’t have any.
His persistent harassment of captain McCaw, including the knee-nudge to the head, was indication aplenty that Deans had commissioned his cowboys to smash their clueless counterparts to pieces. And even Cooper wanted in.
Yet, for the wealth of so-called All Blacks experience on the field, it took a half-time break, to figure out just what was going on.
Replay this situation in the ’80s.
Blokes like Buck Shelford and Sean Fitzpatrick come to mind. Any such level of trans-Tasman disrespect was stomped on. Literally. It was identified and extracted at the root.
But not so amongst the present PC breed of plastic warriors.
So how does one remedy the intangible aspect of the All Blacks game? How do you mentally shunt XV men into battle-mode as and when required, to do what Henry calls, “the business”?
Does anyone know? Graham Henry openly admits that he doesn’t.
Or, is it that it’s New Zealand’s rabid rugby public that needs to change?
Are we just too unrealistic as a nation to expect our time-honoured men in Black to win every time? Are we demanding too much of our first XV to dominate at all costs in the arena of rugby’s elite?
Maybe the All Blacks have grown up and it’s time we do too?
Yeah that’s it. It’s time, we as a nation, conform to the new-age societal norms. Uphold ‘participation’ as the paramount virtue and ‘winning’ just the optional extra but certainly not the goal.
Temper your expectations New Zealand. It appears that our top team has settled for the spirit of average.
Let’s just focus on being humble hosts. Show our visitors a good time. Let our contribution to Rugby World Cup 2011 be remembered as friendly fluffy hosts, in the image and likeness of our friendly fluffy rugby team.
After all, winning isn’t everything. Is it?
P.S. Stop doing the cut-throat haka. You don’t mean it.
Dc
Guest
Yep that's it the wallabies will win bill after securing nine wins in a row ! Would you bet on that ! ?
PeterK
Guest
The AB's used to just push bounderies. Now as the very good article by read shows they are outright cheats, and the best and most prolific at it. Then the AB supporters say that is the flankers job. Maybe so. But what they miss the WHOLE team cheats not just 6 and 7. Blatant cheating not just pushing bounderies. They rely on not being caught since it is not a matter of interpretation.
ThelmaWrites
Guest
Good morning, JB! (I'm 2 hours behind your time.) At first I didn't know what to think about Pinetree et al's response to Mark Reason's article: We cheat but so do the others! Great! Now they invite greater scrutiny from the referees, and the ABs will be more careful with their cheating.
John Kauter
Guest
NZ has only won the WC at home. Australia has only won away -- should be interesting
cros
Guest
Rejoice New Zealand ! Even if the AB's do not win the World Cup, you should be happy your Cousin's across the ditch will !
Jerry
Guest
Er, perhaps the fact that the respective comebacks were a little different in degree? The Wallabies 'comeback' consisted of 'winning' the second half by 1 point, due to a try in the last 5 minutes that closed the gap to 16. They were never within 14 points of the AB's in the entire second half. That's a little different to giving up a 17 point lead within 20 minutes of the break. One team held the other team at arm's distance for the second half, the other one allowed the match to become a genuine contest. And given the Wallabies have barely managed an 80 minute effort in the last 4 years, I think it's a bit optimistic to think they're gonna sort it out quickly.
Ai Rui Sheng
Guest
As a professor of statics I offer you this: How often has has Australia been good enough to play a final in NZ? Nonce!!
funkedUp143
Guest
The loss against Australia is exactly what NZ needed to extinguish any complacency (the 4 yearly achilles heel). It may have been hard to watch for kiwis but now the AB's are on edge and Deans showed his hand too early strategically. The Aussies shaded NZ at their fortress sure but are now a known quantity. We know the Deans game plan and will adjust should we meet Aus accordingly. Similarly SA. Equally both Aus and NZ now feel like they have the best of NZ – reverse complacency if you liek. We'll take that. As in war - rugby is a battle of minds, pitting one learning, adaptive team against the other. In the end, the team that out-thinks the other – before, during, and after the conflict - wins. NZ welcomes the world to "our" house.
johnny-boy
Guest
Thanks Thelma - it appears the count got to 643. I have a theory that because they are pushing the boundaries so far so often that if you can hold them long enough they get flustered because they've no where to go from there. Johnny-boy Muggleton said something similar recently in that if you can stop the All Blacks scoring for long enough they get frustrated. I think their concerted boundary pushing flourished post Sean Fitzpatrick who was the master. It helped them win a series in South Africa finally and so they probably thought this is the answer but I think this is what has brought them unstuck at world cups because the pressure is so much higher than normal, as well as the expectations of them, being typically so dominant, that the rubber band just snaps. And as you say they start doing abnormal things, like plmaking mistakes. All will be revealed because if they are going to win one this will be their best chance in a long while and yet the pressure is even more extreme. It's great to be the angry underdog getting off the sickbed :)
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
Will do Matt, now if the luck goes the ABs way and you win the RWC you will join the exclusive RWC x 2 club, South Africa, New Zealand and .... sorry mate, Australia. All good Matt, best team will win and seriously hope it is either the ABs or my beloved Wallabies.
warrenexpatinnz
Roar Guru
Not yet :) .
Chuck
Guest
From a disgruntled Jouno trying to get his name out there? He has got the credibility of a nut sack!
Chuck
Guest
And in context of the 2nd 40 they were on the other side of a smashing. You need to look at the good and the bad
Chuck
Guest
Australia has never won a world cup in New Zealand.
ThelmaWrites
Guest
Mark Reason in stuff.co.nz has forced my hand to reply to your request to “stop teasing”. Mark has a litany of instances where the All Blacks have cheated. Naturally, it’s created an uproar in NZ. The last time I looked, it had 360 something comments. (I didn’t read them all, I stopped before no.60.) The problem with being master cheats is that you know you shouldn’t have won. It doesn’t bother the pathologic cheats. But the All Blacks are not pathologic cheats. The cheating lodges in their subconscious and festers. And if you’re desperate to win, it sets off “uncharacteristic” behavior. Watch Richie when the Wallabies score a try and go ahead on the scoreboard. When he ignores Horwill’s tribute in the post-match speeches. (I didn’t see this and have relied on what one poster has said.) The challenge for the Wallabies is to find the BUTTONS that set off this irrationality. I’ve seen it in sibling rivalry – when the behavioral response is totally inappropriate to what set it off. (There are some other things I would like to say, but I’m really behind with Easements and other work.) Happy now, JB?
Matt in Norway
Guest
Hang on to your 'we have two world cups and you only have one' argument Wazza, you will only be able to say that for a little while longer. Let's see if you can get some more mileage out of it before the WC is over champ.
Matt in Norway
Guest
Sounds like Loser talk to me KOC... Stop it now! Well written article mate but one lost game (well two really), does not mean the sky is falling. Time will tell if it was good for the boys.
cookee
Guest
seems gilbert and flake smith both have degrees in education;and breathing is a big thing for the immune system.not great on winning world cups.drinks wine with a straw
johnny-boy
Guest
Gavin - nobody is allowing for the fact that the Wallabies may have relaxed a bit in the second half thinking they were all over the All Blacks and had it in the bag. The kiwis like to use this excuse the previous game to explain why the Wallabies came back at them. Personally I think it was just a focus problem for the Wallabies which given it was Horwills first game as captain is understandable. I hope the Wallabies will be able to retain their focus and intensity for at least 50 minutes for the next game, then 60 the next couple then 70 then 80.
Gavin Fernie
Guest
One of the contributors to this column described the comprehensive dominance of the Wallabies over the All Blacks for the first 40 minutes of last Saturday's game as 'the All Blacks being smashed.'Well, they certainly were thoroughly outplayed by the fiery Wallaby pack and the clever tactic of their inside backs being crowded and hassled into errors for the first 40 minutes. This has to be seen in the light of the All Blacks losing Read and Thomson, Perhaps if the Wallabies had lost Pocock and Samo they would not have been quite so dominant. The point is that Horwill and his troops took full advantage of the circumstances. They took no prisoners. If they can repeat that for most of their next clash against the All Blacks, they have the wherewithal to repeat their victory. The All Blacks changed tactics in the second half and the result was dramatic. Not pretty, but effective. The Wallaby forwards had no counter to the way the All Blacks hoarded the ball for umpteen phases until they could release their centre pairing. The All Blacks will have to be far more focused in New Zealand next month or their dreams will become nightmares. It took the genius of Genia to put the game beyond doubt. He will be the most influential player at the RWC next month. The Wallabiies richly deserved their victory. In a tussle between two evenly matched sides, in a thrilling encounter, they produced the extra magic to win the game. If these two sides contest the final, the RWC will have made huge strides in graduating from the ghastly kicking competitions between the finalists, to a competition where rugby is the winner, not a never ending series of penalty kicks and drops