On Saturday morning I lined up for a usual cup of excellent coffee from my local deli when a good old boy virtually accosted me and called out: “What are we going to do to fix up the Wallabies?!”
“They’re number two in the world rankings,” I replied somewhat testily.
“When was the last time they’ve been number 2?”
I know, I know. I shouldn’t have been so terse and testy with a well-meaning good old boy. It was not a nice thing to do. But every now and again the pessimism and the ‘we’re all rooned’ attitude of Australian rugby supporters needs to be confronted.
Sure, the Wallabies aren’t scoring tries. They’ve scored 12 in 12 Tests this year. And they were beaten by Scotland (for goodness sake!) in their first local Test this season.
But they defeated a Wales side that won the 2012 Six Nations and was rated the best Welsh side to leave the homeland three-nil in their Australian series. The Pumas were defeated at home and here. The Springboks defeated here and lost to in South Africa.
The problem that needs fixing is that the Wallabies can’t beat the All Blacks. They lost two Tests to them and drew the last at fortress Brisbane.
Now here’s the good news. That 18-18 draw represented the first time in 105 Tests that the All Blacks were kept try-less.
I’ll repeat that: the All Blacks did not score a try in the Brisbane Test for the first time in 105 Tests!
This defensive effort could only be achieved by a team with spirit and heart, something that ‘toxic’ Quade Cooper could take on board if he gets to play in the Wallaby gold jersey again.
The other outstanding achievement this year is that with the need to play 38 players, most of whom have strengthened their claims for further Test duties, the Wallabies now have a lot of depth in all the positions.
Players like Nick Cummins, Ben Tapuai, Kane Douglas and Michael Hooper, for instance, are now challenging for a permanent position in the Wallabies when they weren’t even considered at the beginning of the season.
Back to the All Blacks and the matter of how the Wallabies can’t beat them. Under Graham Henry, the All Blacks achieved 23 straight victories in Europe on their November/December tours, although there was a loss in Europe to France in the quarter-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup at Cardiff.
So it is not only the Wallabies who have struggled against the All Blacks. Before Graham Henry’s coaching stint with them, the All Blacks had achieved one Grand Slam tour (wins against England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland on one tour). Henry’s All Blacks tried the Grand Slam twice and won it twice.
Wales hasn’t defeated the All Blacks since 1953. Scotland and Ireland have never defeated the All Blacks. And England last defeated them when Sir Clive Woodward was coach back in 2003.
My favourite songwriter, poet and philosopher, Leonard Cohen, has a great line in one of his songs: ‘Everything has a crack in it / That’s how the light gets in.’
This is my challenge to rugby supporters: look at the light shining on the Wallabies and the rugby game rather than at the cracks.
Supporters of the other football codes do this.
Are rugby league supporters still bitching about the fact that at the last World Cup, the New Zealand Kiwis pulled off a surprise victory in the final against the overwhelming favourites, the Australian Kangaroos?
And look at the supporters of the NSW Blues. Their team is finding it as hard to win a series against the Queensland Maroons, with seven successive lost series, as the Wallabies do against the All Blacks.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that the new coach Laurie Daley is full of optimism that the NSW ‘hunger for success’ will be met next season.
Next season rugby union supporters will have the pleasure of seeing the British and Irish Lions make their once every 12 years tour of Australia. The Lions are a throwback to the good old days of great tours and the excitement that these journeys into the unknown take fans.
Around 40,000 British and Irish supporters will follow their team. It will be a huge event here and in Europe.
I will make a fearless prediction that the Wallabies, steeled by the adversity of injuries this season and the monstrous battles against the All Blacks, will win this series.
And before this, we can enjoy a taste of the internationalism of rugby union with 36 international matches being played in Europe starting this Saturday with Oxford University playing Russia and finishing on December one with Wales playing Australia at the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff.
Rugby union might be struggling a bit in this country. But it should be remembered that over 50,000 supporters watched the Wallabies stop the All Blacks run of successive Test victories.
The Waratahs have a new coach in Michael Cheika who will get them them fit, physically and mentally and ready for a strong season in 2013.
Around the world, especially, rugby union is flourishing as the November/December fixture list involving all the major unions and teams like the Maori All Blacks and the French Barbarians suggests.
Supporters around the rugby world are going to enjoy this international spotlight on their great game. It’s time for the Wallaby supporters to do the same thing and let the light shine in on their team.
Steve Burman
Guest
Have you had a bit of a rethink of your opinion in the cold hard light of day and the Wallabies likely drop to no.5 in the rankings Spiro? Almost all those good wins which got them to #2 were at home and now they have 4 away and started poorly. Methinks maybe you protest too much and too soon.
Richard
Guest
Thanks for the illustration of my point. I am not pointing the finger at the players, its the loser culture that surrounds the Wallabies that is the problem. The old school tie is more important than intrinsic quality. The situation is so bad that they don't want the game to expand because they will lose control. They are happy to lose to NZ forever more as long as these total losers have control of the game in their private school dominion. They should be hung drawn and quartered .
Andrew C (waikato)
Guest
As an obvious keen Ocker, you must be THE WORLD'S BIGGEST >>> OPTIMIST :)
Mantis
Roar Guru
McCabe is a 13, he isnt creative enough and doesnt have the kicking game for 12. I hope the Brumbies play him there this year with Lealiifano inside him.
jameswm
Guest
Roughly yes. And that's not good enough for me.
rob
Guest
Spiro I liked the Wallabies improved mental approach v Argentina and the All Blacks. The brilliance of hindsight is it provides the illusion of infinite options. Only in hindsight do you reflect as to whether moment to moment judgement was "correct" or "incorrect". I'll warrant you Spiro the lemon suckers real time judgements would be a far cry from their hindsight calls. And this is what Deans means, words to the effect - the player(s) will take a lot away from that game, they will be better for the outing. Choosing the "right" option in the moment is a real skill. IMO we are now seeing an improved mental approach, The Northern H games provide a good opportunity to continue developing the team. Deans has finally made a break through here, competition for places is making the difference. Meanwhile back to the lemon sucking and the X Box
soapit
Guest
so we have 2/3's of the wallaby team from private schools with only 1/3 of children attending private schools. still plenty of work to be done.
The Other White Wendell
Guest
but you are Rob. you clearly have a much better view of whats going on inside the wallabies than quade. infact we should all listen to you from now on.
The Other White Wendell
Guest
do you blokes ever read what you write? heart of lion? what you are on?
glacier
Guest
Richard So Polatau-Nau (Granville Boys High), Palu (Freshwater High), Douglas (Yamba High), Dennis (Richmond High) are 'private school tosspots'. I think you are the tosser.
Richard
Guest
Nice try Spiro. Only private school toss pots in Australia would put up with this kind of continual shellacking from NZ and then make excuses for it. This is precisely why the Wallabies are a bit of a joke nationally, they actually dent our national pride. We don't care that much if we get beaten occasionally by England and other nations as long as we can even the score. The NZ situation is beyond the pale and needs to be rectified if Rugby is to have any future in this country. You have to get it away from the nancy boy private schools to start with and their limp wrist excuses.
rob
Guest
Quade's not and your not, take your bag of lemons and suck them elsewhere
IronAwe
Guest
Lovely. I could read that post all day. Thank you Hoy.
Worlds biggest
Guest
Here here Spiro, realky looking forward to the Spring tour. It is a sensational time for Rugby, 11 International teams will play in November, brilliant. I get sick of people bagging the game, you get used to it but still a drone none the less. Big tour for the Wallabies, I can see our Super teams improving, new CEO to hopefully take the game forward, Lions tour and then Rugby Championship. Plenty to be optimistic about !
Red Block
Guest
What a surprise Spiro once again blows the bubble of the Tahs and his golden boy Robbie. Not one mention of their inability to score tries or their defensive style of play or how bad the ABs were. The lack of noise,about McKenzie, being given a go from south of the border, has been deafening. As I've posted before, what if Quade was right? -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
sittingbison
Guest
exactly Hoy! I've been banging on about this all year. We could easily have lost all three Wales matches (saved by Pocock and the Welsh bottling it), and also could easily have lost the two home games to Boks and Pumas. In fact given the brain explosion last week allowing the ABs to have a drop goal attempt from right in front 30m out in 86th minute we could well have been 1 W 10 L for the season. The Wallabies played very ordinary rugby this year. Full of heart and character which got them out of a jamb in almost every game, but dreadful tactics and skills. The selections were mind boggling at times, the game plans redunkulous, the tactics and use of bench hopeless whch are all upstairs problems, not the players responsibilities. As Harry said above, the Wallabies is NOT the venue for players to develop match fitness or regain confidence and form. Beale has come good the last three games (to a certain extent) which strangely coincides with about 5kg weight loss, but the preceding 5 matches was disastrous. Barnes kicking was a direct result of his Tahs season and should have been dealt with immediately (eg he should have been hooked in the Perth test at the 5min mark). Cooper should not have started his season after rehabilitation at Eden Park. Robinson should not have been selected, and only started to come good in the last two tests after getting a good swift kick up the clacker in being dropped to the bench. Its taken the injection of Taps, Harris and Cummins for Horne Barnes and AAC to instill a bit of endeavour in the backs. Strangely they are all from the under performing Tahs. Anyone who thinks S15 form means nothing when it comes to selecting the test team needs their heads read. Players must be picked in their correct position, and must be in form regardless of reputation.
Andrew C (waikato)
Guest
Spiro, I find this comment of your's rather humorous albeit 'contrary' >>> "I know, I know. I shouldn’t have been so terse and testy with a well-meaning good old boy." ............ well, what age exactly do you deem to be a GOOD OLD BOY ? - EIGHTY or NINETY? - gees Spiro, and you are sooooooooooo young yourself, huh? :) - Back to the Rugby >> It's going to be a real battle between the Lions and the Wallabies and I think that the (a) Player Depth /............... plus (b) the experience of having drawn against an error-ridden/over confident All Black side @ Brisbane is bound to stand them in good stead.
Dan
Guest
agreed Ben has a heart of a Lion whilst Cooper is gifted with amazing skills pity its in the vessel of a 15 year old...
GWS
Guest
Robbie incumbent deans. Ffs pick on current form
MAJB
Guest
Perhaps that this is the point, Nth hemisphere teams aren’t all that good at present, which appears to be as a result of the haste to buy foreign players and ignore the development of their own local players. If we were ordinary what does that say about the state of play at Test level? Does this mean that there is only one decent test side, the ABs, and then a second tier made up of the remainder of the Sth hemisphere with the Nth hemisphere filling in a third level. The last 2-3 years should be learnt from but they are in the past, the Wallabies should be planning future development.