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Forget about the All Blacks v Wallabies – as a sports lover, I want to see the All Blacks v the Kangaroos.
And I want to see it in all its hyped up glory, in an annual three Test home and away series with Ray Warren and Keith Quinn commentating.
Yes, I love the hype and intensity State of Origin.
Yes, I love the history and drama of the All Blacks v Springboks.
But the All Blacks v Kangaroos is the ultimate Trans-Tasman clash and one that the world has been waiting for since 1908.
I enjoy rugby union immensely. I will watch Toulouse v Toulon and marvel at the passion of the crowds, even if the scoreline is divisible by three and the game is full of collapsed scrums.
I’ll watch England v Wales and shudder with excitement as the Six Nations comes to another thrilling climax.
But the Wallabies just don’t cut it with me anymore.
In fact, the thought of rugby union in Australia fills me with apathy and emptiness, much like the under-populated stadium at the Gold Coast Sevens did yesterday.
I probably won’t even watch the upcoming Dunedin Test after the haka and national anthems have finished.
There’s no prestige in the Bledisloe Cup anymore. It’s like the 1950s and 1960s when the All Blacks had it for 30 years, and when “Pinetree” Meads and his ilk saw Tests against the Wallabies as training runs for the serious business of dealing with South Africa and Wales.
There’s a million theories as to how and why rugby union in Australia has declined since 2003.
For mine, it has a lot to do with the fact the game cannot capture the imagination and footballing talent of working class as long as it continues to be run by the Old Boys’ Club, and as long as the ARU controls the professional game below the Wallabies.
There needs to be an NRL-like club competition focused squarely on Sydney. The desire for a national footprint is a pipe-dream that needs to be shelved, because it spreads talent and media focus too thinly across a country that is 31 times the size of the UK but has 45 million less people.
That on top of the fact there is very little public support or media attention for union outside of NSW and Queensland.
For now at least, an All Blacks v Kangaroos series is a pipe-dream too, but this is the clash league, union and general sport fans around the world would want to see.
The superior footballing talent in Australia has always played league, while in New Zealand, they’ve been in union. Both teams have fashioned similar histories, full of legendary players and matches, successes, notoriety and respect.
It is one of the great tragedies of sport that the outstanding players in these two teams have been prevented from meeting on the field through the ages because of the code divide.
I also find it intriguing that a great number of the male population on both sides of the Tasman are seemingly born to play rugby – our great running and tackling game, whether union or league – as opposed to other sports.
This natural affinity of the public and the finest athletes for the rugby game in both countries makes the code divide even more tragic.
Putting aside the issue of what rules would be played, here’s what a clash of these titans would look like on paper in 2013.
I’ve selected teams of 14 players each (dropping one union flanker and calling the remaining one a ‘wing forward’), used rugby league positional numbering, and selected Sonny Bill Williams for the All Blacks.
1. Fullback: Billy Slater v Israel Dagg
2. Wing: Darius Boyd v Julian Savea
3. Wing: Brett Morris v Ben Smith
4. Outside Centre: Greg Inglis v Conrad Smith
5. Inside Centre: Michael Jennings v Sonny Bill Williams
6. Flyhalf: Jonathan Thurston v Dan Carter
7. Halfback: Cooper Cronk v Aaron Smith
8. Prop: Matthew Scott v Tony Woodcock
9. Hooker: Cameron Smith v Dane Coles
10. Prop: James Tamou v Ben Franks
11. Second Row: Greg Bird v Brodie Retallick
12. Second Row: Sam Thaiday v Sam Whitelock
13. Back Row: Paul Gallen v Kieran Read
14: Wing Forward: Robbie Farah v Richie McCaw
A fixture involving an array of talent like this would certainly breathe life back into the Bledisloe Cup.
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.