Wallabies aim to build Cup platform

The point Justin3 is making, is that at no point in this article do the wallabies say anything about being number one, in fact it is the opposite. Moore is simply concentrating on the next game and hoping their good form from the spring tour carries through. you guys are so quick to jump down the wallabies throats you don't even read the article. "If we can pick up a win then that’s five in a row and that’s good short-term goals for the guys to aspire to,” the 91-Test hooker said."

Nice reading comprehension.

I love your ability to see the work ethic of Australia from Japan. You are a God.

@deanp: I hope you're not being discriminatory against non-Homo sapiens, or I'll have to involve the moderator. I don't want to be overly politically correct, but I strongly believe that Golithians from the Planet Zarg have as much right to be irritated about ABs and their groupies being up themselves as us earth-bound creatures do.

Jerry; 'there’s also one where they have never lost a penalty shootout in football' - now you're just being silly!

The All Blacks are the greatest sports team in the universe. Darth Vader supported them, ET discussed the ABs when he phoned home. Buck Rogers was an ABs fan. Richie McCaw is the " Second Coming". Yes, I'd have to say the ABs the most greatest sports team in the "history" of the UNIVERSE. GEEZ Saves is He-Man & Beauden Barrett is Skeletor, masters of the universe. Greater than Brazil, Real Madrid, Man Utd. The ABs join Phar Lap who is the greatest horse in the universe.

There's also one where they have never lost a penalty shootout in football, as hard as that is to believe.

Jerry; that's reassuring. I'm desperately searching for the alternative universe in which England have dominated rugby. I'll let you know if I find it.

The ABs are a great team. The best rugby team on the planet, with daylight second. But I do laugh when Kiwis claim to be humble. And cite the ABs as proof. Of course when you are number 1 there is no need to talk yourselves up. That's for the other teams chasing the number 1 team to do. Let them know they are around, and are striving to take their position. They are only words of course. Take the Kangaroos in League for example. Prior to the RLWC final last year they spoke about how strong the Kiwis were as a team. Focussed on the opposition. While the Kiwis themselves spoke about how they were the best, how they would dominate the Kangaroos in the forwards. Of course that never happened and the Aussies won in a canter. It's how it is in all sports. The ABs aren't some special, humble beast. They are simply number 1 and the other teams want that spot.

"And lets not even consider the possibilities of the multiverse!!" I know! Here's a thought - there is a theory that there are an infinite number of alternate universes which means that every single possible iteration of our current universe is possible. There would be a universe where Princess Diana did not die. One where the allies lost WW2. All manner of occurrences, no matter how unlikely, are possible. Which means that of this infinite multiverse, there would be one or two where the Wallabies hadn't played like collective dog$h!t for the last decade of Bledisloe fixtures. Crazy!

To be fair to those mighty ABs, they did confine their awesome greatness within the context of the history of only the sports that have been played on our planet, or the Earth as we call it. There was no attempt to bring the rest of the universe into the discussion. Which is quite humble when you think about it. Because of the billions of galaxies in our universe, the chances are very good that there exists life out there on one or more of the billions of earth-like planets, and that life could well be carbon-based, just as it is on planet earth. So this alien life may well have developed civilisations similar to us, and could therefore indulge in something equivalent to what we call sport on our planet. Yet, the natural humbleness of the ABs means they are too self-conscious about their own awesome greatness to even consider the possibility that they might be greater than all of these possibly existing alien sports teams elsewhere in the universe. But we all know that however good these alien sports teams might be, the ABs are greater. If that's not self-effacing humbleness, then I don't know what is! And lets not even consider the possibilities of the multiverse!!

I agree that the quote's a bit much but I doubt anyone really believes a coach when he says that the entire opposition team are a bunch of c**ts who are laughing at you etc etc. I agree with OJ that it's a bit cringeworthy though. As for the AB's place in global sporting history, like I said - even with the fact that rugby is a minority sport, it's still competitive enough that the AB's would have a claim to being in the top echelon of most dominant teams historically.

Personally I found the quote cringe worthy, but I'm sure there's a lot of things that said better behind closed doors. I mean they also wrote "we are playing England - this is about history, about human nature," which is... whimsical.

I get the point, Jerry, but whether it was for public consumption or not it strongly suggests that this is how the ABs think about themselves. You wouldn't, as a coach, write on the whiteboard a quote that didn't resonate at all with the players - you'd lose all credibility. It suggests a self-image a bit at odds with the place of rugby in the world and the scope of 'global sporting history'. There again, if you're a young man told from birth that the ABs are Gods directly descended from Mount Olympus, it would have an effect on anyone.

Sure the AB's aren't really the most dominant team in history (though I reckon they'd be arguably top 10) but it's not like it was meant for serious discussion or even public consumption. It was a pre match motivational quote that was leaked. I'd imagine that there'd be some ludicrous claims made to rev teams up over the years. When you compare it with the likes of SCW and Eddie Jones refusing to use the words "All Blacks" it gives some idea of how seriously you should take the claim.

I must have missed the bit where Steve Hansen said that to the press. It was a pre match rev up - remind the team of the legacy and history so they'll do their best to live up to it. If you can't see the difference between that and the Wallabies groundhog day talking themselves up, you're slower than I thought.

You sort of left out the important part of the quote - the greatest 'sports' team in history. The ABs have moved beyond merely wishing to remain the best rugby team. There have been periods in the last 30 years when the ABs haven't been the best rugby team. Maybe, it would be an idea to stick to rugby, which although I personally adore, is a bit of a minority sport around the world. Believe it or not it is possible to find people in the world who haven't heard of the ABs. Now I'm sure these are remote corners of the globe where electricity is yet to make an appearance, but it's possible, just possible, that the ABs and Kiwis in general slightly over-estimate the impact of the ABs on the course and flow of human history.

Deanp.....self proclaimed greatest team in history??? Obviously you are talking about the All Blacks? Let's face it who else is the greatest team in history? You tell me?? You mention rugby anywhere in the world and the words All Blacks are mentioned pretty much straight away. I did a trip last year to Nth Korea, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Panama, Bukino Faso, Congo, The Nth Pole & Syria. You mention the word rugby and straight away the locals mention the All Blacks, they wanna know about the greatest sports team on the planet, the NZ All Blacks. I was invited to dinner of fur seal with Eskimos in an Eglu and I couldn't help but notice pics of McCaw, Carter, Nonu, Reid & even the great Pine tree Meads, George Nepia & co pinned to their ice walls. They even had copies of the Rugby News magazine. You tell me deanp, who are the greatest rugby team in history?

Anyway..... ABs 59 England 9 France 24 Australia 21. Australia are cruising 11 pt lead with 90 secs to go, Marto & Keirnsy talking up Wallaby Bledisloe Cup win prediction. Nek Minnit....France score 2 converted tries and win. Marto blames the forward pass that leads to the winning try. Keirnsy blames Nick White & Bernie Foley for an incompetent combo. Clarkie blames Robbie Deans. Scott Higginbotham blames Palu for only playing 50mins. But the truth is the Wallabies are food poisoned.

The self proclaimed greatest team in the history of world sport would never talk themselves up. No, they leave that task to the frothing Kiwi fanbois and the parochial Kiwi media.