It’s a bit of a ritual in our house now that I play some music while my son has his dinner. As he was finishing his fruit I moved into the kitchen to pack a few things away.
That was when I heard him scream – a scream like the one given off when Alderaan was destroyed by the dark side in Star Wars. I dropped everything and raced to my son as he choked upon his fruit.
I picked him up and immediately the kiwi fruit he had been chewing splurted out onto the black fleece jumper I was wearing. It was as if time stood still and the music of Split Enz and History Never Repeats washed over me from the speakers.
The kiwi fruit stuck to the shoulder on my black fleece, my son sobbing in terror of what had just happened and my world became clear.
The time has come. This is Bledisloe time and I’m wearing black, feeding my son kiwi fruit and playing iconic New Zealand music. This has to stop.
No longer should my 17-month-old son be fearful of the darkness. No longer should he cry because of men wearing black. No longer should kiwi fruit stick to the back of his throat but it is time for history to stop repeating.
It’s time for a new golden sunrise. It’s a time for the heroes in gold to arise and stop the ever-spreading darkness. I want my son to grow up in a world where the Wallabies are heroes. Where every boy and girl from 17 months to 17 years to 71 years of age can say they saw the resurrection of the Wallabies and the return of the Bledisloe to Australia.
I want his memories of Wallabies to great ones. I want him to talk about the events of 2014 as fondly as I mention Greg Cornelsen’s four tries, which co-incidently happened when I was about his age. I want him to have memories like Topo Rodriguez’s tryline tackle on Hika Reid which drove him back seemingly to the 22-metre line, George Gregan’s tackle on Jeff Wilson, John Eales slotting last minute penalty goals or the hand of Toutai Kefu.
I want all of these memories for him every season as we play the All Blacks. I don’t want them to be spread over 20 years. There’s a generation of Australian kids who need heroes in Wallaby gold to step forward over the next two weeks.
I want him to one-day talk about the scrummaging of James Slipper, the impact of Will Skelton, the dash of Michael Hooper and the mongrel of Scott Fardy. If this happens then he can talk about the vision of Kurley Beale, the dancing feet of Israel Folau or the way that Adam Ashley-Cooper straightened through the hole.
It’s not just these players it’s everyone else in the Wallaby team and all those of us who will be cheering them on this Saturday night.
It’s time for the Wallabies. In Star Wars once the scream of Alderaan had gone, the side of light was able to triumph over the dark side. Sure, there were a few hiccups and three prequels about the how the dark side came to be that way.
But we’ve seen them now and it’s time for the light side, the golden Wallabies to rise and return balance to the Bledisloe.
Coconut
Guest
From Wikipedia: "The Uruk-hai, described as very large black orcs of great strength, first appeared from Mordor about the year 2475 of the Third Age, when they briefly took Ithilien and the city of Osgiliath. These original Uruks were of Sauron's breeding, but Saruman bred his own. Saruman's are shown to have resistance to sunlight and an upright stature, though whether or not these features are unique to his Uruks is open to question. All Uruks were larger and stronger than other breeds of orc and consequently looked down upon and often bullied them..." Quite an accurate description I thought - especially the last part.
Coconut
Guest
Following on from my Lord Of the Rings' theme - I guess that would make the All Blacks the Uruk Hai, Shag would be Saruman, and Steve Tew would be the all-seeing Eye.
pick & go..!!
Guest
Adsa, Toutai Kefu played with some of the Wallabies best ever players.. But I would say Palu is more valuable to this Wallaby team, than Kefu was in the Wallaby team he played for. The last time Palu played against the ABs was the 2012 18-18 draw.
wazza perth nz ex pat
Guest
Love it.... evokes power, mystery, your worst nightmare.....
wazza perth nz ex pat
Guest
Wasn't that already after the ABs had won the series - was an act of charity and brotherly love between our nations to let him score those tries....
Old Bugger
Guest
Definitely Darth Vader-esque for Liam....I liked a past placard at one AB game in Auckland that read "The Boys are Black in Town".....
Coconut
Guest
Makes me think of Orcs, and Saruman and the great all seeing eye of Sauron... and stuff.
Mike
Guest
Actually he has more than most. I think your real issue is with his injury record over the years, which means he hasn't played all that many games against ABs. I believe this is the number of AB scalps in the current Wallaby side (no prizes for guessing who has most): 4 scalps: Ashley-Cooper 2 scalps: Alexander, Beale, McCalman, Palu 1 scalp: Higginbotham, Horne, Kepu, McCabe, Simmons, Slipper. And here are the kiwi scalps held by several players who aren't in the current side, but are potentially available at some point between now and RWC, all going well. Again, I don't think anyone will have trouble guessing who has the most: 4 scalps: Moore. 2 scalps: Cooper, S. Faingaa, Genia, Horwill, Pocock, Robinson. 1 scalp: A. Faingaa, Hoiles, O'Connor, Turner, TPN.
Canetragic
Guest
Agreed - I like the Darkness too :)
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Guest
It's all good ! Rather be known as the " darkness " over the "Pop tarts" Lol
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Guest
It's funny how the ABs sponsor is also superior to the Wallabies sponsor . Just like the teams
expatmatt
Guest
great selection by shag - bit tough for Dagg but Smith has the goods. Dagg always plays well in black but Smith brings consistency and form in on the back of S15 so deserves the shot. Ozzies and Saff's must be throwing arms up in despair that Shag has such great selection dilemas. Given they are playing in Sidney I reckon AB by ten but only in the last 15 minutes will they pull away- Ozzies are hungry and are talking up their self belief. If memory serves (and I am getting on a bit) I think they did that last year were gonna do this and gonna do that.. ho hum lets wait and see
Canetragic
Guest
Ive been thinking about how Oz bloggers are starting to call the All Blacks "the Darkness". I suspect they think its a bit of a sledge - forces of evil vs forces of light and all that. I think the psychology goes a lot deeper than that though. In primitive times when people didn't understand a thing, when it was a mysterious, unstoppable force that they couldn't control they would assign it supernatural powers and call it mysterious, reverential names. The Darkness. Its coming to get you.
Firstxv
Guest
Very nice...was there at Eden park when Cornelson got his 4 after helping fetch balls and stuff for the W's as a schoolboy. Very memorable day and for me that test was the rebirth of Oz rugby.
Boz
Guest
Hi Liam. Great read mate. Nice to see you've put your talents out there for everyone to read. Your mate, Boz.
Canetragic
Guest
Love it
Two Eyed Cyclop
Roar Guru
That explains it.
Canetragic
Guest
Love it
Old Bugger
Guest
Liam Mate, great story but you gonna have to stop re-watching the Star Wars series - its affecting your logic about rugby and of course your demeanor in front of the young fella. Plus, the young fella will never believe you when he gets older that the Force was with him cos that bloody dark side, always won.
Crackle
Guest
Hmm, down at Taupo they'd be scratching to find a team that was <65kgs I reckon.