The Wallabies: keep calm and don't panic

It is hard to find much talk about the game of rugby itself while the Wallabies soap opera rolls on.

It has it all – unwelcome and uncomfortable text messages, rumours of illicit affairs, rumblings of team mutiny and chatter of imminent moves against a hapless coach.

The soap opera sits within a wider narrative of woeful on-field performances, coupled with more fundamental concerns about money, poor crowds, low ratings and an exodus of players to France and Japan. It is clear we are in an imminent crisis.

Oh, and we lost the Bledisloe. Again.

Just a few months ago, Bernard Foley’s late penalty for the Waratahs sealed the Super Rugby title.

Australian rugby was overflowing with optimism. We pinched ourselves and dreamed of Bledisloe, Rugby Championship and (dare we say it) World Cup glory. This had a familiar ring to it – the annual ‘building up of expectations’.

So what happened?

It seems entirely predictable that the building up of expectations would be followed by the ‘usual Eden Park drubbing’, and shortly thereafter, the ‘off field dramas’.

A chorus of scribes devoted volumes of stories claiming that the Wallabies and ARU are in terminal decline both on and off the field. This narrative says that Link picked the wrong team (how could he leave Foley out?) and the men in gold blew a golden chance to beat the All Blacks in Sydney.

They then lost their bundle in Auckland a week later, followed by two narrow (and fortuitous) wins over the Springboks and Pumas at home.

The chickens then came home to roost on a disastrous tour of South Africa and Argentina, gifting Los Pumas their maiden Rugby Championship win after the boys could not defend a 14-0 lead.

McKenzie and his team had lost the plot on tour, which had descended into chaos seemingly caused by a hitherto unknown but largely unqualified ARU staff member. The coach even missed training to drive someone to the airport. Sacre bleu!

You could just as easily write that the Wallabies broke the All Blacks’ 17 game winning streak in Sydney, landed two home wins (one of which was over the number two side in the world) and lost two close ones on tour (the Wallabies were in front against the Springboks with fifteen minutes to go) with some key players out to injury.

Does not sound that dire, does it?

Whichever narrative you adopt, it is hard to see justification for hitting the panic button. We do not need to make wholesale changes to the side, sack either Ewen McKenzie or Bill Pulver (or both), appoint a new captain, or simply shut up shop and hand it all over to the NRL.

If two months ago you had said that Australia would win two, draw one and lose three, you would have said that is a disappointing return but hardly a disaster of Hindenburg proportions.

This is especially so when you factor in that four of those six games were against the first or second ranked team in the world.

With the World Cup one year away, we should keep things in perspective.

In 2013 we were pretty much in the same place, going 2-4 in TRC and copping a series loss to the Lions. A surprisingly strong performance in the northern hemisphere made everyone forget about that and get excited again.

So what to make of the off-field issues? They appear to be confined to one player’s sexism and his inability to use a smartphone.

It is hard to see how Kurtley Beale can survive if the allegations are proven, but at least there is a process underway to deal with him, and that is exactly what professional sports teams should do.

It is probably unwise for Hooper or other senior players to come out in support of Kurtley before the process has run its course, but it is understandable that they want to back their teammate.

I do wonder, however, if David Pocock might have responded differently.

The brouhaha surrounding Di Patston’s behaviour on tour, qualifications and use of social media is at best a sideshow, or at worst, unacceptable and sexist victim-blaming.

In any event, Australian rugby would be well-advised to stick to its values and deal with Beale appropriately if the allegations are proven.

If he is let off lightly then this sends a terrible message that the team’s values are up for grabs if a player is sufficiently talented. A “no dickheads” policy is sensible enough, and those in Australian rugby who are trying enforce it deserve our support without mass hysteria every time a player does something stupid.

In any case, the off-field sideshow can hardly be used as an excuse for losing games of rugby if these guys are going to be considered (and paid as) professionals.

If players are not taken with the team’s coach, leadership, or values, or they feel that their doubts about these things interfere with their performance, then they should leave immediately.

There are plenty of people willing to take their place and pull on the gold jersey. The rugby pitch is not a place for people who have doubts.

The wider issues in rugby are about economic and social forces and the intrinsic appeal of the game itself. There is a need for a long-term strategic approach to grow the game’s audience and participation, particularly in non-traditional rugby states.

These things operate pretty independently of misuse of smart phones (how else does the NRL survive?) and can weather a period of sub-par on-field performance (as the Socceroos have shown). While these things need to be discussed and debated, it is mischievous to start drawing these wider issues in with the soap opera.

Anyway, do you reckon we might just have a chance against the All Blacks this weekend? What a win that would be!

There goes the building up of expectations again…