How significant was the Kiwis’ win against Australia on Sunday? Well, it was big for New Zealand rugby league but also for Test football in general.
All of a sudden, British media are talking up the Kiwis’ end of year Test series and the Kangaroos are being scrutinised like a normal professional team.
In rugby league’s small international pool, wins over Australia are the only currency that will attract their own public’s attention. Another Kangaroo victory? Ho hum.
Now it is up to England to get their elusive win. Great Britain (as they were known prior to 2008) managed a 26-12 win over the Kangaroos in Sydney in 2006, but since then, there have been mostly dark days.
Last year’s narrow loss to Australia in Melbourne – where a fingertip by winger Ryan Hall could have reversed the result on full-time – was their best performance in years, and a greater influx of British talent into the NRL bodes well. Now, next year’s Four Nations takes on huge importance as the most significant of all four previous incarnations.
But back to the Kiwis. A year ago, certain members of the Australian media were rude enough to question whether coach Stephen Kearney’s rookie selections for the mid-season Test against the Kangaroos was “cheapening Test football”. Kearney did the brave thing by starting a fresh team and fresh culture. That’s true leadership: making the tough decisions. It took plenty of guts and self-belief. Now, his Kiwi team has both in spades.
After becoming the youngest New Zealand Test captain at 21, Kearney quickly learnt about leadership and what it took to be a full-time professional. His mild-mannered approach blends nicely with his choice of skipper too – Simon Mannering. Under this duo, this New Zealand team stay humble, don’t get ahead of themselves and no longer fear Australia.
With Thomas Leuluai – whose first Test victory came in 2003 against the Kangaroos – and Manu Vatuvei – who was part of the victorious Tri-Nations campaign in 2005 – Mannering has players who understand how to win, along with a new breed of confident youngsters.
Three wins against Australia may not seem particularly noteworthy to the casual observer, yet considering that it was last done by a Kiwi team in 1952-53, just before Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest, shows how hard the Australians are to beat.
Unfortunately France are still a way behind the ‘Big Three’ of Australia, New Zealand and England, however the Pacific Island nations continue to put in encouraging performances. Tonga, Samoa and Fiji all put on great shows over the weekend, and Papua New Guinea now has great structures in place throughout schools and across the country as a bridge into the NRL.
With newly appointed Rugby League International Federation chief-executive officer David Collier in control, hopefully we can finally start to see what international rugby league could be – a highly watched, competitive and exciting programme each year.
Now we just need more Test matches.
steveng
Roar Rookie
One game does not make or prove anything, that is only to the NZ fans. The Roos will come back bigger and better, its all out war now.
Mitcher
Guest
I think, in line with the above two posters, because the rest of the world doesn't like origin, or agree with the concept, we should scrap it. There, it's done. We should only keep things the works likes. Like, apparently, Taylor Swift. Majority rules!!!!!
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Given the schedule, when else are they supposed to be blooded? And if they lost to the English because of 'poor blooding', wouldn't that simply help the promotion and publicity of the international game? There were more benefits to the code itself by staging the tour than not.
LeRoy Murray
Roar Rookie
The game globally is changing & will continue to change for some period as more nationalities take up rugby league & more kids from these areas are exposed to the greatest game of all. You go to any local league ground in the country on a Saturday morning to watch junior footy & look at the different nationalities being represented on the field by kids who once would not have been playing our great game. The game is no longer an Anglo Saxon game but a world game & this is what is hurting Australia's dominance in International rugby league & even though I am as proud an Aussie as the next person I am loving it. I am loving it because for the first time in my life the code is truly international & not a game played between 4 countries. Australia can no longer run out their 3rd best team & still coast to an easy victory & for that us fans will be the winner
woodart
Guest
totally agree with you. as a Kiwi, I use to have an interest in soo 15 yrs ago but have long since got bored with the concept. for residents of queensland and nsw, it is a great rivalry, but for the other 7 billion people on the planet, its of very limited interest. if the game of rugby league wants to really grow, it must look outward ,not inward.
nerval
Guest
The game at London's Olympic stadium is likely to be a sell-out while also being televised live and in full on BBC1. If it's even half as good as the World Cup semi-final between the two teams at Wembley then it would be impossible to be "overshadowed."
Aucklandlaurie
Guest
Meanwhile over here we do not get one test match in the country this year. With Auckland being the largest Polynesian city in the World, one cant help but wonder whether it would have been more appropriate to have had the Tonga v Samoa game in Auckland?
ChrisB
Guest
Well I for one don't enjoy 'origin'. I think its ridiculously over-hyped inter-colonial nonsense. How amusing at a time when most sports are divesting themselves of state-based competition (think netball, cricket with the BBL, football, baseball etc) that Rugby League fans still get bogged down with this daft crap. And it will drag the international team down. It's been lucky to date that other teams have been pants. I sincerely hope (don;t think it will happen though) that Australia miss the 2017 World Cup final and that prompts people to start to reassess their priorities. Doubt it will though, most fans are too stupid and will probably just call for internationals to be scrapped so they can focus on Cane toads and cockroaches and other juvenile rubbish. Either way, the NZ rise (and it goes back a decade really, the success at international tournaments) and the Pasifika games on the weekend were inspiring. Let's hope England continues to improve and can score some wins against us as well Anyone who thinks inter-colonial matches are more important that a valid (if small) international competition is, i'm sorry, a goose
CW
Guest
One sensible post. The game must grow globally. Having regular Pacific island competition will do that. I see not too far down the track Fiji, Samoa and Tonga being able to compete with the big three. Was anyone aware that countries like Greece, Sweden, Russia play rugby league as well as several Asian and African countries? There is massive scope to globalize our game in the future. What is needed is funding for development and infrastructure to raise the standard in these minnow countries. Education to wean soccer -mad players and fans onto another sport is also needed. I hope I live to see the day when we have Australia taking on Russia or Georgia. NZ playing Sweden or Thailand. Perhaps England doing battle with Greece or Kenya. In regular test matches. Not only during world cups.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Yes, lets blood some new players into a severely weakened team in unfamiliar conditions, I'm sure that will work out wonderfully... If there was a time to blood some new players it was last years ANZAC test, could've let some players wind up with the world cup win and try to build for the future. It's absurd to suggest that the calendar for rep footballers wasn't overloaded in recent years with the World Cup, 4 Nations, Auckland 9s, and 26 rounds of the club season (plus Origin and Finals, both of which are clearly taxing). As for Origin, well it's in the TV contract tied up with the regular club season, so it's non negotiable at present. A more interesting question for the future might be if people would consider not having the Origin series in certain years when the international rep calendar is a heavier load. But I'm willing to bet that will just boil down to money.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
It's a vampire act.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Its funny how. After the Australia loss, it looks like a lot of those players are getting a bit long in the tooth and new blood is needed.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
A tour would have been a great time to blood new players, expand the international concept and prepare for the Four Nations and the World Cup. As for the Grand Final analogy, how many Origins were cancelled due to injured players? Go Glebe.
Targa
Guest
As a proud NZer I am really pleased that we won and played so well. I will be upfront and say that I am a union fan more than a leaguie, but I sincerely hope the NZ-England league series at the end of the year is a thriller. Sadly I think it will be overshadowed by the Rugby World Cup which is in England this year though and England league should have come downunder this year
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Short sighted? It was a smart decision. This is not a matter of a "few players", it's a matter of basically the entire Kangaroos squad -- it's hard to think of any players who aren't either playing noticeably injured or returned from a significant injury in recent times. The squad needs an off season to get right physically. As for the grand final analogy.. don't be silly, clubs with an injury toll equivalent to the Kangaroos in the last year don't make the grand final.
Bearfax
Guest
Personally I may be Australian, but for the health of Rugby League I'm stoked that NZ is beginning to take it to the Aussies. Hope it continues. We need the game to expand and having it dominated by one country is not good for expansion. I'm also thrilled that the Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, PNG tests are drawing such good publicity and interest. We need those tests to be a yearly event and we need to offer as much support as we can to ensure the game continues to develop there. Rugby League is a natural for them. I hope one day we will start to see seriously competitive tests between Australia and these Island states. The NRL at home may be making some questionable decisions but the involvement of those island states and NZs performances are a big plus for the game.
Tim Reynolds
Roar Pro
The Kiwis deserve the ultimate accolade - they played like All Blacks. In the first half their attack was brilliant, and in the second half their defence was impregnable. Can't ask for much more from a team.
Benedict Arnold
Guest
It's so good seeing international league taking somewhat of a step forward. I do enjoy enjoy origin like the rest of us but international league opens the game up and allows us to see new combinations, players we don't know much about and pride that you just don't get from watching normal rugby league. It's exciting and unpredictable - what I love about sport. I think that the pacific nations need their own tournament maybe every two years. A four team cup where PNG, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa battle it out. The games will be closer fought affairs and not huge blowouts like they can be when they verse one of the big three countries. The four nations could then be played with the big three and one other nation like maybe france or the winner of the pacific cup. I think the talent is now out there to support such an idea and by having more international events we can close the gap and have more competitive matches. We have a real opportunity out there to grow the international, it's about time we headed in that direction.
Steve
Guest
I thought the same after the 2008 World Cup and it didn't seem to, hopefully this time is different.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
As to the point about the Ashes, how disappointingly shortsighted of the ARL was that decision? As I've said before, you don't cancel the Grand Final because a few players are injured. I know that some will say that hindsight is a wonderful thing but I am pretty a number of people here on the Roar have been predicting these kinds of problems for quite a while now. I'm starting to think the ARL are too beholden to elite players like Inglis and co. The code comes first. Blood new players if you need to. It's just basic management.