François-Marie Arouet was born in 1694 in Paris, France, and died 83 years later in the same city. In those 83 eventful years François-Marie argued with his father, fell in love – once with a French-Protestant refugee, once with a married French noblewoman, and once with his own niece – and was jailed several times.
He was alternately favoured by King Frederick The Great, and also punished by him. He was exiled to Britain and wrote extensively about that country’s relative freedom of speech and religion, as well as its constitutional monarchy.
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When he died his body was buried in secret, and then exhumed 13 years later to lead a parade which attracted over one million people as a forerunner to the French Revolution.
This great philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet, also changed his name, and is popularly known by his adopted name, Voltaire.
Voltaire was prolific, writing about religious freedom, free trade, civil liberties, social reform. He also wrote about the subject of work, upon which he said, “Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need.”
These words were ringing in my head after watching the Wallabies edge out the All Blacks last Saturday. They also gave me hope for the return clash at Eden Park – enormous task though it is.
It hardly needs explaining, but the single main ingredient in the Wallabies’ win was as simple as it was beautiful: work. And not just average hard yakka, but gut-busting, soul-wrenching, Sisyphean work.
Hard work highlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.
During this Test, Michael Cheika’s Wallabies turned up their sleeves and the crowd loved them for it.
During Sekope Kepu’s baffling early sin-binning, a seven-man scrum shoved rudely through the All Black pack. When Nick Phipps threw a wayward pass, Matt Giteau did the dirty one percenter and got back to clean it up. When Julian Savea looked certain to score on the stroke of halftime, Michael Hooper steadied himself and took the hard work option of actually putting Savea into touch.
The crowd roared at each one of these moments – they knew that they were watching a side newly dedicated to doing the hard yards.
It has often been said by observers of Australian and New Zealand rugby that the difference between Wallabies and All Blacks is that Wallabies simply want to become Wallabies, while All Blacks want to become great All Blacks.
The implication is that Australian players have done their work once they have their first cap, whereas New Zealand players continue to work right through their careers.
Clearly there are too many variables in winning Test matches to be so simplistic, but the clear history of All Black superiority is difficult to ignore. Indeed, the recently developed New Zealand Rugby Union value ‘Better people make better All Blacks’ is a clear nod to off-field qualities.
For the Wallabies, this might be better phrased ‘Harder work makes better Wallabies’. Whenever the Wallabies have been poor, they have always seemed to have more than their fair share of Voltaire’s hated qualities – boredom, vice and need.
Of course, individual commitment to a group effort is what makes teams, companies, societies and civilisations function, but the commitment is a mere mental flick of a switch. The resulting power comes from an outward behaviour, which is physical work.
If we were looking for evidence of this physical work after the first Bledisloe Test, it was writ large on the faces of several players. Hooper, David Pocock and Israel Folau were bleeding openly.
But it wasn’t just the Wallabies. Their opponents, who often come through relatively unscathed, were also bruised and busted.
Several people that I ran into at the stadium said with satisfaction, “Now that was a Test match”, with clear reference to the bruising physicality of it all. That was no surprise. Test rugby is incredibly hard, physically draining work. Winning Test rugby is even harder.
The difference between winning and losing is doing the work of getting to your feet and getting back in the defensive line a half-second faster. It is doing the work of the kick chase, or the cover tackle, or the clean out. Winning is always harder work than losing.
However, the reward from this relentless drive for excellence and the work that goes with it, is that it frees a team from the boredom of going through the motions and hoping. It saves a team from the vices of sloth and narcissism because work is both energising and humbling. And most of all, it frees a team from any need of approval or validation from anyone but itself, because when the work has been carried out as well and as hard as possible, the result need not be agonised over.
If we lost, nothing more could have been done. If we won, it is nothing more than we deserve.
This is exactly the attitude that can win a team a Test at Eden Park, because a team of hard workers is difficult to overcome. When faced with a hard-working team, the only choice is to work even harder than them. Luck and freakish talent may win occasionally, but it is rare.
In recent times the All Blacks have had plenty of skilled players, but more than that they’ve had plenty of skilled players prepared to work hard. Last week, and for one Test at least, the hardest working team in world rugby got out-worked.
Unfortunately for the Wallabies, work is never ending.
Back to our friend Voltaire. The flipside of his trio – boredom, vice and need – perhaps are thrills, honour and inner peace. Few fans will argue that the Wallabies achieved these last week. Only time will tell whether they have a consistent appetite.
Dr Samuel Nixon
Guest
Dearest Logarelli For the record, you put your hair in a vault a long long time ago. Luke warm regards Dr Nixon
Bodhi
Guest
It would have been interesting though. With the margin within a try, the Wallabies would have felt the fear. Fear causes hesitation. Hesitation causes your worst fears to come true.
RobC
Roar Guru
Thanks Andrew. Indeed it was a game of equals. Would be good to see if it continues. Eden is the ultimate test
Rouaan
Guest
Brilliant article! I share this sentiment for so long when these two teams have met in the past. I read the book of Richie McCaw where he stated clearly that the AB mantra is to outwork opposition until they surrender. Every play, tackle, chase, support etc is to put my team on the front foot and the opponents on the back foot. Everybody in the team buy into this and it can determine your rugby future if you don't. Imagine how this energized the ABs over the years to easily win matches against talented teams in difficult conditions like when they have a player in the sin bin. Cheika deserves some credit for focusing on this building block, it is fundamental to rugby. Deans and McKenzie were way too technical too early. The WBs before Cheika looked so disinterested most of the times. John Mitchell on South African television said on many occasions how lazy the WB forwards are, taking an age to get up to make another tackle, while McCaw is making his third tackle in the same play.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
J'arrive!
Jibba Jabba
Guest
Off to the TAB to put a motsa on the ABs, thanks Mr cheika.
Jibba Jabba
Guest
Cooper at No 10 - cheika is on drugs !!!
ClarkeG
Roar Guru
OldManEmu I find your reasoning baffling as well to be honest. Since when does a referee have to have given a team/player prior warning for same, similar or other offences in determining temporary suspensions, sending offs, or penalty tries. Timing has nothing to do with it. First minute, last minute, it matters not. In this instance three Aust players failed to retire to the goal line as required by law. Two of those players blatantly halted the NZ players attempt to score. The third player would also have done so. At the very least, award of a penalty try required consideration by the referee. In my opinion if those three players had retired then the NZ player would have probably (almost certainly I think) scored. I would ask the same question as Jerry. Up to that point in the game what NZ player had committed such an infringement as blatantly as that? The NZ player yellow carded later in the game for the dangerously high tackle; did he receive a prior warning? Of course not.
Mushu
Roar Pro
'I think it is disgraceful behavior by our Kiwi friends across the ditch" Cooper's actions brought this sort of attention to himself. Perhaps a little more thought before engaging in off-the-ball antics next time? And to be honest, booing is not limited to Cooper. All southern hemisphere crowds are disrespectful to kickers. Shows a lack of class and a need for some soul-searching imo :P "Is this run on side close to our best side for the RWC? I don’t think anyone knows including Cheika" i'm fairly certain that Cheika knows this is not his best run on side. His approach to this game is as you you said, more of a "selection trial" than testing the best side. It's probably a little unfair to Cooper that the first look in he gets is against a fired up All Black side thirsting for revenge. But, who better to test a player's mettle against? Cooper could, in one game, play his way into the frame. Similarly for Speight, Kane Douglas and Palu. I'm hoping it's a cracker game and that the men in Gold manage a historic win!
Old Bugger
Guest
Rugby gents never talk about distractions of the feminine kind.....you should know that mate - especially, on a gossip site like the Roar??
Mushu
Roar Pro
"they were watching a side newly dedicated to doing the hard yards." this is a succinct summary of what has been missing from the Wallabies over the last 5-10 years. I think Cheika deserves a lot of credit of grinding a group of show ponies into workhorses. However, this weekend is the true test of the "new philosophy' mentioned in the article. Will the Wallabies revert to sitting on their laurels, believing their own hype? Or will the stick with the commitment to do the hard, dirty work first?
Akari
Roar Rookie
No distractions from girls in your school life, OB?
Birdy
Guest
England are playing only two likely starters (with two more possibles) on Saturday, so the result is fairly meaningless. It's about getting the squad down to 31.
Jerry
Guest
It didn't need a warning or prior offences cause it was blatant and cynical. You'll need to remind when an NZ player didn't even attempt to retire following a quick tap on the tryline. Don't recall that happening, to be honest.
OldManEmu
Guest
It was baffling because of the timing of it. It occurred in the first quarter of the game when presumably there had been no warning given by the match official - and it was not reciprocated by a similar penalty being meted out to NZ players for very similar incidents. That is why it was baffling.
gatesy
Roar Guru
... and a healthy dose of competition for spots, Andrew. You could tell by the look on Phipps' face while in the bin how dirty he was with himself, because he would have been in no doubt that he wasn't going back on. This team is on track. I know the European games, this weekend are only trials but I am hoping that England gets a good working over from the French. All of a sudden, there is hope in the pool of death...
Hoges5
Roar Rookie
You had me at Sisyphean work Andrew! Thoroughly enjoy the way you can entwine Voltaire and rugby. Brilliant read, I feel better for having read it!
Johnny Utah
Guest
thats great but NZ weren't down by 6, so moot point
Old Bugger
Guest
Well bugger me....Voltaire aye?? I should've paid more attention to my history lessons at school except there was always something else happening like rugby, snooker/pool room and beer. Who'd guess that Voltaire's writings, could've been responsible for initiating, the French Revolution? You need to watch out mate - your writings might be responsible for initiating, the Wallabies Revolution. Wonderful read and history lesson.
Hambone
Guest
i was just thinking the same thing..