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Not unlike the Wallabies, my own Rugby World Cup final also involved facing a familiar foe on foreign turf in the early hours of Sunday morning. Still in Brisbane after the NRC final, I took in the Rugby World Cup decider at the Alliance Hotel in Spring Hill.
Going to pubs by myself is not something I do, but the dodgy Fox Sports reception at my hotel made it a virtual necessity.
Plus this just felt like a moment that should be ‘experienced’ in a broader population, rather than under the blanket as the previous seven weeks of the tournament had been.
These last few weeks have restored some pride in the Wallabies, and the result has been more public sightings of gold jerseys outside of matchday stadia in maybe 10 years or more. There were jerseys and caps and shirts all through Brisbane airport on Saturday morning – and no, not just in the gift shop.
Ballymore Oval, in the afternoon, was similarly bathed in gold, and very little of it was the Brisbane City variety. A lot of it was XXXX, sure, but it was a warm afternoon, and all that Wallabies gold needed hydration.
Come 2am, the only people at the Alliance not wearing gold in some shape or form, were the couple of token Kiwis in the crowd. And to be fair, the spattering of black jerseys was a nice reminder that they too were experiencing a similar feeling of national pride.
Before kickoff, there was a real air of optimism in the conversations, as I picked up words here and there.
“If Poey plays anything like last week, we win…” and “If Will Genia gets quick ball…” and perhaps rather surprisingly, knowing how protective Queensland rugby types can be, “I’m so glad Scotty Sio is starting instead of James Slipper…” Most of the pre-game chats I had with people started the same way.
What was also clear was the rugby was cool again in Australia.
Michael Cheika, from the moment he took the Wallabies job on, has spoken of wanting to create a playing environment so good the players won’t want to leave for overseas, and of wanting the team to play and handle themselves in a manner that made the Australian public want to watch them again.
Considering the circumstances in which the job became his, at the time that felt like it would be Cheika’s biggest challenge, and certainly not something that he could turn around in a year. And yet he has turned it around in a year, in the most remarkable of circumstances. The players are clearly playing for each other and Cheika, but there has been a wonderful, humble, self-awareness emanating from the team during this tournament that has made supporters believe that the team is playing for them, too.
All of that, and all that was going on around me at the Alliance made me think about #StrongerAsOne, the Wallabies marketing slogan that started life as a simple social media hashtag. It’s not even a new one; it was certainly around last year – which was pretty ironic, considering what was going on inside the camp at the time.
However long it’s been around, #StrongerAsOne now genuinely stood for something. And without any deadlines hanging over me (though my desperate editor had sent me an email on fulltime, so I would discover more than twelve hours later), if felt good to experience a big game as a fan again.
Once the game started, and the clear intentions of the All Blacks became obvious, the optimism in the air was replaced by nervous anxiety and a lot of frustrated groaning. That seemed to be the overall tone on Twitter, too, and once those few decisions went against the Wallabies just before halftime, it was difficult not to be swept up in the reaction.
There was a key stat in the middle of all that at HT: over the gain line, #NZL 40 times to #AUS 8.. #NZLvAUS #RWC2015
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) October 31, 2015
That gain line stat, along with first-half missed tackles and turnovers conceded was unavoidable though. Territory and possession stats were similarly one-sided, and that was the sobering reality sitting just under the surface of the halftime frustration.
At 16-3 down, the Wallabies simply had to be the next team to score after the break.
They weren’t.
90 seconds, 2 SBW offloads, Nonu try. Just about the best start #NZL could’ve hoped for.. #NZLvAUS #RWC2015
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) October 31, 2015
The Wallabies had been Sonny Billed, and the nervous anxiety was overtaken by willing desperation. Maybe if I switch beers, the comeback will commence? At 21-3, I was willing to try anything.
The Wallabies did eventually start getting more ball, and with it came some surprising attacking composure. Ben Smith’s tip-tackle yellow card was about right – red would’ve been ridiculously harsh – and for the first time in the match, it felt like a Wallabies try was inevitable.
David Pocock crashed over behind another lineout drive, and Bernard Foley kicked the crucial penalty from the area on the field that had caused him the most problems this tournament. Things were starting to go right again, and the mood in the room was definitely up.
Bar sales were definitely down though, as all eyes – including the staff – were locked on the wall-mounted screens. The mood in the room was sky high not long after, though, when Foley pounced on Will Genia’s box kick, drew in three All Blacks defenders, and put Tevita Kuridrani away with a brilliant offload.
Pandemonium erupted, and I suddenly found myself part of a group hug among the six or eight guys and gals immediately behind me. The comeback was on, the bonds were as united and the hugs were tight, and the room was #StrongerAsOne.
Righto, it’s on. Now hugging strangers as the pub.. #StrongerAsOne
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) October 31, 2015
But it wasn’t on for long. Dan Carter potted a drop goal only a few minutes later, and his game management system took over from there. Carter has potted a quarter of his career and 66 per cent of his Rugby World Cup drop goals in the last two games, and it was no real surprise that he picked up the World Rugby Player of the Year gong that essentially absorbs what should be a standalone Player of the Tournament gong.
Carter’s 74th minute penalty was essentially the sealer. Beauden Barrett’s kick chase produced the cherry-on-top try that was obvious even before he’d crossed the halfway line on his run, and with that, the room moved into quiet reflection. On fulltime, everyone just sort of moved on to their own sombre post-match moments, and the Alliance became eerily empty very quickly.
The Rugby World Cup dream was over, and New Zealand had the third title that this champion team thoroughly deserved.
The immediate feeling I had would be the same word shared by the team a few hours later.
Gutted. Epic comeback. Remarkable effort. But worthy Champions.. #RWC2015
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) October 31, 2015
Gutted. We will bear defeat without losing heart. Congratulations New Zealand and thank you Australia for getting behind our team.
— Stephen Moore (@stevemoore83) October 31, 2015
Sunday was a day of return travel, and a weird feeling that I realised I had experienced before.
Feeling very similar to the morning after 2003. Immense pride with localised moments of ‘what if?’ @Wallabies #RWC2015 #NZLvAUS
— Brett McKay (@BMcSport) November 1, 2015
But this was slightly different to 2003, in that this also came with a uniting feeling. The opportunities that this Wallabies campaign has presented the game in Australia are massive and numerous, and where in 2003 it gave way to periods of waste and backtracking, the future now feels really positive.
Rugby is cool again in Australia. The rusted-ons and the fair-weathered and the fickle have been united by early-morning rises and by Wallabies performances that have been eminently deserving of the headlines they’ve generated.
The hashtag that became a marketing slogan is now so much more. Rugby in Australia right now genuinely is #StrongerAsOne.
It has been a wonderful Rugby World Cup overall, and within that, the Wallabies’ performance has been really encouraging. It feels like the game is well placed for some serious success in the next few years.
Just as it was early Sunday morning, it’s a great time to be a rugby fan again.