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I’m an All Black supporter and I’m feeling sorry for myself.
All we’ve heard in recent times is the constant carping about the dire state of rugby in the Republic of South Africa and the never-to-be republic of Australia.
But has anyone spared a thought for the plight of All Black fans?
As much as we live to see the men in black prevail against the Wallabies and the Boks, we’re now feeling a bit robbed of the once-epic contest.
We’re yearning for the good old days when Test matches between the Southern Hemisphere titans did justice to the term. When they were the ultimate tectonic, blood and thunder affairs that only revealed the victor (admittedly more often than not with a Silver Fern over his heart) mere moments from the final whistle.
And sometimes, on those rarest of blue moon occasions, the All Black fans’ team would actually end up not winning.
Yes, it seems scarcely conceivable now, but once upon a time, the All Blacks would actually lose these games.
Such hen’s teeth occurrences forced All Black fans to endure scenes of gold or green-shirted blokes jumping into each others’ arms after the final hooter.
The Land of the Long White Cloud plunged into darkness for days as its people moved slowly through the four stages of loss, typically only finding acceptance when their team won again.
History tells us that the All Blacks lost one of these matches as recent as August last year.
It seems like an aeon ago.
The genuine contest that All Black fans once cherished, has drained from clashes with the Wallabies and Boks at an alarming rate.
We now find ourselves, ‘building up’ to the first Test of the year between the All Blacks and the Springboks that’s nudging death and taxes in the foregone conclusion stakes.
In years gone by the air would crackle with anticipation in the lead-up to such a heavyweight bout.
The two combatants, with genuine respect, would trot out the usual platitudes extolling the other’s worth. But it would be muted, through barely concealed gritted teeth.
Contrast this week in Christchurch where Springboks Assistant Coach Johan van Graan was falling over himself congratulating the All Blacks on being so “fantastic”.
“They’re a fantastic team… they’ve got fantastic set pieces.. .no apparent weaknesses, fantastic rugby. They’re a fantastic rugby nation… they’ve got a fantastic coaching staff that are very good friends of ours,” van Graan said.
Complimenting quality is one thing but van Graan also claimed “It’s not only necessarily about the result. Shake hands afterward, look your opposition coach and player in the eye, have a beer, say ‘well done’.”
Lovely sentiment, but an All Black v Springbok Test that’s “not necessarily about the result”? Deary me.
Meanwhile, All Black ironman Jerome Kaino was at pains to point out how “tight” it’s been in recent matches against the Boks and how he is expecting the same on Saturday.
That he felt compelled to say it won’t be a thrashing speaks volumes.
Certainly, former Springbok coaches Nick Mallet and Jake White don’t share Kaino’s optimism.
Mallett called the Springboks a “B division” side , their capability compared to the All Blacks “like night and day.”
Taking a more holistic view, White feared South Africa’s fearsome rugby reputation could be lost forever unless changes are made to their systems.
The World Cup-winning coach said South Africa’s Currie Cup domestic competition is a shadow of its former self as the exodus of quality players to European clubs – departing the weak Rand for strong Euros and Pounds – continues unabated.
He also bemoaned the lack of succession planning at the helm of the Springboks, with no overlap or handover from one coach to the next, in sharp contrast to New Zealand.
Current Springbok gaffer Allister Coetzee was handed the role rather than it being open for applicants, White claimed. “Then they gave him his coaching staff without asking him to pick who he wanted. There’s no other job he’s competing against that is the same.”
The subtext here is that the controversial racial quota system is a key factor in leading South African rugby in a flight to mediocrity.
Australian rugby is also withering from the grass roots up with a flawed strategy of national conquest stretching it’s talent base too far and thin across five Super teams. Meanwhile, shoring up lost causes in Perth and Melbourne is taking the ARU’s eye off the ball as the likes of the marauding AFL gouges future Wallabies from under its nose in the Sydney and Brisbane heartlands.
But boo bloody hoo.
While you’re all busy shooting yourselves in the foot, the New Zealand Rugby Union continues to set the gold standard of how to run rugby on and off the field. But where does that leave the poor old All Black fan?
Mere bystanders as they collect a seemingly endless streak of wins against the Wallabies and the Boks in increasingly hollow encounters. Pining for the days when the contest wasn’t over before it begun.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.