TELL US: What are the positive signs for the Wallabies?

If Chekia doesn't cap him soon the Abs will grab him as part of their long term planning.

Hodgson is the Force Captain so unlike the Wallabies is expected to play the full 80 minutes. He probably would have had many more caps if he had a sky blue jersey. Hardwick is only a youngster who has been groomed for years to be Hodgo and Pocock's replacement. You'll see plenty of him at 7 next year.

Ahh no worries Sage, but I could suggest you don't imbibe too much of the rhetoric around what 'traditional' aboriginal societies were like. However if you are interested in the subject a read of Ronald and Catherine Berndt's the 'World of the First Australians' will be enlightening.

With larkham and grey as coaches???? They must run into each other and stop

I would much rather the Wallabies were getting in trouble for starting their own Impromptu "breeding programs" at airports then getting "bread" over on the field.

I was already rattling the Force Sabre pretty loudly, I didn't want to seem too biassed. Have you ever seen a Force LH get worked over in a Scrum? Sio, Smith, Robertson out, Pek and Ainsley in!?

You're missing the point and I don't understand why you're taking issue with this. This is something being done by an indigenous man based also on history & culture. There is a history of this and it is also a part of their culture. If you support the Haka and what it does for the AB's and Maori culture then you would have to support what I've outlined.

Watching the superlative skill sets, imagination and tactical nous of NZ's Super Rugby teams and now the All Blacks has been a huge positive this season, but I'm afraid that only serves to accentuate the general ineptitude and groundhog day aspects of rugby on this side of the ditch. The rift has become an abyss … sadly there's no other way of viewing the difference between NZ and Oz rugby.

Hello Marto, Thanks for enlightening me, I never would have guessed they're not eligible, but I'm simply talking about SR, not the test side. By the way Vic isn't my nephew and just because you don't agree with my views or his doesn't mean you have to get all precious about it. Is QC a better first five than Richie Mounga, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Cruden, Beauden Barrett or even Steven Perofeta? Yes he may get a run with the Blues, while Perofeta gains experience, but that would be about it in my view. Cheers, Eric

G'day Sage, Yes I am aware of the Haka's derivation, but as you rightly point out these do have a strong basis in culture and history. My point is outlined a little more in my post above. For me the bottom line is that Oz Rugby has to build on its existing tradition and grow the popularity of what I believe is one of the world's great games. Waltzing Matildas and aboriginal war cries aren't going to do it. Cheers, Uncle Eric

'There are several hundred Indigenous peoples of Australia; many are groupings that existed before the British colonisation of Australia in 1788. Within each country, people lived in clan groups: extended families defined by various forms of Australian Aboriginal kinship. Inter-clan contact was common, as was inter-country contact, but there were strict protocols around this contact.' Source Wikipedia. I've not said that clashes between groups didn't occur, but these were overwhelmingly limited in their nature. Furthermore, aboriginal society wasn't organised in permanent settlements (other than a few permanent or semi-permanent settlements in SE Australia. This was in distinction to NZ where a relative abundance of food and the capacity of the land to grow food, meant that large permanent settlements were common. Hence the development of large tribal communities, complete with chiefs and a hierarchical authority structure gave the Maori the capacity to cause significant grief to the 'red coats', despite the fact that their weaponry was markedly inferior. In all my reading of aboriginal anthropology (albeit quite a few years ago) I don't believe I ever encountered reference to war cries. Possibly because aboriginals didn't go to war, just occasionally skirmished.

A few ideas wrong there Uncle but I think In Brief has done a fine job regarding that. The Haka's the AB's use were written very recently in historical terms as was the choreography. They are a modern fabrication but based on culture and history. That is exactly what our man has in mind which I find very positive on a number of levels.

Eloquently put In Brief, thank you.

The aborigines certainly did have distinct tribes and frequent battles in which the mortality rate was very high. Sorry for the history lesson below but it's important to give a full account. The upshot is these guys weren't shrinking violets and most likely had battle cries. They were incredibly brave. A well documented battle occurred in 1830 between the mountain tribe (Gunundarra from southern highlands to foot of blue mountains) and the wodi wodi tribe from the Shoalhaven coast. The battle took place over 3 days between 200 hundred warriors and was fought with spears and nulla nulla (clubs). 70+ men were killed. The Gunundarra may have lost this battle but were feared as a war like tribe. They were tall, had braided hair, wore headbands and full length possum cloaks. The Gunundarra had a number of skirmishes on the outskirts of Sydney near present day Camden. When an aboriginal woman and daughter were killed they tracked down the settlers responsible and killed them. The settlers sent out revenge parties armed with guns, but the mountain tribe ambushed and defeated them. Eventually Macquarie sent in the army. After many months of searching they received a tip off from a convict and attacked the sleeping Gunundarra in the middle of the night. A baby's cry gave away the tribes exact location and men, women and children were driven off a ravine by armed men on horses in Apin. Several months later the Gunundarra slaughtered every settler in kurrajong at the foot of the blue mountains in a clear act of revenge. They then returned to Apin and drove 300 of the settlers' finest sheep off the same ravine where the tribe had been slaughtered. Macquarie realised this was a battle he couldn't win, and invited the tribal leaders to parramatta. In a feast and ceremony that lasted all night, he awarded the tribal leaders brass breast plates and offered a peace treaty. Freed up from sydney, Macquarie's army set its sites on the Bathurst region (refer- Grace Karstens 'Colony').

Wasn't gepetto a clown?

Van Gogh would paint a pretty picture of the Walabies given all that...

Genia had a good season in the nh

They are good sports giving many players a go representing their country whether they are in form or not, and picked regardless of skill or ability. We have the Aussie spirit giving everyone a go whether they are good or not. We also don't muck around with strategy or over thinking game play. We just play hard and kick anywhere anytime celebrating our carefree attitude.

Tim you can add J Ainsley to the list of talent prospects and even Faulkner. and welcome back to Christian Lealiifano.

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