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There’s no denying that the Wallabies have made it pretty tough to be an Australian rugby fan this year. With all the relentless criticism and condemnation of our national side, now it’s time for one last rally of hope and encouragement as our boys finish off the Super Rugby season and prepare to fight it out in the Rugby Championship.
The June Tests started with a promise from Michael Hooper that their Super Rugby form would not show on the international stage. Three poor performances later and the Australia rugby community has turned on the Wallabies.
There is a lot of criticism. It’s very, very harsh, it’s not overly helpful.
After just one quick scroll through a comments section on The Roar, it’s pretty clear that people are pissed off. Hey, I am too. It’s frustrating to see our boys constantly underperform.
The Super Rugby season has been a mess. Rumours continue to circulate about the future of the competition, and all of our teams have drastically underperformed and underwhelmed. The Brumbies now remain are only hope to restore some pride in Australian rugby in the finals.
While the gulf between the standard of Australian rugby and that of our New Zealand counterparts continues to grow, it’s hard to see any light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel.
Overnight internet sensation Jack Quigley had the right idea. The lack of passion and dedication shown in our national side is probably the most frustrating thing of all.
If Michael Cheika was true to his word, that he pinned that post up on the wall of the change rooms, I seriously hope that the message has got through to players.
For the sake of Australian rugby, I will give them the benefit of the doubt; that the message has got through, that the last couple of weeks have been a grim wake-up call and that there has been some serious soul searching going on in that same change room.
(AAP Image/David Moir)
This result of this ongoing public criticism is pretty evident on the field.
Israel Folau crossed the line for his first try against Italy, but there were limited celebrations. It was more of a grimace.
Will Genia made a great break through the middle only to throw a pass over Bernard Foley’s head and into touch. With his confidence shot, he ambled back to position.
Rob Horne fumbled an offload, spoiling a good attacking play. Head down, he jogged back into the line.
There seems to be a real lack of confidence within the Wallaby camp and it stems from the ruthless attacks they are getting throughout the week.
Odds are they know their performances have been pretty average this year. They have definitely known about it this June.
So with this in mind, I ask the Australian rugby community not to cast aside any effort by our national side. Yes, it’s been a long, arduous and incredibly frustrating year as an Australian rugby supporter, but let’s instil a little confidence back in our team.
I’m personally pretty excited to see this attacking rugby that Cheika is preaching. It’s a shame that Sefa Naivalu went down, but we’ve got Henry Speight and Kurtley Beale coming back, Karmichael Hunt flourishing at inside centre, and Folau on an unprecedented try-scoring run.
Let’s get up for one more round, let’s try and give the Wallabies the confidence they need to pull off this high-risk high-reward style of game, let’s support them as they take on South Africa and the All Blacks.
Now that they’ve had their wake-up call, let’s give them the confidence and support of their fans.
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.