The stereotypical image of Canberra tends to skew towards the grey, bleak, cold, parliamentary, judicious and officious – the missionary position of Australian cities if you like.
It used to be that if you saw the War Memorial, saw Parliament House, bought adult material and fireworks in Fyshwick, fought an army bloke in a pub and then went off to the ski fields you had completed level Canberra.
Next up, were more difficult assignments such as Perth, Bali or Queenstown.
Anyone that has visited Canberra in the past 10 years knows that the above clichés no longer ring true. And for rugby fans, it is not too much of a stretch to suggest that the Brumbies, due to their relative geographic isolation, lack of off-field distractions and laid-back image, have provided an ideal environment to allow players to flourish and nurture their talent.
When the idea was briefly floated that the Brumbies could be the Australian Super Rugby team (note the non-use of the word ‘franchise’) to face the axe or be forced into a merger with the Rebels, many rugby fans were aghast.
It was if they’d been told a beloved TV show character was about to be killed off, or the bar tab had run out an hour into a club’s end of season bash. (The latter did happen to me once, and I guarantee you there has been war zones safer than that pub immediately after the announcement.)
This affection dates back to the Brumbies’ formation as the rag-tag rejects of Queensland and New South Wales rugby. Both regions thought their exalted financial and historical status would leave the Brumbies as the harmless little brother, snot hanging from his nose and always being picked last in backyard sports.
The hubris displayed only re-enforced the steely underdog spirit in the Brumbies, and under Rod Macqueen, Eddie Jones and David Nucifora, a high-performing culture was fostered that no-one in Australian rugby had seen before. Their success at the expense of the Waratahs and Reds meant neutrals and indeed many NSW and Queensland fans reacted with barely contained glee.
(AAP Image/Paul Miller)
The 2001 Super 12 final, which 16 years later still makes me think of Butch James as the ultimate bastardly boogie man, and the 2004 thriller with the Crusaders cemented their standing.
George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Joe Roff, Stirling Mortlock, Jeremy Paul, Bill Young, David Giffin and George Smith became legends. And the 2013 Jake-Ball crew which narrowly lost the final to the Chiefs shone a light on some of the brightest young talents in Australian rugby.
While this status as favourite sons of Australian rugby is well-deserved, the elephant in the room ahead of their home final against the Hurricanes is of course the fact that based on form, no Australian team deserves to host a final this season.
These finals used to be a regular occurrence at Bruce Stadium (still the best name for it), with sell-out crowds and a frenzied atmosphere, and the build-up to this weekend feels like a facsimile of those glorious finals of the past. It’s like seeing the cover band of your favourite band – slightly fatter, hair not as good, singing slightly out of tune and way more middle-aged dudes in the crowd than you remember.
But like watching those cover bands, the songs remain the same, and in this case I will be watching and cheering on the Brumbies this Saturday. Not only because I desperately want an Australian team to break the winless duck against New Zealand teams this year, but to give Australian rugby fans something to rally around pre-Bledisloe Cup.
It might not be enough, but it’d be good to get back the feeling that Canberra is one of the most important rugby locales in the country, and the fulcrum of Wallabies success.
Republican
Guest
...........proportionally, does Union attract more or less interest across the Australian sporting GR than it did pre Super Rugby?
Bakkies
Guest
Nonsense. Canberra Grammar, Daramalan (club and school), Royals, Queanbeyan and Tuggeranong as just as important.
Bakkies
Guest
' Players like Mortlock, Larkham, Smith, etc were overlooked at the Waratahs but became great players at the Brumbies.' Larkham wouldn't be seen dead in a Tarts jersey. His Dad was an ACT rep, board member and chairman. 'Larkham played for Wests in Canberra comp.' Yep and didn't list the Canberra Vikings as his club when the team played in the Shut Shield or the Hospitals Cup.
Mickyo
Guest
Take out St eddies and Marist and Canberra rugby would die a slow death.
SJB
Guest
Larkham played for Wests in Canberra comp. Started as a scrum half in club footy I believe, played rep footy at full back and good coaching saw him as fly half potential and become one of the best in the world at that position. Passing both ways and general kicking skills helps! Agree good coaching important.
Matt From Pony Land
Roar Rookie
Ending up with seven losing BPs also shows that they were competitive in almost every match this season, notably taking right up to the Lions and Crusaders. It was that loss of big game experience that prevented them from taking a few more of those games. Also, surely seven losing BPs in a season must be some sort of record right?
Grobbelaar
Roar Guru
Good article. Looking across its 20 year history, you'd have to view the Brumbies as one of Australia's great sporting success stories.
Hannes
Guest
The success of the Brumbies illustrates that the concentration of talent into less franchises does not improve the quality of teams. Players like Mortlock, Larkham, Smith, etc were overlooked at the Waratahs but became great players at the Brumbies. What improved the quality of rugby was the coaching of Rod Macqueen, Alan Jones and others. It is a mistake from the ARU and many supporters to argue that Australia does not have enough quality players to support five franchises - the real issue is the quality of coaching. It is generally accepted that New Zealand produce the best coaches at the moment and this explains their current dominance. Two years ago the Lions franchise did not have a single player that was deemed good enough to make the Bok side, this team came 2nd and 1st on the log in the past teo years. There was a time that Australia had the best coaches and that was when Australian teams won. At the moment our best Superugby coach is at the Force...and in his first years the quality of the team improved significantly. Do not cut any team, just develop and appoint the right coaches at each franchise and Australian teams will be competitive again.
Andrew
Roar Guru
Thanks Shop - here's hoping the Jaguares can host some big finals games sooner rather than later.
Andrew
Roar Guru
Thanks for the heads up - would've been kicking myself if I missed it because of that!
Andrew
Roar Guru
Thanks mate - greatly appreciated.
Fionn
Guest
Cheers, Rhys.
Fionn
Guest
Great article, mate. I loved it. Thanks a lot.
Fionn
Guest
Bakkies, when in Melbourne for a week I saw a single person with a Rebels jumper on. She stopped and spoke to me as I literally did a double take upon seeing it. She told me that she knew I must be a tourist as none of her friends even knew who the Rebels were, let alone cared. Could be an outlier, but I get the feeling they are pretty irrelevant in the Melbourne sporting landscape. Although their core followers are pretty passionate, I hear.
Bakkies
Guest
'Its all to do with commercial clout which Melbourne has in spades.' The Rebels themselves have none. A rack of debts and no head coach
Republican
Guest
........I must concur. Its all to do with commercial clout which Melbourne has in spades, despite not possessing a skerrick of merit in respect of sporting a Rugby Union elite entity. The ARU had long conspired together with the VRU, to relocate to or reinvent the Brumbies in Melbourne. I intuitively believe that this is probably what will transpire if the insatiable Melbourne market does not get its way. Of course Union will cease to exist in the nations capital as a consequence, the collateral damage that the ARU are no doubt resigned to..........
Republican
Guest
..........while the ACT GR is certainly on par with the bigger states and reminiscent of the good old days, after winning the Australian Schools this month. That said the GR of Union in this country is by all accounts, mediocre, so I fully expect Fridays contest to only remind us all of this. Good luck to the Brumbies, they will certainly need more than their fair share of it, if they are to break the cycle...........
Rhys Bosley
Guest
I lived in Canberra for four years and the pride in that team is palpable, and rightly so. They have been great ambassadors for the Territory, have a culture of being gentlemen and involve themselves with the ACT community. Good luck to them on Friday night and long may the Brumbies prosper.
Bakkies
Guest
AnD don't waste your time entertaining trolls over something that won't happen. They also think that the Brumbies and the ACT Government don't have lawyers
AnD
Guest
This would be a genuinely idiotic decision, which is what makes it seem totally ideal for the ARU to undertake. The ACT is one of the strongest breeding grounds in Australian rugby, but giving up on it for a few short term deals would seem perfect to a few individuals who have no interest in losing to the Brumbies year on year.