I have been an avid Australian sports follower for years – even seeing Simon Whitlock aiming for treble 20 glues me to the television.
We Aussies do pretty well on the world scene. Even some of our cyclists are world-class and almost – though only almost – make watching the Tour de France an enriching experience.
But two sports are making me tear out whatever little hair I have left launch my remote control through the television screen.
Rugby
Last week was the perfect example of what is wrong with rugby. I don’t blame Michael Cheika. He seems like a passionate, experienced and hardworking coach. His only fault, apart from a great distrust of the rugby media (not a rare phenomenon) is that the players he picks are incapable of playing consistently well.
Last week’s game against Argentina was a perfect example of two teams not knowing how to win. In the first half the Wallabies were unbelievably bad, missing many tackles and throwing passes that were not within cooee of their intended receivers. The nadir of rugby for Australia had arrived.
On the other side Argentina could do no wrong. All of their passes stuck and their coach looked like he had won the Argentinian version of Powerball. It seemed that for the future most of these Australian players had played their last Test.
Then what happened? No-one knows.
After Cheika did his best Connor McGregor rant the same incompetent, lifeless and beaten Wallabies ran out and played the best rugby I have ever seen for 40 minutes and cut the other side to shreds. Bernard Foley could find the black spot with his eyes closed and an incredible victory (in the true sense of the word) was achieved.
Is this a new dawn or the last twitch of life? Their next game is against the All Blacks later this month. I am not sure whether my remaining hair can bear to watch.
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Cricket
Watching our cricket team playing away from home is a special and very painful kind of torture. Except against New Zealand, we just can’t win. We loyal viewers and listeners have to suffer as our pride and joy fail to make a contest and lose.
Look at the Test series in South Africa last year. After a brilliant start we were being dominated when out came the sandpaper and out went our sporting reputation. The pressure to at least compete was so immense that common sense went out the window.
In Asia our results are abysmal. India beats us, Pakistan beats us and Sri Lanka beats us. Even Bangladesh almost beat us. Cricket Australia, please do not schedule a Test against Afghanistan. I fear that would be one humiliation too many.
I have just finished watching the first Test against Pakistan and it’s unbelievable. The spirit of Michael Cheika seems to have infected our cricketers.
Usman Khawaja, who had an Asian average that even Glenn McGrath would sneer at, was magnificent in both innings and showed fight and application that up to now he only showed at home. He received great support from Aaron Finch, who is far from a rookie but adapted to Test cricket with a tough attitude that Mark Taylor would have been proud of. Great hands by Travis Head, Tim Paine and Nathan Lyon helped save the game.
We all hope that this first test in the Justin Langer era will be only the first showing a new resilient Australian cricket team.
Only then will my hair be safe.
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