It’s the singular moments that decide the victor in a game of rugby.
A long break up the field leading to a last-minute try to steal a win or an earlier sin bin or red card that completely changes the outcome is far more memorable than the score line. As fans of a struggling team, we can get caught up in making our own hypothetical team selections or whether the game plan was right and forget to focus on the million little moments that make up a game.
As a lifelong All Blacks fan by heritage but raised in Australia throughout the Wallabies’ dominant period of the late 1980s until the early 2000s, I have an affinity for both teams.
One of my earliest rugby memories was a Sunday afternoon as a nine-year-old in our temporary home in London watching Joel Stransky kick the Springboks to victory in 1995 over my beloved All Blacks. The image of Jonah Lomu running around Will Carling was seared into my brain after my brother was gifted a signed rugby ball from our local rugby club as a leaving gift upon our return to Australia six months later.
I grew up seeking documentaries and highlights packages of the previous World Cups that I wasn’t old enough to watch. Footage of a ragged Doddie Weir after Scotland’s 1991 semi-final loss to England, Gordon Hamilton scoring to give Ireland the lead before cruelly losing it again to Michael Lynagh after another piece of David Campese brilliance, and Serge Blanco’s try in 1987 to eliminate Australia at Concord Oval.
(Photo by Ross Kinnaird/EMPICS via Getty Images)
I taped each of the All Blacks’ 1999 games to VHS and watched them over again – as painful as it was – for years until 2003 rolled around and the heartbreak continued as Stirling Mortlock took the intercept and went over untouched, signalling another Wallabies victory.
RWC 2007 saw an incredibly hung over 21-year-old miss the first 60 minutes of the quarter-final against France and scarcely being able to believe the result, as can be the arrogance of an All Blacks fan. The smug brilliance of Freddie Michalak orchestrated a most unexpected victory.
Living in New Zealand during the 2011 tournament allowed me to experience the tension and the pressure of an All Blacks side carrying decades of expectation and a significant injury toll into a tournament victory that felt more like relief than elation.
RWC 2015 involved a couple of weeks in London to soak up the atmosphere when Karne Hesketh score in the 84th minute to give Japan the greatest upset in Rugby World Cup history to go along with their eight years as the record-holders of the biggest defeat. A well-timed flight got me home to Sydney in time to watch the 2015 quarter-final and the remainder of the tournament from the comfort of my own couch.
My point is not to portray myself as some sort of super fan but to note that my enjoyment of this sport can’t possibly be measured by the colour of a jersey or the anthem that is sung beforehand.
My love of rugby is the accumulation of a million little moments and far fewer big moments that combine to form the woefully researched encyclopedia of rugby in my brain.
That’s what the first few days of this World Cup has reminded me: it’s about a million little moments. Our team may not play to the level that we hope but the World Cup is about the game far more than it is about the victory. It’s about marveling at the ability of the athletes on show and remembering why we love this great game in the first place. It’s about absorbing as many of the little moments as we can in the short time of this rugby nirvana.
I don’t care which side wins the World Cup. Almost all teams have left some sort of impression on me along the way. The victory and the heartbreak for any team just adds to the slideshow of rugby memories I hold in my heart and mind. I’m just here to enjoy the show and absorb as many little moments as I can.
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.
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