Perhaps your greatest lessons in sport come against your biggest rivals.
The Wallabies’ record again both South Africa and New Zealand hasn’t been a great one. The Wallabies have played these two rugby union powerhouses 229 times, winning only 71 matches, drawing six and losing 152 times, giving a win percentage of 31 per cent.
While these stats look unflattering, they are true gauges of where your game is at. Having played South Africa 47 times, the Wallabies have only won 11 times.
However, there is a saying in boxing that you don’t improve fighting lesser opponents.
Former All Blacks great Jeff Wilson has called for the All Blacks to start doing old-school tours, not the fly-in-fly-out style of today.
Maybe there is merit for the Wallabies to tour against South Africa or New Zealand to really test and develop their playing ranks.
Perhaps a return to the roots of international rugby is what the game needs. In order for Australia to really compete for the World Cup, it needs battle-hardened soldiers.
South Africa has proved that a strong, uncompromising pack is crucial to winning the greatest prize in rugby. In particular, their towering locks provide the corner stone of an impressive pack.
Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and RG Snyman provide plenty of depth at the rear of the scrum. Etzebeth has the heart of a lion, taking no backward steps. Australia need to develop such players.
(Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
Reds coach Brad Thorn knows what it takes to develop such talent at the Super Rugby level, but the Wallabies must do better as a forward unit coming into the 2023 World Cup.
Having listened to a lot of media discussions over Rugby Australia’s lack of direction under Raelene Castle, it was disappointing that the RUPA CEO Justin Harrison’s best solution to start dates was to follow the NRL’s lead.
Really? Come on, that old chestnut again?
Rugby union must get out of rugby league’s shadows and make its own decisions. That’s what all the push for change was about.
That would be like Manchester United asking Liverpool what it should be doing.
When things go wrong in sport, it is easy to panic, turn on each other or come up with erratic ideas. At the moment, rugby is covering all bases here.
The media will dine out on sporting controversy and failure. It is up to all of rugby in Australia to lift itself up and present the code in a professional and unified manner.
Rugby Australia is in deep, shark-infested waters struggling to get to shore. It needs to get on and appoint a CEO and lock in Dave Rennie as coach because if he wanders off, it will set the Wallabies’ programme back at least a couple of years.
The rugby public should be able to have input on network decisions through club voting or through the various unions.
Is Foxtel really the best offer on the table? It is seen as the NRL channel.
And will it be the best for rugby at all levels, or does Optus have better things to offer?
With such an important decision, all of rugby in Australia should have input.
There has been a lot of talk about grassroots rugby and its importance. Why not involve the local clubs in such an important decision, not just a handful of ex-players?
woodart
Guest
wallabies should look at sth africas ormula or success...forget the wallabies, sth africas formula for success is the same as nz. a very strong and competitive provincial championship. dribbling on about super rugby or test match rugby ignores the foundation of strong rugby.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Timber I've played a lot of Rugby on the Highveldt in Johannesburg... Can say with authority that you do not play a high intensity match for 115 minutes if you are ill. Not possible.. That poisoning issue was never proven or verified and its only what you choose to believe.... Next up... South Africa got lucky 2 world cups later...? For starters Wales 2019 were a better team than England.. Subsequently proven in the 2019 6nations and SA had to beat them in the semis.. What rubbish that England let it all hang out against NZ. Truthfully they beat em quite comfortably... But hey we will take our lucky World Cup... Again.. And enjoy it for 4more years.
Timber
Guest
Of course they can be. Clearly the Boks are consistently in the top 5 in the world, if not the top 3. A bit of luck for any team in this top tier could translate into a high World Cup win rate and history shows there's been some unprecedented good luck for the Boks at WCs. 1995 - Their opponents were suffering from severe food poisoning. Name another incident in international rugby where an entire team has been laid low by sickness? 2007 - Only had to play one top team in the knockouts and that was in the final. No other WC winner has had such an easy draw. 2019 - Got beaten in pools and got the easier draw. Went on to win after the two favorites smashed each other into oblivion. I personally believe the Boks have been the consistently 2nd best team in world rugby but that doesn't mean they haven't had some unusually good luck in WCs.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
The statistics will say that South Africa is the most successful team in WC history.. 3 wins, 7 attempts..NZ 3 wins, 9 attempts.. Surely SA can't be that lucky.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Didn't Wales post World Cup win the 6 Nations.....i thought SA had a tougher game in the semi against them than England had against NZ..
You are confusing the two issues here, one issue who has consistently been the best rugby nation in the last two decades, and the other issue is the RWC. You can go look at any sporting event or tournament. To win a world cup only needs you to perform well enough for a period of 6-7 weeks. South Africa has shown they can win multiple RWC’s, New Zealand has shown they are historically the best team, it does however not give them a divine right to win every RWC. Accept that.
BackInBlack
Guest
Between 1988 and 2019 South Africa won 3 world cups to New Zealand’s 2. Do you think that is an accurate reflection on which team has been the best during this period. Do you even think South Africa were one of the top two sides last year ? ????
You sound bitter backinblack, any team getting to the final and managing to win the final deserves it. That is the nature of knock out tournaments. We were “lucky” in 1995, 2007 and 2019. Winning three RWC’s because we are lucky is simply awesome don’t you think?
Tim Reynolds
Guest
I'd be a bit careful at reading too much into the South Africans winning the World Cup last year. They lost to the All Blacks in the 1st Round, they had relatively easy quarter (Japan) and semi (Wales) finals but only just scraped home against Wales. They played a very good Final and did to England what England did to the ABs. There are lessons to be learned from South Africa, but if you are astute you will learn from everybody.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I think AndyS that the current positives taking place in South African Rugby especially a World Cup win is disguising the massive problems that still exist.. I could list them forever and you are right it is a maze.. Probably a lot worse and less resolvable than those confronting Aus Rugby TBH. I could literally write an entire and very depressing article on them.. But let’s just stay with what’s under discussion here… The reason SA Rugby does not permit private ownership is that will eliminate political control from those whose Motives for being involved in Rugby are questionable.. Still one takeaway for Aus Rugby from the SA experience is that of prioritizing the national team as a winning side makes the big problems seem a lot less worse.
BackInBlack
Guest
CVV, you can’t honestly believe the Bokke deserved to be crowned World Champions after the top 2 sides after belted 7 hells out of each other in the SemiFinal. The 2019 SAF team will be remembered for what it was: lottery-winning luck to be on the right side of the draw. Go back and watch a replay of the All Blacks pool game. It was the best rugby produced by the Bokke and easily dismantled by the All Blacks. I cannot see how your team could have toppled England at 75% who were closer to 20% in the final. You were lucky also in 2007 but at least that side was a worthy finalist which can’t be said of the tortoises who showed up last year.
AndyS
Guest
Kind of implies SA knows the way out of the maze, but refuses to take it then. Reality is that it would just be entry to a different maze, but difficult to take seriously suggestions for Australia that are said rather than done.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
No individual can outright buy a South African team.. Not allowed.. If they could I’ll wager their will be no shortage of those willing to.
AndyS
Guest
Perhaps, but neither SA or Aus are short of properly rich people. Problem with them seems to be they either don't care for rugby, or got rich by having very long pockets and very short arms.
Harry Jones
Expert
For me, Australian rugby’s best short-term template is France: money! Australia is a rich country, capable of privatising and televising and funding sport in a way SA cannot. (Yet, SA has a bedrock of rugby bodies and a culture of barely controlled violence). Rich OZ likes to go it alone. France buys a great product. Top 14 is unbelievably well-marketed and produced; a billionaires’ plaything. I say that’s the way.
SD
Guest
Quade was in 6 of those 11 SA wins.
max power
Guest
"The rugby public should be able to have input on network decisions through club voting or through the various unions." - laughable comment
Zak
Roar Rookie
I’m certainly no expert and please correct me if I’m wrong but in years gone by South Africa’s and New Zealand super rugby teams have traditionally had individual/unique playing styles which has allowed the respective national/test coaches the luxury of selecting well balanced test teams that have been able to cover just about every skill set to adopt a winning playing style. I think back to the Hurricanes having a backline with Cullen/Umaga/Lomu and the Blues featuring Fitzpatrick/Loe/McDowell/Brooke brothers. Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield in the one SR side while other SA super rugby sides featured speedy backs. The point I’m poorly trying to articulate is that if Australia’s super rugby sides each had different playing styles and strengths then it would benefit the Wallabies because the Wallabies could then choose players from SR teams that have played together all season and have built combinations. Thanks
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Alex Well the WBs should look at a lot of different teams, including SA, and I'm sure Rennie and Johnson have been busy doing so :silly:
MDiddy
Roar Rookie
All true and all exhibited in the class of 2019. I didn't see anything different about last years team than previous successful Springbok teams. Erasmus was able to bring the playing group together over a two year period and create a consistency amongst the team that was timed to perfection. Their draw against the All Blacks in Wellington was what made me think they were timing their run well. Australia have attempted for some time to play their distinct open style of play but I honestly don't believe that they possess the basic catch and pass skills they used to have to be able to carry it out. You often see the intent they have, but they regularly fail in the execution. And then not recognising this and refusing to switch to a defensive strategy such as they did in the 2019 WC is just stubborn. As you said, game management, something they have severely lacked.