There is a lot of buzz around the mooted All Blacks-Kangaroos hybrid rugby match on 5 December, 2020 and if the game helps fill the coronovirus-depleted coffers of those teams, then good for them.
However, a fair bit of opinion on the virtual street seems to be that the game can only be rugby’s equivalent of the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor fight, where Mayweather’s lack of fighting proficiency in combat sport beyond boxing dictated the rules and ultimately the outcome.
In the mooted trans-Tasman clash of codes, the game can only look more like league than union because league players cannot acquire the full range of prerequisite union skills and don’t have the big men to compete in union-style play.
Therefore the rules will inevitably favour the Kangaroos, thus meaning that the game cannot be seen as anything other than the novelty sporting spectacle to be tacked onto the end of the season.
So the first order of business for New Zealand and Australian rugby should be to get the Bledisloe Cup right and 2020 represents the perfect time to address a long-standing issue with the tournament.
(Photo by Renee McKay/Getty Images)
That issue is that in series draws, the previous year’s winner gets to keep the Bledisloe trophy. Of the 25 series that have been played since the beginning of the professional era in 1995, the series has been drawn eight times.
Australia benefited in 60 per cent of their cup ‘wins’ (three drawn series from five ‘wins’) and New Zealand benefited in 25 per cent of instances (five from 20). The series that were decided by a draw were 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.
The central issue here is that both the Wallabies and the All Blacks, would undoubtedly prefer that there are no questions of legitimacy over long strings of wins in the Bledisloe. The golden Wallabies of the late ’90s and the early 2000s were in the eyes of many the best team of their era, with a World Cup and five Bledisloes in the trophy cabinet, but it must grate that three of their five series of wins were drawn two-match series.
Similarly, Richie McCaw’s mighty All Blacks with their two World Cup wins must wish that their 2011 and 2015 Bledisloe series wins were emphatically decided by a series win, rather than by a draw in each.
With all of the class of 2011 and most of 2015 now retired from All Blacks duties, the time is right for those All Blacks who follow to be seen to be earning their own respect in looking to regain the World Cup in 2023. That objective can only be marred if over the next four seasons they take home one of their most prized trophies, without having won the corresponding series.
A drawn series could be decided by at least two different extra-time arrangements. The first would be World Cup style with two short extra halves and a penalty shootout if a winning score is not reached.
Alternatively, the golden point style arrangement, which Super Rugby Aotearoa is currently trialling, would work too.
Either way, even just allowing fans to know that the tournament is genuinely to the death can only add to the excitement and stature of the Premier trans-Tasman rugby tournament.
In those instances where a decider does go into extra time, rugby lovers on both sides of the ditch will get some of those treasured memories for a lifetime.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Actually, I think only the English (and the Kiwi import) loves that, the rest of us were like, ‘What the? ...really, THAT’S how we break a draw?!?’
madrid john
Guest
Oh no, please god no, not extra time! Getting flogged by the kiwis over 80 minutes is sufficiently painful enough thanks. And yes, i do realise i've utterly misunderstood the point you were trying to make. But lets not put the cart 100 metres before the horse. Until we're routinely offering the All Blacks some genuine competition, i reckon there's much more important issues to be dwelling on.... attack, defense, player retention, rugby smarts, discipline, wearing socks up or socks down, etc.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
It probably wouldn't affect many series, but every Bledisloe series means a lot. Think about the Taine Randell's and Stephen Moore's of this World, I don't think such great servants of the game should be left with questions about whether they could have lifted the Cup just once, but for a quirk in the competition format.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
I know they usually play three games, I don't know why you would think otherwise.
Maximas
Roar Rookie
Are you seriously not aware that they play three games now? The only reason they have not done so for a few years over the last decade is because of the reduced season in world cup years. Even if that were not the case, the winning team holds the cup, you need to be better that them to take it off them, not the same. I doubt any greats from either country cared for one second about a draw.
moaman
Roar Guru
Bit harsh there Sheek. Each to his or her own, I say. Let them eat grass if they want to. I won't be.
Jacko
Guest
Id rather see extra time than Golden point...GP seems to favor one side to much
Jacko
Guest
Has a 3 test bledisloe cup ever been drawn? i cant see it affecting many games either way...
JB
Guest
I don't understand why people have trouble accepting that a draw IS a result. Neither team could win it and that's the way it turned out. There's no satisfaction in winning a game simply because the other team is out on its feet after 100 minutes. Zero satisfaction in a penalty shootout. I say keep it as is. If you can't beat the All Blacks twice, you don't get the trophy. Same will apply to them when (if) we get it back.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
That would be another way to do it. Last year the ABs could have started with minus 21 during the second test, seeing if they could run it down would be interesting.
Toberugby
Guest
In the years when only two games were played, I always wished for a combined points winner. This would really add interest with a team possibly losing the second match but getting close enough to win the combined points race.
Kane
Roar Guru
So do you reset the scores at full time for the extra time? If we take last year for instance, 36-0 at half time, wouldn't be fair to send the Wallabies out for another 20minutes against that team.
HR
Roar Rookie
"Amateur eras values were better, rugby first family second." Well that's certainly a well-adjusted attitude to have...
Steve 50
Roar Rookie
Pro sport is greedy and players are money hungry. For love not money, if players didn’t like money and only play sport for love they would support rugby going back to amateur era and having regular jobs. Let’s be honest, players care more about there families and giving them as high a standard of living as possible than rugby and destroying themselves physically for free for so called love of the wallaby jersey. They will only bleed for the wallaby jersey if you pay em big money as opposed to amateur era values of bleeding for the wallaby jersey and putting rugby/wallabies no 1 and yourself and your families well being no 2. Modern day players care more about their wife and children financial well being than rugby and bleeding for the wallabies for free. The modern day player priorities have changed and they only treat it as a game and put there family no 1, as opposed to amateur era players who didn’t treat playing for the wallabies as just as game. They did it for love and pride in the wallaby jersey and love of rugby, the modern day player has a family first attitude and wallabies and rugby second attitude and treated as just a game. Amateur eras values were better, rugby first family second , as you got guys who were committed for non financial reasons who were willing to sacrifice there own families well being for rugby/and the wallabies..
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
I am interested if it would bring any league players into thinking of union as a potential future. How good would it be if the ozzy league players saw the amount of global attention union receives and considers a code switch (to the wallabies)
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
This is the best argument I have yet seen for what I propose. It is the Bledisloe Cup, supposedly the biggest deal in trans Tasmam sport. Yet in a WC year the Kiwis know that they can afford not to bring their best in the first game in Oz, knowing that their home ground advantage will likely get them across the line to keep the trophy, without winning the series. The fact that the Wallabies barely get a home ground advantage because of all the Kiwis here, amplifies the imbalance. I say if they want to treat games as a training run, the ABs should bear the full risk of losing the trophy.
pm
Roar Rookie
I like the idea of getting an outcome but i reckon quite a few players would struggle to really be up for extra time, and play at a worthy standard for deciding a series.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Most Bledisloe series are over three tests so why do we need extra time or golden point? Draws aren't that common and to be fair a draw is a result.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
What's wrong with a draw? Two teams playing it out for 80, 160, 240 minutes and they can't be split that year. Six months in your cabinet, six months in ours and the incentive to go even harder at it the following year. As for corporate money and greed, we see the B&I Lions only every 12 years. Financial bonanza that is not repeated year after year. Sometimes less is more!
Pross
Roar Rookie
If there is a draw it should be a count-back on who hit the most boundarys Kiwis love that :thumbup: