In cricket you often hear the term ‘bunny’, such as when a particular bowler regularly gets a batsman out, and that batsman finds that bowler particularly difficult to play.
There are many examples over the years and I won’t bother naming names, but you know what or who I am talking about.
In rugby, we have regular tournaments, such as the Rugby Championship and the Six Nations to name but two.
Some might suggest that we have too many tournaments whereby teams become used to each other’s style of play.
Super Rugby was becoming guilty of it, before COVID, as I am sure other tournaments were. COVID has forced a bit of a reconsideration of the tournaments that we play.
The Springboks, for example, did not really get much international exposure for two or so years, until they had to regroup for the Lions tour.
Argentina, to their credit, kept it together, but this year showed just how hard it must have been in keeping it together, with their players spread all over the world.
Australia and New Zealand, as they usually do, worked out ways to keep the rugby alive, and we had two different iterations of Super Rugby.
Then we had a bit of a challenging period when the cousins got into a bit of a spat, but eventually sorted it out, and the result was the Rugby Championship.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
Nobody has taken this period for granted. SANZAAR and RA and their partners have managed to put on a brilliant tournament, though I am not sure why the scheduling has teams playing the same opposition two weeks running.
I presume it’s to do with bubbles and logistics.
Nevertheless, the rugby has been pulsating… and why?
I suggest that it is because we are not taking each other for granted, as we have in the past.
To my great surprise last Saturday, I felt that the All Blacks were the bunnies of the Boks.
Why?
Probably because it was their 100th outing or whatever the landmark was. Probably because they have had some sort of inferiority complex over the last 100 years, or something, who knows.
But the All Blacks showed respect to the Boks, when they usually show a kind of arrogance to us, and the relationship with the Argies is different again, so there are these four or more wonderful dynamics going on between the four teams, which ensure that the dynamic of the game is never boring or predictable.
The All Blacks are the All Blacks – the benchmark, the trend setters, the standard of excellence that we all understand. Coach Ian Foster has picked up where coach Steve Hansen left off and taken them forward.
The Wallabies have found self-belief in the likes of Dave Rennie, Michael Hooper and, dare I say it, Quade Cooper.
Not to mention a bloke called Matt Giteau, after whom that law is named – and Dave Rennie has been able to exploit it to Australia’s benefit to get the likes of Cooper, Samu Kerevi and Sean McMahon back, not to mention Rory Arnold, Will Skelton and Tolu Latu.
Cooper may not even make it on the European tour, because of his Japan commitments, and neither might McMahon.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Last week some bloke on the radio was saying that Australian rugby shot itself in the foot by actively competing with the AFL and their grand final and the NRL with theirs.
I don’t think it makes one bit of difference. True rugby tragics will not even give that a moment’s thought and if the audience prefers one code to another, that’s not our problem – it’s theirs.
You will never get me to an AFL or NRL game if there is a half decent rugby game going on that I can watch.
What’s the point of all this? Well, I guess that the theme is that we have four teams that all play different styles of rugby. This tournament focused on the fact that all the teams are in camp, playing week in and out, without the burden of international travel.
That has brought that beautiful concept into focus and we can celebrate the differences in each other’s styles of play. Any one team can be the bunny on any given day and vice versa.
I didn’t want to use that French phrase ‘vive la difference’ because they are not part of this series, but I could not think of a better or more apt one in any of our vernaculars (and I definitely do not have a clue about the Argies). So, vive la difference will have to do.
This was also an article that started with a reference to bunnies so in the spirit of sportsmanship I would like to wish the Bunnies and the Panthers a great game this weekend.
gatesy
Roar Guru
I'd probably write more often on here, but you do get a bit tired of putting yourself out there, only to be "shot at" by people with a narrow point to prove, who don't put themselves out there. I don't know whether you do or not, because I don't think I've come across you before, but you just happen to be the target of my frustration.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Good post Praetorian
El Flash
Roar Rookie
Sorry Praetorian. Did you actually say the Bok backline played poorly ? WHAT BACKLINE ? The ball never got passed Pollard. SA keep talking about their DNA as if it is something exclusive to themselves & nobody else has it or entitled to it. News flash ... you can keep your DNA. And as for the 78th minute. The AB's are the only team in the world that can still be operating at 100% in the 80th minute & on Saturday it showed. Oddly enough the outcome didn't surprise many Kiwis. And for the good of the game, thank god the Boks lost.
J Jones
Roar Rookie
Yeah timing is important, I think that's why who beat who is often misleading when gauging a sides value or ranking. Wallabies I'm sure benefitted from a couple of 'hidings' from the ABs - and have progressed well since then. I'm sure if they played again now the result may not necessarily be different, but the game, and definitely the margins would be.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I wonder if the Argies would have had a result against the Boks if the games had been played in a different order? Maybe not but it was tough for them to have to go to SA and play a side coming off a Lions series with little meaningful prep themselves. They look stale and homesick to me and I guess that's perfectly understandable.
Phantom
Roar Rookie
Without those injury breaks in the game the bok losses may be more frequent.
adam smith
Roar Rookie
So, you can’t actually answer my question, just deflect cause you have no evidence?! I’m sorry, isn’t this an opinion site where we share opinions on articles? If you don’t like to be challenged to provide actual evidence, well, that’s your issue. Why would I accept your challenge when you can’t address my question? :laughing: Again, classic deflection. I come on this site to debate topics & opinions, nowhere does it stipulate I’m required to write an article. You’d know if I have “chips or angst”, you’re quite familiar with both, as I quoted previously. :laughing: Hahaha Labelling me a “sniper” when you can’t support your own argument, must have touched a nerve aye?! :laughing: If the aforementioned quotes weren’t snide, why bother writing it? It adds zero to your argument, specially when I’ve proven you incorrect with statistics.
gatesy
Roar Guru
Adam, I would respectfully love to challenge you to: 1. Lose the angst 2. try to think positively, 3. stop being a sniper and actually produce a 500 word post yourself, with an original idea. Do you think you can do it, Adam? If not then it proves to me that you were probably a back that never put his head in a dark place, or maybe just a spectator?
gatesy
Roar Guru
The Editor made a change or two.. the last line was actually, .."this article was written with the assistance of a couple of Monday night Sov Plonks!!.."
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
Nice one Gatesy. "How do you say 'vive la difference' in Australian?" Whatever floats your boat mate! I think that works in your context? Cheers
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
G’day gates. Thanks for the article. It got me to thinking. I’ve seen more rugby on telly this year than any year since 1996. Therefore, thanks to Raelene Castle for not jumping to the Foxtel tune. It also got me thinking that I hadn’t heard the dulcet tones of Gordon Bray. He may never have been everybody’s favourite but he’s certainly a rugby man through and through. Not just a qualified ref commentating but active when work would allow back in the day.. Speaking with a former Wallaby once, he told me how invaluable Gordon’s support of the team was on those old long tours. So yes, vive la difference and thanks to the aspects of the past that allow us to enjoy the present.
TheRealist
Roar Rookie
Yep, I agree. I am truly hating rugby at the moment, and the way the Boks are playing is now just a small contributor to my unhappiness. I am just so over the endless criticism and negative press, irrespective of how much I may agree with a lot of what is being said. The majority (the overwhelming majority) of Bok supporters are against what is currently going on, and it’s a minuscule minority of Bok supporters who are defending it. It seems the critics don’t realise it or don’t want to accept it though. “Empty vessels make the most noise”, it’s applicable to both sides in the arguments of late. Some comments from South African’s are astounding, but the fact people even bother to offer a response most of the time to these astounding comments is even more shocking when clearly they are emotionally charged nonsense not worthy of attention. I can only pray for some respite though. Blame the Boks as much as you like, but rugby supporters and the media it seems are no better and doing their part in damaging the game.
GoldenEye
Roar Rookie
Lucky you're a Boks fan then, you probably wouldn't survive long as a Wallabies fan... :silly:
Pickett
Roar Rookie
It’s Federer-Nadal-Djokovic. ABs are Federer, Wallabies and Springboks can fight it out to be Nadal or Djokovic.
gatesy
Roar Guru
Adam, It seems that the only chips here are the ones that you are spitting. No contempt intended, just a light hearted article about the fact that we have four great teams all playing in the one bubble and every week there is something different to look forward to vis a vis respective playing styles and matchups.
gatesy
Roar Guru
Thanks, Dean!
adam smith
Roar Rookie
Exactly, it’s “clutching-at-straws” at its finest.
Praetorian
Guest
Well that is your opinion . AB try came from a missed tackle . Pollard I think .Usually he would have made that tackle . You omitted to mention how poorly the Bok backline played. Bok forwards had it over the ABs . And how were you feeling about the mighty ABs at 78mins .The unthinkable almost happened
Diesel 2.0
Roar Rookie
Nicely put FOH.
Cam
Roar Rookie
The NRL backtracked and rescheduled their final Storm vs Panthers and were able to grab 1,200,000 viewers, which incidentally was close to 300,000 less than when the Panthers played the Eels the week before. Wallabies vs Argentina drew 400,000 viewers, which I reckon was a pretty good result. Hard to say what that figure may have been if rescheduled, but by comparison the Wallabies vs Springboks the week before rated 465,000. Potentially they may have been able to play on the Sunday arvo and I am guessing it would have been looked at by the organisers.