Titanic Tahs and Reds derby begets a sentimental haze

Once upon a time (it was 1976) there was a trippy, Italian claymation TV program for kids called ‘Il Rosso e Il Blu’ – ‘The Red and the Blue’ – in which a pair of shapeshifters made of clay would turn themselves into things and kill each other, at least temporarily.

And it remains, even today, a fairly funny bit of kit whether you’re seven or 37, and you might Google it for light entertainment purposes at your earliest convenience.

Saturday night’s Super Rugby Pacific round six fixture between ancient enemies NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds felt vaguely similar for a Brumbies fan without a dog in the fight.

It loomed as an opportunity to be mildly entertained. It loomed as a chance to stroke one’s goat beard about implications for the first XXIII of Wallabies who’ll trot out against England on July 9.’

And it loomed as a chance to deride the walk-up starts NSW players appear to have into Wallabies jumpers, whatever their team’s ladder position, which is always good sport for ACTRU types for those blood oaths run deep. As the Mandalorian would tell you: this is the way. Even if – or even especially if – it’s bullshit.

But all that, er, stroking was out the window Saturday night when Queensland and NSW showed that 140-year-old ties run deep, too.

For this was no ‘trial’ – and it was more than mildly entertaining. Indeed it was a fine bit of kit – fast, hard, for sheep stations.

And by the end of the match, won 32-20 by Queensland, this Old Boy was feeling good, even sentimental not just for Australian rugby but for the greater game itself.

Pre-match that fickle mistress La Niña hurled great slabs of white water at Suncorp Stadium, a tropical downpour, it’s like there’s something up with the climate.

Yet the Waratahs first try, from a backline play begat and finished by halfback Jack Grant, featured both NSW wingers on the same left edge. Getting fast guys to the ball is a thing Robbie Deans would tell people. Darren Coleman knows it in his juices.

A rugby coach of mine from what feels like many millennia ago said the aim of a rugby match is for both wingers to come off the field rooted. Blowing like bellows.

Because if those guys have been running, chasing, spinning their wheels, you’re like as not to have played a fun and entertaining game of footy. And whether you’re in a pro league or Thirsty Thirds, fun rugby is the best rugby.

Coleman could tell you that, too. The Shute Shield golden boy appears to have imbued his charges to ‘play’ the game, to express themselves.

Yes, they could clean up a few things – they were pushed over by a seven-man scrum. But compared to last year they’re Rod MacQueen’s boys from ‘91.

Brad Thorn would call that ‘rugby’, too, though old gravel throat is not a man given to flowery platitudes for pinheads. At best they might get a grunt.

Because another rugby truism is that for every pure spiralling pill that sets free a runaway movement, a host of trolls have their face in the dirt.

The Reds hit back through a try by live-wire and excellent Tate McDermott – or as caller Sean Maloney, channelling Oprah Winfrey, called him “McDERmott!”

McDermott is the Wallabies No.9, for mine. Gots to be. Nic White is good, too. But McDermott is all-action. Reminds of TJ Perenara. Get him on, give him big minutes.

James O’Connor was all poise and precision. And he can run. He’s Australia’s 10. I’d like Quade Cooper in France, too. ‘Old’ is different today; 35 is the new 30, admittedly a thing I have made up. But fit enough is good enough. It’s like being young enough.

So Ben Donaldson can come to France, too.

Along with plenty of Reds, who played with 13 men for ten minutes and 14 men for another ten minutes. During this period they won a penalty with said seven-man scrum, under the posts.

(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Taniela Tupou is approaching John Eales areas for influence. Come at me, Twitter, I’m going with it.
The game was about attrition in parts – the weather saw to that. But so much was free-running footy.

Jock Campbell – nominally a winger because there was 14 on his back – was all over the place.

Jordan Petaia wore the No.15 and was barging flying wing man Mark Nawaqanitawase – who at match end was blowing like bellows as old coach said – into touch on the right corner flag.

So much to like: Jamie Roberts was the old bull in the No.12 outside fresh-faced fly-half Tane Edmed. Roberts has aligned himself with Warringah Rats, a club of people, a community. You suspect Coleman had fingers on this.

Immediately after half-time the Waratahs launched a raid right from kick-off that saw one of those aforementioned (greatest respect, and so on) ‘trolls’, Ruan Smith, make a less than one metre ‘run’.

Yet it laid a foundation for Grant to spin the ball back to Edmed who spun it right to fullback Will Harrison who launched a mighty left-to-right spiralling bit of kit out to Nawaqanitawase who set sail.

It was beautiful.

As an aside, there was a time rugby league players would turn their backs to the opposition to pass from the left to the right. It wasn’t until Ricky Stuart came from Queanbeyan Whites, a Wallabies Tour and three trials with Manly Marlins that rugby league – Wally Lewis included – saw the possibilities for left-to-right spiralling bits of kit.

Leaguies didn’t know you could do it.

Admittedly Stuart had practiced every day of his life with the more egg-shaped Adidas and Gilbert balls which were easier to fling than the pointier Steeden.

Yet Stuart took ‘rugby’ to the professional game and became the greatest exponent of kicking and passing that rugby league had ever seen.

A couple of plays after Petaia had performed his leaping ‘D’ at speed, Waratahs left wing Alex Newsome was midfield and flinging a right-to-left spiral ball just over Petaia’s leaping fingers.

It was a play that years ago wingers would not have ripped off because a) they were expected to just run and b) they would be on the wing.

It points, again, to Coleman imbuing his people with belief in their skills. To see the field as 120m x 70m of possibility and to ‘perform’, to ‘play’, to enjoy it.

Edmed won’t have enjoyed Campbell racing off with an intercept at the end – yet it showed that NSW will try to win through adventure.

And when Tom Horton scored at the death for NSW; and Queensland kept on playing past the 80th minute; this Brumbies and Australian rugby man tilted back a tinny and thought: the kids are going to be alright.

And so is rugby.