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Opinion
The ANZAC XV. It’s hard enough to find a new idea in sport yet ditching a good one after just 80 minutes has been perplexing for the past 33 years.
The Super Round upon us in Melbourne is a wonderful opportunity for the Roar’s rugby community to at least select such a XV over the weekend that honours ANZAC Day.
We have four trans-Tasman clashes among the five games so why not pick away and come up with a composite line-up of stars from the weekend.
Rewind to 1989. A wonderful invention bonded two nations with a fierce rivalry at rugby but a common bond on the higher plane of defending freedom.
We’re talking about the coalition of Wallabies and All Blacks that took on the British and Irish Lions in the final game of the 1989 tour of Australia.
It was less of a spectacle than hoped at Ballymore because the match fell on the free July weekend between the two Tests of the All Blacks’ series against Argentina.
They were the amateur days. While the New Zealand Rugby Football Union was fully supportive, it was still up to the individual players to accept invitations to play in the match.
Most chose to rest and not risk injury so Buck Shelford, John Kirwan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Grant Fox and other stars declined to come.
In the end, top prop Steve McDowall, centre Frano Botica and fullback Kieran Crowley were the only All Blacks to run out with 12 Australians.
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Michael Lynagh potted 11 points with the boot and pacy Ian Williams scored the ANZAC XV’s only try. The Lions, captained by Scotland’s David Sole that day, got home 19-15 in the second half.
A number of decorated war veterans from Australia and New Zealand were invited to the match and stirred the ANZAC spirit even more at the post-game dinner.
The concept was a very good one, even if the execution could have been better, because a Barbarians-style match to finish such a tour is such a good fit.
Sadly, it has never been revisited.
The jersey struck for the day is still a classic. The old Canterbury jersey had striking bands of Wallaby gold, white and New Zealand black. The shield logo carried a silver fern and a wallaby emblem.
You can see it in the Peter Ford photo reprinted here from the sports pages of The Courier-Mail newspaper the day after the match. Michael Lynagh is giving Lions halfback Robert Jones a good old fend.
To these three days in Melbourne.
There have already been deeds aplenty in the opening half of Super Rugby Pacific to warrant the selection of an ANZAC XV.
This will likely be way off your XV but I’d be happy to send this form group out to play as an ANZAC XV picked from Super Rugby Pacific in 2022. You have to select with an 8-7 or 9-6 split of Kiwis and Aussies as well.
As in the tradition of the Barbarians, we’ll always include an uncapped player too. Melbourne Rebels finisher Glen Vaihu was close but we stuck Izzy Perese on the wing instead. Our uncapped nod goes to Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki.
Let’s see if the form line by Sunday night warrants major changes. And remember select away with your own teams.
ANZAC XV: Will Jordan (Crusaders), Caleb Clarke (Blues), Rieko Ioane (Blues), Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes), Izaia Perese (NSW Waratahs), Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders), Tate McDermott (Queensland Reds), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Rob Valetini (Brumbies), Dalton Papalii (Blues), Brodie Retallick (Chiefs), Izack Rodda (Western Force), Taniela Tupou (Queensland Reds), Dave Porecki (NSW Waratahs), Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Blues).