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Australian rugby fans are an interesting bunch. Rival international fans often tell us that we are up there with some of the most annoying fans in the world.
But if there is one thing I do know, it is that we are stubbornly loyal (to a fault) when it comes to the teams we support; whether it be our local club, or defending our embattled national side on whatever social media platform after another bad performance.
In Australia, with so many sports in competition with rugby, the vast majority of current fans are people who have grown up playing the game their whole lives, or they know someone like a family member or close friend who has. It takes a lot to challenge the faith of something so embedded in one’s life. But the buck has to stop somewhere.
As the points piled up in the second half of the Wallabies’ record loss to Wales, it became clear that this was going to be no ordinary loss. It wasn’t just that this young Wallabies side were clearly outclassed, it wasn’t just that their World Cup campaign was in disarray.
It was that, after all the talk about the ‘golden decade’ and the upcoming, much-needed windfalls for the sport, we realised that the most important moment for the next decade (or indeed, ever) of Australian rugby is right here, right now. This is not hyperbole. God, I wish it was.
We are on dangerous ground right now, because these three major events that could potentially transform our sport are under threat from the systemic issues that have plagued our sport for years. Such a golden opportunity for a redo does not come along often, and should it be squandered, Australian rugby might not be able to bounce back if it wants to maintain being a major player in international rugby.
Back in August, as Australia departed for the World Cup, Eddie Jones, aside from telling the media to uppercut themselves, let loose a metaphor that has stuck with me:
“I can’t believe the level of negativity here, boys… I can feel this negativity coming over. I gotta wash myself off boys. Gotta wash myself off, cause it’s just sticking to me.”
Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones speaks to media at Sydney International Airport on August 17, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
It was a metaphor that proved perfectly apt, in multiple ways. For the last decade at least, probably since the 2013 Lions tour, hasn’t that been how interacting with Australian rugby has felt?
Those negative feelings of diminishing results seeping into your bones, into every nook and cranny of how you interact with the game as a whole. Maybe it affects the players too, forgetting how to win, how to pick yourself up, and how to fight to the end when the going gets tough.
I personally reacted to Eddie’s rant in two ways: I appreciated that he wants to break the cycle. But another part of me thought, are you THAT naive to think this reaction is going to be received well by Australian fans? Mate, it’s been a long time since 2005, and we’ve been through a bit since then.
As things unfolded, part of me thought it was the former: he’s taking a new, talented young squad, building for this critical upcoming period in Australian rugby. But the more things change, the more things stay the same. This young squad lost seven out of eight matches, and has had a nightmare World Cup campaign. Sound familiar to Quade Cooper getting cut after the 2011 World Cup, or Noah Lolesio’s treatment during the Rennie era? We’ve been here before!
I feel so bad for these players, who still have long careers ahead of them. That reminder that you were part of that 2023 Australian squad is going to follow them around forever. In the process of trying to break that losing culture, Eddie has given us our biggest loss in the professional era so far. How much will that affect this team, especially at such a critical point in their development?
This isn’t the sort of ‘experience’ that young players need. Some of these Wallabies will be scarred, and won’t make 2027 now. #WALvAUS
— Paul Cully (@paulcullystuff) September 24, 2023
That feeling of naive belief gave way to anger as results have continued to worsen. The players come out and try to take flak for clear tactical issues they couldn’t execute, Eddie fires up at the media for asking questions about the tactics and choice of players, he talks up a big game only for an underperforming result, and the cycle begins again.
Many players, like Michael Hooper, have come to Eddie’s defense and said that he works harder than anyone else to deliver good results and that fans should pump the brakes before delivering criticism. That’s all well and good and we didn’t doubt his commitment (until some concerning news about him heading to Japan, which I hope is untrue), but when we, the fans, have been in this seemingly endless circle of rugby purgatory; if we don’t put our foot to the accelerator of criticism now, then when?
That is why this loss hurts more than most. It’s not just that it’s yet another helping of negativity from a bad performance, but that the rhetoric of Eddie Jones and the RA board got many of us believing that things can turn around. We feel lied to, and we feel like we’ve been taken for fools in believing it.
In a heartbeat, I’d rather have taken Eddie saying that this World Cup was a write off and we’re building for the bigger picture over what we got. Of course, that talk doesn’t sell tickets, but neither does being a wanker when legitimate questions are asked about what the future of this team looks like. At least saying it was a write off would be honest.
But that brings us back to where we started: we are stubbornly loyal, to a fault. Hooper is probably right about Eddie’s work ethic, but we don’t see what happens behind the scenes of the Wallabies camp; we can only take press conferences, interviews and team performances at face value.
Right now, I see a team struggling to execute a convoluted rugby game plan, making basic errors because they’re under pressure to perform due to previous disappointing results that are piling up, led by a rude head coach who keeps saying to us, an audience who has been subjected to the same results for years, ‘It’s gonna get better, mate’ and clapping back at anyone who asks for more details.
You can’t keep kicking the can further down the road forever, especially, when the road ends at a Lions tour, less than two years from now.
You can’t keep making excuses for poor performances forever. The people you speak to, the fans who come to the games, travel around the world to watch you play, who get up late at night to watch you, who dive into the analysis, watch the press conferences, write articles and make podcasts and videos, and then make excuses for you around the work lunch table after another loss, these are the people who honestly love the Wallabies, and whose support comes from a place of stubbornly loyal support.
LYON, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 24: Will Skelton of Australia speaks with teammates as they huddle after defeat to Wales during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Wales and Australia at Parc Olympique on September 24, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Being angry at a poor performance is one thing, but feeling like you’ve been gaslit is something else entirely. You can criticize the Rennie era, but I admire that Dave didn’t hide away from the fact that his rebuild of the Australian team was going to take a long time. Even though the 36 percent win record suggested otherwise, they became a team I felt proud to support again, because of the sheer effort the team was putting in. The team that nearly beat Ireland in Dublin, or France in Paris, less than 12 months ago.
If nothing changes, and these sorts of interactions continue into 2024, the Wallabies and Rugby Australia will be chipping away at the last real currency they have: the faith of these stubbornly loyal, rusted on Australian fans.
The decisions they make, right here, right now, are critical for the future of the game. Whoever the coach is only has one full year to prepare for a Lions tour. If that tour results in catastrophic losses for Australian rugby, does that coach leave? Do they stick it out for a crucial home World Cup, only two years after that?
If they stick with Eddie, he needs to change how he interacts with Australian rugby, quickly. Because once the rusted on fans, who are angry at the status quo, stop believing, Australian rugby stops being a force in this country. Whether this is a golden decade or a golden disaster, we are going to have to live with the decision that is made now, after this disastrous World Cup campaign.
At some point, the buck has to stop somewhere.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.