The year 2023 will be remembered for various reasons for many supporters and their team. Some will be looking more like Shrek with their hair missing through anxiety and false hopes dashed.
For Australia some supporters and experts were overjoyed with the announcement of Eddie Jones taking the reins for the Wallabies leading into the RWC, only to see that his team become the first side Australian team to be knocked out in the pool stage.
On top of that Jones has the worst winning record of any head coach, yes even worse than Dave Rennie had before his sacking.
Now Jones has also walked out of the door taking over Japan which was the worst kept secret, his reputation is now tarnished along with his trust from Australian supporters.
The Northern Hemisphere scribes were talking about the shift of power now being with them, the problem was that both New Zealand and South Africa were not listening with the All Blacks eliminating Ireland and the Boks doing the same to France.
Only the supporters and media use the hemisphere battle cry to create further rivalry, whereas the teams are only focused on representing their country and nothing more.
Ireland were open to being vulnerable as they were under pressure from both their supporters and media to become the first Irish side to get past the semifinal, where the All Blacks had less pressure and are experienced more than most in finals rugby at World Cup level.
The result was heartbreak for the Irish as they were out played and coached and now they need to regroup and to keep the belief, they are now a genuine powerhouse of the game with great structures in place both domestically and on the International stage.
France were under similar pressure to Ireland as many favoured them to become the first French team to win a RWC. They were impressive throughout the campaign which endorsed them as favourites to lift the trophy.
One problem was that like the All Blacks, South Africa are vastly experienced at World Cups, they used that experience to overcome France to shell shock the French team and supporters also.
The great thing about this mighty sport is that winning is not guaranteed when the best rise to the top, the very best sides use previous disappointments as inspiration for future success.
South Africa’s Siya Kolisi celebrates at full-time after winning Rugby’s world cup. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
France and Ireland need to use this philosophy moving forward and to understand that they are on the right track, keeping the fundamentals is essential otherwise the team will only go backwards.
For a country like Australia they need to find their identity and to come up with solutions that are the catalyst for proper change. The RWC semi finalists in 2023 all have gone through tough periods but know and understand their strengths and most importantly their identity.
Fiji have been one of the most improved teams recently with identifying their weaknesses and turning them into their strengths, the scrum is a great example plus the forwards making an impact to set the foundations for the backline to express themselves.
Supporters of different teams will be disappointed by the RWC by their teams failing expectations, but we have all been there and know that the sun always rises and better days come around.
As the Cars sang: ‘Let the good times roll’.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
:unhappy:
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Sadly “ the whole Mclennan, Eddie Moans, RWC debacle” is probably not the depth or genesis of our woes.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
:thumbup: :rugby: :happy:
Bluffboy
Roar Rookie
Hi Ken. Yes mate I get it. Certainly has been done to death. I guess they have to write about something. Thanks for the kind wishes and naturally reciprocate the sentiment. Be safe over the break and I look forward to your humour and sometimes your incite in the new year.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Good post BB. And fair. The Razor factor will surely have effect on top of the, at least as crucial, NZ culture. A few retirements sure but coming off 2nd place there should be interesting times for you guys, in a good way. Over here we also have interesting times. Nuff said on that one- it’s been done to death this Christmas. To you, and all my cuzzie bro ‘foes’, Merry Christmas from me and the Leg clan. :silly:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Hello mz. There is now reason for Australians to believe in a more positive future, with Kiss coming in for the Reds and changes at the helm of Australian Rugby. I expect that the Northern Hemisphere will continue to develop, I just hope that France do also and not to go backwards like after 2011. Have a great Christmas with your family and New Year’s also, and I look forward to catching up with you for the new season… :thumbup:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
G’day Ken… It certainly was a crazy year for Australian Rugby and for the wrong reasons, now that changes at the top have been made a positive future should be on the horizon. Have a great Christmas with your family, and I always appreciate your input on here my friend… :happy: :thumbup:
Don
Roar Rookie
Certainly in Aus the noise around Hamish and EJ continually stole oxygen from what most rugby followers would agree was a really entertaining and excellent (Aus results excepted) RWC.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
It’s been a crazy year. I’m aware that I’m Australasian centric, but I wonder if the positives of the great rugby (including the ‘minnows’’), not to mention the superlative performances of the two finalists were somewhat diminished by the melodrama of Hamish and Eddie’s Gap Year? Hope it didn’t, but given a certain coach’s profile in several nations, it may have been hard to escape the sad non-rugby tale. Merry Christmas Mad to you and yours.
mzilikazi
Roar Pro
Thanks for a great article, Tim. Hope springs eternal indeed ! We all hope our teams will do better this year, apart from the South Africans, who somehow won the the Webb Ellis Cup. Jeez, three one point victories. Unlikely to ever be repeated The NH season has started with some great games, often very tight, ferocious defence, and some breathtaking attacks and tries. I hope down here in Australasia we can show the same level of intensity. I have high hopes, but caution tinged, that Les Kiss will prove to be a very good choice of coach for Qld. He and Warren Gatland would have to be the most experienced coaches from Au/NZ. Kiss not in a head coach role as much though. While I don't think the NZ Super sides will be much weaker, the loss of so many big names should hurt some franchises. But more interesting will be the AB's, with the decision not to use overseas players, like Richie and Ardie. That might change quicksmart if losses mount. One interesting effect of the RWC players missing at the the start of URC, Top 14, and Gallagher Prem. is that the normally lower ranked clubs have done well. Pau led the Top 14 at one point, Connacht the URC. Anyway, Happy Christmas, Tim, and all the best for 2024.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
:thumbup:
Adsa
Roar Rookie
Thanks Tim, all the best to you and family for Christmas
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Great post Bluffboy, all relevant questions for sure. IMO Scotland are building the way that Ireland did and are doing, Wales I am uncertain about at this moment. France will go either way as they have the game to beat any country, but will they go backwards like they did after losing the 2011 RWC final? Australia will take time to recover from the damage done by Hamish and also Jones during his short tenure, a holistic approach is required and not any shortsighted decisions being employed. For us Kiwis Razor will approach the ABs in a similar way when he took charge of the Crusaders, he has players to build around while employing his own style. He understands the players and how to get the best out of them, I suspect that Scott Barrett will become the captain while replacing Whitelock in his position. I see teething issues at the start but quickly the players will get to understand Razor and his philosophy, 4 years is plenty of time for everyone to gel while enjoying their game which is essential. Exciting times are ahead after much needed growth first… Thank you for taking your time to read the article Bluffboy, much appreciated… :thumbup:
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Hello Adsa, certainly 2023 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons for Australian Rugby. Things cannot get any worse and 2024 will be start of much needed change from all levels of the game. Hamish tarnished the game and the reputation of Australian Rugby which is unforgivable, Jones did the same with his naivety due to being arrogant and lacking in foresight. Things will take time to turn the mess around as a lot of damage has been done, RA will now hopefully be more transparent to the public and players. I hope that you will have a great Christmas with family while staying safe my friend… :thumbup:
Bluffboy
Roar Rookie
2024 Will be fascinating for me. How will Ireland Bounce Back? They should still continue to perform but mentally a lot to handle. Will Scotland continue to improve or have they reached their ceiling? Same for Wales? England were defiantly on the Improve, can they continue? France, can they continue to dominant or sit in the corner and ? South Africa, well we know until the next World Cup where they will select and play their best available team. Australia, a couple of tough years to come. So many things need to go their way now. Board, Centralization, Coach (and Staff). I expect a slow burn, but a burn non the less. Opportunities a plenty. Good luck to all those with the dreams and desire to match. New Zealand, a tricky one for me. Will Razor completely rebuild? Will the New Zealand punter allow any grace period? Will the NZRU finally allow overseas selection? Will we see Break Dancing at the next World Cup? There of coarse will incumbents but I expect the squad to be unrecognizable from previous years. There will be tears for some (you know who you are). I would expect players actually playing where their skill base lies for a start. I would expect that form actually means something for another for selection. I would expect that come the next World Cup the All Blacks to be playing a completely new game plan. I embrace the coming World Cup cycle for the All Blacks. I'm not expecting miracles in the first couple of years. I am expecting in 4 years time something very special.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
Hi Tim, for far too many years as a Reds and Wallyb's supporter, results have been disappointing and many head scratching decisions by Rugby HQ's left me shaking my head. But 2023 topped them all and as a Rugby tragic I am looking forward to January 1 and will flush the whole Mclennan, Eddie Moans, RWC debacle down the toilet.