The Wallabies went down in a tight Test match, but did they have all the help they needed?
We have not been passionate enough when it counts, and have criticised the team beyond belief in times of need.
Here are some examples. Only 14,000 people went to the Wallabies versus Argentina Test match on the Gold Coast. When we had a lacklustre performance, a lot of fans were quick to criticise the team, the coach and the captain, even though very few of them wanted to show the team support at the actual game.
Our Wallabies need a good, strong crowd at the game, just like every other first-tier nation does.
The Wallabies travel to New Zealand, a country who worships their rugby team. All Blacks fans would stick by their team if it was ranked 30th in the world. They love their rugby, they love their culture and they will stick by it through thick and thin.
The Wallabies travel to South Africa, and people who aren’t at the game in Cape Town can hear the roaring of the crowd hundreds of metres away.
Last week, the squad travels to a packed out Millennium Stadium in Wales. The Welsh were out there, in full force, supporting their seventh in the world team.
When the team won, the Wallabies were criticised by the media, almost to a point where you would have thought they lost the game, had you known any better.
This is not giving them a reason to win. When they go out there and give it their all, take a win in a foreign country and their fans criticise them for it, it would really hurt the team moral.
Last game, the squad played in France. The French are there, proud to support their sixth ranked side. They have marching bands, a see of dark blue and a packed out stadium. They are there to go wild for their bleu, blanc et rouge.
The French fans would have been their rain, hail or shine. They still would have had their band playing, and they still would have gone crazy when they saw their team.
A bit of wet weather kept the Perth’s Wallaby fans well away from Subiaco Oval, which almost looked completely empty on the TV.
We need to give our team a reason to win. They play for a nation with such great people, and such a rich rugby heritage, but at the moment it just seems as if the support isn’t quite there.
This is why we have ‘The Gold Brigade’ and shows like Call of the Wallaby. These people want Australian rugby fans to give the Wallabies a reason to win.
We have a fantastic rugby squad, but if they have less of a reason to win than every other first-tier nation, they won’t. Just like they haven’t been recently.
Let’s get behind our Wallabies. Come on Australia.
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.
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