Btw I was alerted to this issue on BBC World Football Phone-In which is streamed weekly on Saturdays from approximately 10am AEST on the BBC Five Live Up all Night Programme.

If you haven’t listened to it before I highly recommend you give it a go.

Besides Tim Vickery there are some amazingly knowledgeable pundits on it from all parts of the world – apart from our own Asian Confederation..

Regular contributors are awarded a ‘Brazilian shirt name’ as a nickname.

Pundits are knowledge about players and clubs from different parts of the world include:

Mark “Springboca Junior” Gleeson (Africa)
Mina “The Colonel” Rzouki (Europe)
Lester Smith (Caribbean)
Durosimi “Leone Ranger” Thomas (Africa)
Tim “Legendinho” Vickery (South America)
Sean “The Big Wheel” Wheelock (North America)
Paul Sarahs (World Football)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BBC-Radio-5-lives-World-Football-Phone-in/12300905786?v=box_3

The programmes are also available via podcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/wf

but I did notice that are none on the website today, but you should be able to subscribe to some of the older podcasts from your smart phone or tablet

Bakkies, I accept your opinion as you would obviously know better since you live in Ireland.

I just know how tough it is for Rugby to make an impact in the Aus non-Rugby (League or Union) playing states of Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria that are dominated by AFL.

The Melbourne Rebels & Western Force S15 and Melbourne Storm RL teams have to import the majority of their players from either Queensland, NSW, ACT or overseas with very few if any locals making the grade.

And I have have an Irish ex pat friend who confirmed what I said about Rugby’s status in his homeland, so my comments weren’t unfounded.

Nevertheless, its good to hear that it has a good profile although 8% sports attendance is not that much.

As you probably know there are some very strong traditional links between Ireland and Australia.

If I am not mistaken there are some Australian coaches managing Irish teams.

Anyways the World Rugby Family needs to have the game grow from strength to strength in Ireland and everywhere else its played.

Thanks for the clarification Rob.

Nicknames I found:

Canarinho (Little Canary)
A Seleção (The Selection)
Verde-Amarela (Green and Yellow)
Pentacampeões (Five Time Champions)

We can only hope that the National Curriculum for schools in all states and territories of Australia, from Kindergarten to Year 12, that is currently being developed can address the lack of education that some people have when they finish their schooling..

The learning areas include: Arts F-10, English F-10, English 11-12, Health and Physical Education F-10, Civics and Citizenship 3-10, Economics and Business 5-10, Geography F-1, History F-10, History 11-12, Languages F-10, Mathematics F-10, Mathematics 11-12, Science F-10, Science 11-12, Technologies F-10, National Trade Cadetships F-10, National Trade Cadetships

If it’s some consolation this got some coverage on ABC TV’s Media Watch Programme

Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance, and in 2003 accounted for 34% of total sports attendances at events in the Republic of Ireland, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and rugby at 8%,[2] and Initiative’s ViewerTrack study measuring 2005 sports audiences showed the sport’s highest-profile match, the All-Ireland Football Final, to be the most watched event of the nation’s sporting year.[3] Soccer is the most played team sport in Ireland. Swimming, golf, aerobics, cycling, Gaelic football and billiards/snooker are the other sporting activities with the highest levels of playing participation in the Republic of Ireland.[1]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Ireland

The International Rules Series is a senior men’s international rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team (selected by the Australian Football League) and the Ireland international rules football team (selected by the Gaelic Athletic Association). The series is played twice every three years in October and November after the completion of the AFL Grand Final and the All-Ireland Football Final which are both traditionally played in late September. The matches are played using a set of compromise rules decided upon by both the two governing bodies; known formally as International rules football. While the International Rules Series matches use some rules from Australian rules football, the field, ball and uniforms of both teams are all from Gaelic football.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Rules_Series

One got a similar feeling of anxiety among New Zealanders when attending the more recent RWC2011 Final.

The relief was palpable throughout the Shaky Isles when that final whistle blew against France in the final

To quote the late Bill Shankly, the former great Liverpool FC legendary Manager:

“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

South Africa and New Zealand are similar in that respect when it comes to Rugby Football.

Yes I agree it is a challenge to even out the playing field, but there does not seem to be the will to even try.

In all fairness NZ, SAfrica and Wales are the only nations where Rugby has such a high profile where just about all of the others have to contend with competing with the dominance of football, which makes it all the more difficult.

In many of these countries Rugby is more of an elitist sport played in the large part by Private /Independent schools or Universities eg Australia, Argentina, Scotland & Ireland which has its advantages because of the influence that comes with it, but it does make it difficult infiltrate the mainstream.

That certainly is Australia’s challenge.

Form an Australian point of view beside winning the Bledisloe is important but not as much as Bringing back Bill.

I think that most of us can accept losing the in between internationals as long as the team makes a good fist of it in RWC

Win loss records are great, but ask any Kiwi, if they were given the choice of winning back to RWC2011 & RWC2015 competitions or have a falling win-loss record in the non RWC years, I can guess I know what the answer will be.

Good article BB.

You certainly got me thinking and make some compelling arguments.

I do however think that despite the fact that the Tri-Nations need to be kept on top of the pile, much work needs to be done to close the gap all around the globe.

There are too many countries below 5 or 6 ranking that get absolutely belted by the the top 3 or 4 nations which is not healthy as a spectacle or for the game in general.

But there does not seem the will to change this in IRB or in the bigger unions.

Whichever way you look at it its not a pretty sight for Wallaby fans………….losing 7 from 10 consistently

Take from this what you will………..

Bok win % in amateur era:

v NZ Home 68% Away 30% All 50%
v Aus Home 70% Away 67% All 69%
v All comers Home 65% Away 63% All 64%

Bok win % in Pro era:

v NZ Home 41% Away 19% All 30%
v Aus Home 79% Away 13% All 43%
v All comers Home 74% Away 54% All 62%

Bok Win % All games:

v NZ Home 55% Away 24% All 40%
v Aus Home 74% Away 31% All 54%
v All comers Home 69% Away 57% All 63%

I stand to be corrected, but I think you are comparing apples with oranges, so to speak

The All Blacks certainly have a 75.75% winning %, but that is only when you include all tests played against all nations.

Whereas my stats only include games vs SAfrica and Australia.

In fact when you compare the All Blacks’s winning percentage in the professional era it is more like 82% which is a vast improvement on the amateur era 71%

And against all other nations (apart from RSA and Aus) it is 92% in the pro era up on 81% for the amateur era.

By all accounts NZ Rugby has no peer.

The point I am making is that Rugby World Cup games between the top tier teams like SAfrica, NZ, Aus, Eng, France etc are an absolute farce against the lesser likes from all parts the world.

Do you really enjoy these contests which sometimes appear to be like a touch rugby game as the big teams run rough shod over their much weaker opposition.

They devalue the competition as a spectacle not to mention question its credibility as a competitive global competition.

Australia 142 Namibia 0 – RWC03
New Zealand 145 Japan 17 – RWC95
England 111 Uruguay 13 – RWC02
New Zealand 108 Portugal 13 –RWC07
New Zealand 101 Italy 3 – RWC99
England 101 Tonga 10 – RWC99
France 70 Zimbabwe 12 – RWC87
Wales 81 Namibia 7 – RWC2011

Both Australia and NZ generously tap into the limited talent pool from the Pacific Nations, whilst paying lip service to their needs – as David Lord has mentioned above.

Decisions seem to be only driven by the self-serving interests of the wealthy playing countries,

We either want to see a properly contested World Cup or live with the fake one that it is now in the pool games, until it reaches at least the Quarter Final stage when it becomes more competitive.

It’s a shame that this conversation is dominated more by the interests of the mighty dollar than that of world rugby.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer as we continue to witness meaningless cricket scores at the World Cup.

Australia and NZ have a moral responsibility to the rugby family in the Asia Pacific region and the option suggested by David Lord would go some way in getting there.

I trust that you are not referring to me fellas?

A wonderful and long overdue announcement.

Whilst it will be great to watch those old NSL names play against each other, hopefully we will get none of old inter club ethnic violence that marred the NSL’s image.

If its anything like the English FA Cup qualification system it will mean that clubs from all standards from all sates will be allowed to compete.

Onwards and upwards!

I rest my case….

It is not possible to discuss this objectively even if we point out time and again that the Wallabies are behind the All Blacks in so many departments.

My point about the AB’s getting an easy ride is a general observation made over a long period of time and is not focussed on this game in particular.

And I have agreed in my article and in some of my responses that the Wallabies are also at fault and were not the better team.

And they too often get any easier ride against the lesser teams.

The result is really more of the same for long suffering Wallaby fans having lost less than 1 in 3 matches to the AB’s since the first tests were played.

The best we can hope for is the occassional Bledisloe Cup win or a surprise win in a World Cup semi-finsl which we can long savour because they occur so infrequently.

So maybe just maybe consider that there may be some possibility that what we non-AB fans are saying.

Your team are undisputable kings of the code.

We all accept that.

There’s always next year for the gold jersey…….but not the way the AB’s are dominating every facet of our encounters.

Before you all continue to rush to the defence of Richie Maccaw and the AB’s, stop a moment and consider the comment made by much better credentialled and knowledgable rugby people than most people on this site:

“Nick Mallet Naas Botha ………. agree with you

Maybe the issue here is not that they all do it, it’s just the way that the AB’s do it, they’re so brazen about it because they know nothing will be done to them, and that’s just killing the game”.

Nobody’s perfect…..

………apart from John Eales 🙂

FIFA still live in the Dark Ages and are reluctantly only now trialling goal mouth technology whilst the referees make one howler after another.

Quite hard to believe that the game watched and played by the majority of the world’s population with the billions of dollars at its disposal, is so backward.

I wonder if Sepp Blatter trusts himself to use an electronic calculator 🙂

Touché Bruticus!

Thanks for that Fred.

It’s good to know that we share the views of such esteemed Bok company.

Cheers

Ian

Firstly, no offence was meant to anybody that may have felt that way by anything I have said or may have intimated above this post.

To the Kiwi fans reading this who feel that Aussies are making excuses for the result on Saturday, you have have to really have a good read of some of the articles and posts on this site.

You should quite easily see how very few Wallaby fans amongst us honestly believe that the Wallabies were the better side of the two in either of the recent encounters.

Most of us Aussie fans, know in our heart of hearts, how far off the mark our team is at the moment.

As for comments about the refereeing, made by Ewen McKenzie or anybody else, one has to put them in context too. I cannot speak for Link, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his are just plain mind games.

There is also one aspect where the many passionate AB fans, I have met, seem to struggle with, and that is to try be just a little objective about their beloved skipper and their team.

Criticising deity like Richie Mccaw to New Zealanders or for that matter Sachin Tendulkar to Indian cricket fans seems to be an exercise in futility.

But it doesn’t really have to be that way.

The All Blacks are a great side, no question about it, but I and many others have observed over a long period of time, how they systematically intimidate, not only their opponents, but the referees to the point that many borderline decisions often seem to go in their favour.

They are not alone with this practice. The great Australian cricket team of the recent past used it to perfection. They labelled it as “mental disintegration” of the opposition, and that included the adjudicators.

In World Cup soccer, it is also often evident that the big teams like Brazil, Italy and Germany often get the benefit of line ball decisions at the expense of the lesser footballing nations. Just ask any devout Socceroo fan about how they feel about that late penalty kick decider given to Italy in the 2006 World Cup.

It’s happens.

So maybe just maybe, accept it as a possibility.

The real crux of the article above is, as others have thankfully mentioned too, to point out how this part of the game we all love can be cleaned up.

The professional foul needs to rubbed out of the game.

We all will be better for it.

Before all the Kiwi supporters out there get on their high horses about this, please read the last sentence of my article:

“…………And of course it cuts both ways, the referee may have had cause to send off Wallabies last Saturday for similar unsportsmanlike transgressions”

Having said that there is a view out there by all non-Kiwi fans that the referees in general are traditionally softer on “pinging” the AB’s than their long suffering opponents.

The obvious perpetrator to some is the unthinkable suggestion to every New Zealander.

It is none other than the President of the Shaky Isles

The man who refused a knighthood

……………..Richie Mccaw.

Maybe the refs find the Haka and AB aura far too daunting to blow the whistle more often against them?