+1.
Absolutely agree. As much as it hurt me to see us roll-over against the Poms, I do see that it is far better to blood some front row cover in a series of June internationals that no-one will really remember, to ensure we have adequate depth come 2011.
Daz, I think the long-suffering fans will surely remember them. At Suncorp vs Ireland, fully 20% or more of the fans around me got up and left 15-20 mins before the end of the game and almost all were volunteering statements like 'crap game, thought Walls would be better than Reds', 'what a joke of a game', 'Walls getting worse and worse', etc.
Often we more passionate rugby lovers forget this dimension - the 'everyday' fan's view of what they are getting. We look to complex schemes and selection ploys that will yield RWC benefits, or such like. But, as you know, Oz rugby Test attendances are declining markedly in recent years. The SOO III at ANZ last night got a much bigger crowd than that that attended the recent England v Wallabies Test.
I know and respect your hunger for Deans and us to win the RWC '11. But it's very debatable if this goal sitting by itself - even if achieved - has enough substance to rebuild the everyday fan base in 2012-14 say. Take England's march to the Final in '07. They got to that peak (btw, without having to beat all the best teams), they lost, England then continued to drift and decline from that point onwards. The RWC is great for rugby patriotic fervour and the like, but it's a dangerous illusion to make it some kind of continuing justification for mediocrity and poor Wallabies standards along the way.
The other 'silent' danger is that, for coaches, the RWC can become the overwhelming central pathway for the next major role thereafter. It can thus be the case that the deeper motivation of coaches may not necessarily align with the underlying needs of the Australian game long-term.
