The Wallaby Reputation

[PaarlBok]

Like they'd advertised on craigslist for the privilege.

Will be interesting to see our fatties against them. We were for a very long time their bitches but return the favour since 2007. Our pack look much better against Wales compare to the Wallaby pack. We rediscovered the lineout drive , our scrum look to had a little bit the upperhand on the day and our lineout (bar Cilliboys frantics in the last two lineouts) worked perfectly.

Myself think our pack at the moment is the best one we had all year. This is the tight 5 I want to see going to the WC and we have a lot of back threes. Its about getting the combo right now.

I know it always feel bad losing any test, but as long as the Wallabies learn from it (you usually learn more from losing then winning) its OK.

The WC cycle still have a year to go, so a loss now is always better when the tournament started.

The All Blacks havent did you any favours , they should have dispatch the Poms, you did us less favours by losing to them, so its going to be a hard test waiting for the Bokke. We havent find our best form, winning against them we'll need to up the ante.

 

[Gnostic]

Gnostic I can't see how pulling a comment from the SMH blog does anything to help your argument, other than proving there is one other person who feels the way you do. All I will say is I bet you that home test crowd numbers will be higher next year than this year. That is a pretty fair indicator of interest of die hards and middle-of-the-road-ers alike.

I fail to see what's so hard about it. Rugby is the No3 winter sport in Oz. Previously passionate paying customers are electing to stay away, not through financial restraints but simply because they do not like the product. As a business person I can see that is an issue, and they are saying it now at the end of the season, you are very confident that they will front up in 6 months time with the memories of what they elected not to buy their last impression of the Wallabies.

 

[Jnor]

I think Rugby's always been the 3rd winter sport here, and as much as I would like it to change, I can't see it happening with the commercial support and hordes that follow mungo and ping pong.

Didn't Reg/Gags do an average crowd figure analysis that showed no significant rise or drop in the professional era? I'm preparded to stand corrected, however. I know your mates are different but mine have A LOT more interest now than in previous years (if ever), and thats due to the change in playing style spurred by the rule changes and players like KB (Kurtley Beale), QC (Quade Cooper) and JOC (James O'Connor). That, to me, is a great thing.

I think there's definitely been an overreaction to the loss, mainly due to some seeing reason to begin sprouting some overly pessimistic hyperbole after an unprecedented winning streak where they feel they've been silent for too long 8)

 

[barbarian]

The problem with your argument Gnostic is that you are basing it on ZERO research, numbers etc. (Stuff like 'Rugby is the number 3 code' or 'the ARU is losing money' doesn't count). Which is fine in itself, but you can't get indignant when I come back with a contrary response based on similar research.

I am not saying Rugby is in rude health, far from it. And I am not saying that we will be playing to packed houses next year. But a victory over the All Blacks and a playing style that is attracting a lot of interest will have some of the crowds coming back. While the 'purists' like you and your mates and Funboi32 from SMH may stay away, a lot more 'casual' fans will return to see the likes of Beale, Cooper and O'Connor go round. In the media they have been called 'excitement machines'- who was the last Wallaby who attracted that mantle? I know me and my mates will be far more likely to go to a game next year safe in the knowledge that it will not be a slogging kick-fest dominated by refs and scrums. I would suggest we are far from alone in these views.

 

[Jnor]

Thanks BaaBaa!

 

[Richo]

Me and my mates are die-hard Tahs fans (along with one deluded Brumbies supporter) and despite being able to afford the ticket price, we've often been unwilling to cough up for shit Test rugby.

All of us are far more pumped about getting out to Wallabies games now than we have been in a while -- there's real excitement when this team plays and that makes every single game worth watching, win or lose. Even when England was well on top, when Gilbert got the ball and put on that floating step you felt like anything could happen, including miracles.

How long's it been since you could say that about the Wallabies?

 

[brokendown]

The Wallabies are like some racehorses,just can't handle the dead tracks & the slow going
just hope the weather stays good in NZ next year!

 

[grievous]

Yeah well, living over here in Ireland I can tell you after that Munster game add on another few years before we can rid ourselves of the jellyspine reputation.

 

[undercoverkiwi]

Interesting thread.

FWIW, apart from when I was a young dumb kid that had never left New Zealand (and was therefore indoctrinated to hate the bloody Ozzies at everything - wouldn't even watch Kylie on Neighbours), I have always been an admirer and dare I say fan of Australian rugby. There's something really special about it. There's always been flashpoints and controversies and wankers (from both sides) that have soured the rivalry/relationship but all in all I've long supported Australia as my 2nd team. If for no better reason than we make eachother stronger.

Now though, and for the past few years (and I hope you don't take this the wrong way) I love seeing you lose. To everyone. Even the Saffers. I will cheering like mad for Italy to beat you. I was stoked last weekend when England beat you, and thought it was piss funny when Munster beat you. Last year's Scotland game was a red letter day. I don't know what's gone wrong. Maybe it's Deans? It might be the (shithouse) NZ media's neverending wankfest over Deans that has turned me against everything he touches? Cooper hasn't helped. Neither do your commentators, but that's nothing new.

But for some reason I've picked up a nasty un-Wallaby vibe from the current side. An arrogance that goes past the traditional confidence I usually admire in Australian sportspeople to something a little more unseemly. I know too that the current All Blacks players aren't fond of the Wallabies squad, and vice versa, which is a new thing AFAIK.

Anyway, make of that what you will.

 

[slasher]

good post mate, but jesus that hurts you cheering the saffas against us...

 

[undercoverkiwi]

good post mate, but jesus that hurts you cheering the saffas against us...

It feels weird. Just wrong.

I blame Deans.

 

[vidiot]

It feels weird. Just wrong.

I blame Deans.

You've come to the right place then. He hardly escapes blame here......

 

[undercoverkiwi]

You've come to the right place then. He hardly escapes blame here......

Interesting. Cause I am reliably informed (by Cantabrians) that he is the father, the scrum, and the holy posts of rugby. And that letting him go was the stupides thing the NZRU has ever done.

Even though winning super rugby comps means fuck all in test rugby, and he left NZ with a proven track record of failure at test level.

But that's an argument for a whole other day.

 

[JJJ]

The saffas love your lot anyway. They're always waxing lyrical about the rivalry between the blacks and the boks. As far as they're concerned the Wallabies are an irritating tag-along interfering with their attempts to get to third base.

 

[undercoverkiwi]

The saffas love your lot anyway. They're always waxing lyrical about the rivalry between the blacks and the boks. As far as they're concerned the Wallabies are an irritating tag-along interfering with their attempts to get to third base.

It's an intertesting debate in NZ too. The old school always say the Boks are our greatest rivals but in my lifetime (mid-30s FYI) it's been the Wallabies.

 

[Gagger]

Interesting thread.

But for some reason I've picked up a nasty un-Wallaby vibe from the current side. An arrogance that goes past the traditional confidence I usually admire in Australian sportspeople to something a little more unseemly. I know too that the current All Blacks players aren't fond of the Wallabies squad, and vice versa, which is a new thing AFAIK.

Anyway, make of that what you will.

I think this links to the other thread about us currently sucking at everything. Winning gives justification for confidence, which otherwise looks like pure dickheadish arrogance.

Also, we used to just be quietly confident in public, but that seems to have changed as well. Waugh vs Ponting a perfect example

The poms got the shits with us as of Campese in 2003 - for these exact reasons

Interesting to note though undercoverkiwi that a few nations are getting a bit fed up with Kiwi preciousness - note the 'unrest' at Twickenham during the Haka. Would never have happened before

 

[slasher]

Its bloody strange too right.... I myself am australian and would support an Australian in a boxing match v's mother teresa (well apart from mundine) but deep down I really wish I could be a ..., fucking hang on, I cant say that.... But i have really loved NZ rugby, probably the fact that it is a religion, well supported and really strong at its grass roots... I guess you could say that about south africa but fuck em. It would be naive to say that NZRU doesn't have its share of wankers like we do but i dunno you don't really see much of it....Some of the old kiwi's that I have played with here tell some bloody good stories of rugby in club land in NZ, with the exception of them all being all black trialists

 

[undercoverkiwi]

I think this links to the other thread about us currently sucking at everything. Winning gives justification for confidence, which otherwise looks like pure dickheadish arrogance.

Also, we used to just be quietly confident in public, but that seems to have changed as well. Waugh vs Ponting a perfect example

The poms got the shits with us as of Campese in 2003 - for these exact reasons

Interesting to note though undercoverkiwi that a few nations are getting a bit fed up with Kiwi preciousness - note the 'unrest' at Twickenham during the Haka. Would never have happened before

I'm certainly not suggesting we're the darlings of world sport. The haka always stirs up plenty of feeling up here (UK), partly thanks to the dreadfully ill-informed and often spiteful ravings of certain UK journos. As does our guys' (McCaw in particular) apparent ability to bamboozle referees into letting us away with murder.

The haka issue always cracks me up though, cause the surefire way to let us know the haka bothers you is to make a big fuss about it. The Welsh in particular work themselves into a terrible state over it.

 

[Gagger]

If you read around the forum you'll find it's not just the poms who are pretty much over the song and dance. And I don't think there were 80,000 Stephen Jones' at Twickers

Add in the Mealamu whingefest and the Paddy apology as examples... I think the perceived special treatment is starting to wear thin

 

[Scarfman]

Fair enough undercover. Point well made.

For me, I'll support the AllBlacks against most teams. Except in the world cup. Nothing in the world could cause me greater hilarity than seeing them knocked out next year.