Rebels’ English recruit Geoff Parling reminds us that New Zealanders are ‘just a bunch of blokes’

MELBOURNE Rebels’ English recruit Geoff Parling has given his unique perspective on the current struggles the game is facing in Australia and the key to breaking the Kiwi curse.

Geoff Parling in action for the Rebels.

REMEMBERING New Zealanders are “just a bunch of blokes” and investment in grassroots rugby and elite youth academies.

Those are the tips for Australian rugby to help revive its flagging fortunes, as delivered by former England, British Lions and now Melbourne lock Geoff Parling.

Parling has been given a unique viewpoint of Aussie rugby after the hugely experienced 34-year-old joined the Rebels this season for a career swan song in the southern hemisphere.

After a 15-season career in England that saw him play 64 Tests, 257 premiership games and all three Tests in the Lions’ series win over Australia in 2013, Parling bucked the one-way traffic north to play one last year in Super Rugby.

Geoff Parling in action for the Rebels.

“I was keen to experience something really different, take my family on an adventure and maybe I wanted to test myself in Super Rugby,” Parling said.

Parling got what he wished for — it’s certainly been testing so far.

In six games for the Rebels, Parling has seen two wins and four losses and last week started at lock for a Melbourne team that was blown off the park by the Crusaders.

But when asked post-match about how hard it was to play against a team like the Crusaders, Parling shot back “we shouldn’t be bigging them up” and said Rebels’ errors were to blame.

It was a timely reminder for Aussie players that despite a losing streak of 38 games against Kiwi teams, they shouldn’t succumb to a self-defeating inferiority complex.

RATHBONE: Folau is a religious lunatic

KING CARLOS: ABs great lands ‘Canes gig

“I don’t know if the interviewer was trying to dumb down that we’d just had a spanking,” Parling said.

“Yes, you always appreciate them, the Crusaders, the Hurricanes, they’re exceptional teams. There is no point trying to hide away from that, they’re really good players.

“But they’re just a bunch of blokes as well.

“A long time ago someone told me this saying: “You’re not going to win them all but you’ll always win the next one.”

“If you go into a game and don’t think you can win, you’re screwed.”

A team of believers — who are otherwise written off — can even be a potent force, said Parling.

“It is always satisfying to shove that down someone’s throat and prove them wrong. Maybe we could do with a bit more of that mindset,” he added.

Geoff Parling (L) with Aussie Exeter Chiefs teammate Dave Dennis (C).

Parling has been too busy in Melbourne to give an overall appraisal of Australian rugby here but says his experience in England showed him investment at junior levels is the secret to success.

“I certainly think how rugby is going in the future will be decided by what’s going in the grassroots level, what’s going on in the youth and age-group teams. Certainly I know with England, and we’re talking over ten years ago, they started to invest a lot more in academies and youth rugby. That’s important,” Parling said.

“My boy plays a for a local club down here (in Melbourne) and he loves it, so it’s definitely there. But I’d say that’s the biggest thing. If you want to ensure success in the future, make sure you’re investing in the grassroots and the kids and getting them enjoying the game. Because that’s going to be paying dividends further down the line.”

Geoff Parling (R) toured Australia with the Lions in 2013.

Parking is enjoying Melbourne and rates coach Dave Wessels highly, despite the weird fact that they’re the same age.

The Rebels led the comp early with four wins from five games, but have since lost five straight but Parling says they weren’t as good as suggested then, nor as bad as it seems now.

The difference between the northern and southern hemisphere probably boils down to less focus on set-piece and a willingness to take the risky option, says Parling.

“Everyone says Super Rugby is a lot faster. I wouldn’t describe it as faster. I would say it is a little looser. Lads will go for that 50-50 pass more,” Parling said.

“Teams in Europe, if they make a break, they’ll probably respect the ball more and go through the phases. Here, teams will go for that killer pass and killer try straight away.

“The other thing I have found in Australian rugby is that a lot of the lads are young, or what I’d call young. I am 34 and I am normally used to play with six or seven lads who are in their 30s. When we toured South Africa, I was 34 and the next oldest was 29.”

LIVE stream the 2018 Super Rugby Season on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week Foxtel Now trial & start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW >

Originally published as Rebels’ English recruit Geoff Parling reminds us that New Zealanders are ‘just a bunch of blokes’