Bledisloe Cup: Why the Wallabies should be happy with second best to All Blacks
NOTHING is better than when the Wallabies beat the All Blacks, writes Greg Davis. But we shouldn’t be holding our breath for it to happen anytime soon.
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IT is Bledisloe Cup time again.
So two things are bound to happen simultaneously.
1. The Australian rugby community will grossly overrate the chances of the Wallabies and will be far too disappointed if (most likely “when”) the national side falls short against the might of New Zealand.
2. The Australian rugby community will (yet again) grossly underrate just how much of a sporting phenom the All Blacks are and will be crushed by weight of the unrealistically high bar they set for the Wallabies.
Nothing is better than when the Wallabies beat the All Blacks.
It’s downright delicious. Wiping that smug grin of a Kiwi’s face is one of life’s great pleasures.
Glorious in fact.
Hopefully it happens again on Saturday night out at the venue atmosphere forgot — ANZ Stadium.
But the odds are stacked in favour of the All Blacks. Why?
Because they are awesome.
Not long after William Webb Ellis decided to pick up the ball and run, New Zealand has been the benchmark.
They simply play rugby the way it should be played.
The rock-solid commitment in defence, the breathtaking ball movement in attack, the precision of their set pieces … just magnificent.
They have incredible skill, talent and heart. Not to mention depth to burn. The second best team on the planet is probably New Zealand A.
They are simply world’s best practice. On and off the field.
Books have been written about the incredible culture and have been read by athletes and administrators all over the globe trying to tap into the source of the All Black magic dust.
And it’s about time we showed them more respect. They are feared but they need to be revered in equal amounts.
By being so disappointed by our Bledisloe Cup drought, we are indirectly disrespecting just how bloody good the All Blacks are.
Some countries have never — NEVER — beaten the All Blacks. Never.
And most likely, never will.
Every rugby-playing country would be envious of our record against New Zealand.
Yet the Wallabies are painted as failures when they cannot beat a team that is the definition of excellence.
There’s no shame in failing to win the Bledisloe Cup. They are just too good. Far too good. It’s never really been close in recent times either.
Bagging the Wallabies for not beating the All Blacks is like hammering golfers for not beating Tiger Woods in his prime.
Every Test win over New Zealand should be celebrated with vigour because it means our Wallabies have climbed rugby’s version of Mt Everest.
And we beat them more than anybody. We should be proud of that.
The fact that Australia won more than its fair share of Bledisloe Cups in the 1990s and early 2000s speaks to the quality of those wonderful Wallabies sides.
John Eales is getting a statue outside Suncorp Stadium but the likes of Tim Horan, Jason Little, David Wilson, George Gregan and rest of the squad should be immortalised in bronze somewhere too.
That Australian team managed to win two World Cups and beat the British and Irish Lions along the way to be the Wallabies’ ‘golden generation’.
To have so many once-in-a-lifetime players in the same Australian team was joyous to watch.
But those times are not coming back soon.
While almost every kid growing up in New Zealand dreams of being an All Black, Aussie kids are pulled in different directions by four footy codes.
Their production line has both quality and quantity.
Our production line leans heavily on the private school system and little else. Our depth is paper-thin in some positions.
That ridiculous run of wins for Kiwi sides in Super Rugby over Australian clubs was proof of that.
So should we give up? Hell no.
Can we beat the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday? Hell maybe.
And if Australia do triumph, we should follow the words of the late, great Prince (aka Love Symbol) and “party like its 1999’’.
They were the days.
Originally published as Bledisloe Cup: Why the Wallabies should be happy with second best to All Blacks