Bledisloe Cup 2020: Wallabies can take inspiration from 2000 team to beat All Blacks
They’re on a hiding to nothing, New Zealand heavy favourite to keep the Bledisloe Cup, but the Wallabies can take inspiration from a performance two decades ago that left All Blacks’ fans pelting bottles at the referees. Can history repeat?
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IF ever the Wallabies need reminding that they can beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, then the venue for Sunday’s first Bledisloe Cup is all the inspiration they need.
It was at Wellington Stadium – back in 2000 – that the Wallabies produced one of their finest ever performances to wipe those smug grins off the faces of the New Zealanders and retain the Bledisloe Cup.
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With Australia’s regular goal kicker Stirling Mortlock off the field at the death, the towering Wallaby captain John Eales stepped up to take the penalty shot that would decide the match and the series.
The image of Eales thrusting his arms triumphantly into the air as the ball sailed between the posts to secure Australia’s 24-23 win remains etched in rugby folklore.
It was at a time when the Wallabies were kings, having won the World Cup the previous year, and the All Blacks were known as the biggest chokers in rugby.
They had beaten the Wallabies two weeks earlier at the Sydney Olympic Stadium when Jonah Lomu scored the winner in what is often described as the greatest rugby test ever played, but the Wallabies turned the tables in Wellington in the most dramatic circumstances.
“There was a lot of pressure going over to New Zealand to hold on to the Bledisloe and to stay alive in the Tri-Nations because we had never won that at that point in time,” Eales said.
“Wellington Stadium was brand new so there was a lot of anticipation about the game and we got off to a great start with a couple of tries really quickly.
“But then the All Blacks fought back with Christian Cullen scoring an incredible try and they were still in the lead right near the end.”
As good as the Wallabies were at that time, victories on New Zealand soil were still hard to come by so the visitors had to dig deep to snatch the win.
While it was Eales who landed the winning kick, it was his teammates who set up the opportunity with a series of perfectly executed plays that eventually led to the penalty.
“A moment like that is often celebrated as an individual moment but in a sport like rugby, much more so than say cricket or some other sports, a moment like that is really a team moment, not an individual moment,” Eales said.
“If you look at how we got to that moment, first it was a Stephen Larkham kick that goes right down the ground and gets us field position and a lineout.
“Then it was a Mark Connors steal in the lineout that gives us the opportunity to get the ball back off the All Blacks in striking distance.
“It was every player in every play, doing their job and not panicking.
“That’s what really characterised that team over a number of years. Whenever we found ourselves in difficult positions there were a lot of leaders you could turn to in different ways that would make the right decisions at the right point of time
“That was a game where we kept our heads about us. Even though we lost the lead we didn‘t’ panic, even right to the end.”
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The Kiwis didn’t take the loss well, throwing bottles at the referee as he left the field and it wasn’t until 2003 that they finally got their hands back on the Bledisloe Cup.
The Wallabies meanwhile stacked their trophy cabinet to the brim with a sequence of late escapes that should give hope to the current side that it’s never over ‘til it’s over.
The Wallabies beat South Africa in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup after an outrageous long-range field goal from Larkham and won the 2000 Tri-Nations when Stirling Mortlock banged over the winning penalty right on full time.
They beat the British and Irish Lions in 2001 when Justin Harrison – on debut – stole a decisive lineout from England skipper Martin Johnson while in 2002, it was Matt Burke who broke New Zealand’s hearts when he kicked the winning points.
It’s been lean times for the Wallabies in recent years but Eales said there was no reason that what happened at Wellington 20 years ago can’t be repeated this Sunday, as long as everyone contributes.
“The biggest lesson from great teams is that different people step up and take their moment in different stages, even though sometimes that moment isn’t noticed by a lot of people,” Eales said.
“There’s that great saying in rugby that the most important person in the team is the tighthead prop and the second most important person is the reserve tighthead prop.
“To me that tells the story of rugby because while they don’t get an opportunity to have a shot at penalty to win the game if it wasn’t for the string of other things that happen in the lead up to that and each of those requires people performing their skill at an excellent standards and that’s what a team is.”
HORAN’S WARNING: PUT BRAKES ON NEXT WALLABIES SUPERSTAR
—Tim Horan
Building for the next World Cup can wait.
There’s plenty of time until 2023 so right now, the focus for the Wallabies needs to be getting the Bledisloe Cup back off New Zealand.
I’m as excited as anyone about all the younger players coming through but we’re kidding ourselves if we think we can just put them all in straight away and expect to beat the All Blacks.
Dave Rennie and his assistants need to pick a side they believe can win right now because the Wallabies have to win at least one of these first two tests to have any chance of regaining the Bledisloe Cup.
There are some younger players who deserve to be – and have earned the right to be – picked on form and they should get their chance but I’d be very nervous about picking too many at once.
Blooding too many youngsters against the All Blacks is fraught with danger.
The two uncapped players I’d be looking at bringing in right now are Harry Wilson and Tate McDermott, as well as bringing back Tom Banks.
I would not be picking Noah Lolesio for this match because I don’t think he’s ready for it yet.
There’s no question that he’s got the talent and will play Tests for Australia but this is not the match to start him, in my opinion, because you need experience in these big games, especially as the playmaker.
His performance in the Super Rugby AU grand final was impressive but there’s a really big difference between playing Super Rugby and playing a Test match against the All Blacks.
Don’t forget, he’s only played one match since returning from a hamstring injury and hasn’t played a lot of senior footy anyway because he only started this year, so I wouldn’t throw him in just yet. Give him more time around the squad.
The Rugby Championship will be the time to explore the younger talent. With six Tests in six weeks, that’s when opportunities will arise and no disrespect to Argentina, but starting off against them is different to being thrown in against the All Blacks.
I made my debut against the All Blacks at 19 – but I had already sat on the bench through the entire series against the British and Irish Lions first without getting on the field to help get me ready, plus has experienced players around me – Michael Lynagh, Nick Farr-Jones, David Campese and Simon Poidevin.
Banks got a taste of the Wallabies in 2018 and has earned his chance to be picked again while McDermott has been around the Reds for a couple of seasons now and will benefit from having experienced guys like James O’Connor and Matt Toomua around him.
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It’s the same for Wilson. He only started this season but has been performing week in and week out so has got that footy in the tank that you need to be ready for the All Blacks but still needs some older heads alongside him.
Dave Rennie and his assistants will already know all that so if you put yourself in their shoes, you wouldn’t expect them to pick too many youngsters.
I’m excited about what they’re going to bring as a coaching team because it’s a really good combination to build for the future but the first priority still needs to be the Bledisloe Cup.
Matt Toomua said this week that winning the Bledisloe Cup would mean more to Australians than winning the World Cup and at this point of time I agree with him.
There’s definitely a lot of buzz about the first Test so someone should warn the fire brigade that’s there going to be a lot of smoke from all the BBQs in Australia this Sunday afternoon.
FEARS NEW RUGBY FRANCHISE SET TO PLUNDER NRL HEARTLAND
—Julian Linden
Rugby’s strategic push into NRL heartland could be about to take off with moves to introduce a Pacific Island Super Rugby team into Western Sydney.
No formal talks have taken place yet but Rugby Australia is ready to pounce and host a team in Sydney’s most populated suburbs after New Zealand “shafted” the Pacific Islanders by reneging on their promise to allow them to join the Kiwi competition.
The Pacific Rugby Players (PRP) union has approached Australia about setting up in Sydney and the move has already been enthusiastically welcomed, with Wallaby Matt Toomua predicting it will lead to fresh raids on NRL players with Pacific Island heritage.
“There’s many reasons why it hasn’t happened but in terms of pure desire and wanting it to happen, from a player’s point of view we would absolutely love it,” said Toomua, whose father is Samoan.
“I think it would bring a new flavour to the game, we’ve seen the success of the Fijian Drua in NRC and we’ve seen more and more Fijian guys, particularly in the NRL.
“I think it would be smart strategically to get some of those guys playing in our competition because we could probably poach a few as well.”
Rugby Australia has already been recruiting NRL players for years with Melbourne Storm’s Fijian winger Suliasi Vunivalu the next big name preparing to switch codes while the Waratahs and Wallabies have started playing regular matches in rugby league’s traditional stomping grounds.
Long overdue, the push for a Pacific Island team has gathered fresh momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic though talks for a new trans-Tasman competition remain on hold because of New Zealand’s stubborn approach to negotiating.
Formidable on the field but paper tigers in the boardroom, New Zealand’s Kiwis-first style has left them increasingly isolated and squealing after being stripped as host of this year’s Rugby Championship and replaced by Australia.
Even now, the Kiwis are making hollow threats to boycott the last round on December 12 in the unlikely event their players have to serve two weeks’ quarantine on returning home — which would include Christmas Day.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster told the New Zealand radio he had even been approached by a player refusing to represent his country if it meant missing Christmas with his family.
“I‘ve had one player that has barged in my door and said ’I’m not playing at Christmas’,” Foster said.
“We‘ve got a whole lot of players saying ’what is happening — where are we at?’
“The players also need to make sure they have a decent period at the end of the year ready for what is looking like another early start and big campaign next year.”
While Rugby Australia has publicly supported New Zealand’s request to have the date changes, the boycott threats from highly-paid players has not been welcomed by everyone.
Plenty of professional athletes — including cricketers and tennis players — travel to New Zealand each year and spend Christmas away from their families while doctors, nurses, police and emergency services frequently work during holidays.