Wallabies v Pumas: Australia rounds out season with draw against Argentina

There’s a big difference between self-belief and misguided confidence. As Julian Linden writes, the Wallabies have tipped into the latter category.

The Australian anthem performed before tonight's Wallabies v Pumas rugby Test at Bankwest Stadium was sung in indigenous language.

The Wallabies are never going to turn things around until they stop drinking the Kool Aid.

Self-belief is an admirable trait but when it crosses into blind optimism, it does far more harm than good.

That’s where the Wallabies are at right now.

The only thing more deflating than their mindless performances this season is their stubborn refusal to even acknowledge all their failures and shortcomings.

If you believe new coach Dave Rennie and Australian captain Michael Hooper, the Wallabies are on track to win the next Rugby World Cup with a team brimming with young superstars in the making.

Forget the fact they can’t close out tight matches, or they’re struggling to score tries, or they keep dropping the ball, or they kick possession away for no reason, or they keep missing tackles, or they give away stupid penalties or they don’t take shots on goal when free points are on offer.

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Wallaby Angus Bell tries to evade a tackler. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Things will be different next year, they keep assuring us, because this is a “work in progress” – and anyone who says otherwise is a rugby-hater.

Nice try, but the Wallabies’ long suffering supporters have heard that nonsense before and are calling out the emperor for not wearing any clothes when the apologists won’t.

Of the hundreds of social media comments that were posted after Saturday’s 16-16 yawnfest against a heavily weakened Argentina side, virtually none were buying the party line that everything is just rosy.

“Rubbish selections and not one voice from the establishment calling them out. Oz rugby is a dead carcass,” wrote Mal.

Another response, from Stuart, said: “The best thing that the ARU could do is to scrap the Wobblies and just play a domestic competition. Every time that they play they lose supporters for the game.”

Another, from Paul, said: ”I thought the 2019 Wallabies were the worst Wallabies team I have ever seen – based on statistics they were. However the 2020 Wallabies are far worse.”

Wallaby Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is given a red card during the 2020 Tri-Nations match against Argentina. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The numbers paint a picture of a team in crisis.

The Wallabies played six matches this year for a solitary win, three draws and two losses.

The backslappers are peddling the line that the three draws are proof the Wallabies are tantalisingly close to being a really good side because had they won all those games they would have been crowned Tri-Nations champions and squared the Bledisloe Cup series.

But the history books show they didn’t win any of them so finished bottom of the Tri-Nations table as the Kiwis claimed the Bledisloe Cup for the 18th year in a row.

You have to go right back to the 1970s to find a year when the Wallabies failed to win more than one Test in a season and things won’t suddenly turn around until Rugby Australia and the Wallabies face up to their real problems.

The Wallabies won’t start winning again until they start developing and retaining better players.

There is not one player in the current side who would have made the starting XV for the last Wallabies team that won the World Cup, in 1999.

That’s not a slight on the current players, because they’re doing the best, but it’s an indictment on the shoddy administrators who allowed the Wallabies brand to rot after they were the pride of the nation.

The rows of empty seats at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday night were further proof of how the rugby public has lost faith in the Wallabies and Rugby Australia.

Things can still turn around. Winning helps and so does owning up to your mistakes and the Wallabies keep making plenty of those.

Wallabies results in 2020

Drew 16-16 v New Zealand, Wellington

Lost 27-7 v New Zealand, Auckland

Lost 43-5 v New Zealand, Sydney

Won 24-22 v New Zealand, Brisbane

Drew 15-15 v Argentina, Newcastle

Drew 16-16 v Argentina, Sydney

Played 6; Won 1, Drew 3, lost 2

Australian rugby’s road map in 2021

February 19-May 8 – Super Rugby AU

May 14-June 19 – Trans-Tasman Super Rugby

July-August – Three match Test series v France

September-October – Rugby Championship

November – European Spring Tour

STUNNING INDIGENOUS ANTHEM MOMENT

– Jamie Pandaram

Wallabies players sang the first half of the national anthem in indigenous language on Saturday night, marking a milestone occasion for Australian sports teams in recognising our history.

Each player, to a man sang, the words along with Newtown Performing Arts high school indigenous student Olivia Fox, having practised during the week for the historic moment at Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium before the final Test match of 2020, against Argentina.

The Australian anthem performed before the Wallabies versus Pumas rugby Test at Bankwest Stadium was sung in indigenous language.

In the same week years’ old racist tweets emerged from Pumas players, resulting in the suspension of captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino, this gesture of respect towards Australia’s oldest race was an important, admirable step forward.

Wallabies player Dane Haylett-Petty had been slammed recently for suggesting players could take a knee during the anthem in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

He should have been applauded for bravery, and speaking up for those who for too long have been discriminated against.

Absolutely fantastic: every Wallabies player sung the first half of the national anthem in Indigenous language. Learned the words. Paid respect. A great step forward 🔴🟡⚫️ #AUSvARG pic.twitter.com/Efy91gIRt7

— Jamie Pandaram (@JamiePandaram) December 5, 2020

Wonderful to hear our national anthem sung in First Nations language tonight ⁦@BankwestStadium⁩ ⁦@wallabies⁩ v ⁦@lospumas⁩ pic.twitter.com/YRkOMv2j5S

— Sally Loane (@LoaneSally) December 5, 2020

That was very special @RugbyAU historic evening in Sydney as Olivia Fox,from Newtown High School of Performing Arts,sang the Australian National Anthem in Eora language & then in English, joined by the @wallabies wearing their First Nations jersey #AUSvARG #TriNations2020 #rugby pic.twitter.com/MBJRfzMTKe

— sam mostyn (@sammostyn) December 5, 2020

However, this new idea of singing the first part of the anthem in indigenous tongue is even more powerful, because it is original, and can inspire other teams to follow suit without being engulfed in the controversies of a movement some like to believe only applies to the United States.

Under the tenure of new coach Dave Rennie, the Wallabies have openly embraced diversity. They have learned Fijian and Tongan songs in camp, and visited the National indigenous Centre for Excellence a number of times.

The debate around Australia’s anthem, and growing calls to change lyrics that are offensive to our first people, has even earned the support of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian recently.

The second line of the anthem, “for we are young and free”, is dismissive of indigenous people who have roamed Australian land for 60,000 years, compared to the “young” settlement of Europeans 250 years ago.

Australia’s sports teams have been caught between wanting to show support, but fearing that any show of solidarity to indigenous people may bring about a fierce backlash from conservatives.

The Wallabies, on December 5, 2020, showed perfectly how it should be done.

A wonderful gesture. An astute mark of respect.

Australia’s rugby players looked backwards to take society forward.