Why 2015 is the year of the Wallaby
IT is something Australian rugby has been missing for a long time — but a new era for the Wallabies is reviving the passion for the gold jersey.
IT was a moment of genius. A moment that could have backfired badly, but a moment which might just be the start of something special.
When Wallabies captain Stephen Moore elected to go for a match-winning try instead of a penalty kick which would have meant an honourable but ultimately meaningless draw against the Springboks, it seemed a crazy risk.
It was the first match of a long season that culminates in a World Cup in October. A loss would have set a bad tone. But as anyone who follows rugby knows, the Wallabies scored the try and won the Test.
Moore’s bold gamble did more than just give his team the victory. It may well have set a tone that becomes the defining moment in the Wallabies’ 2015 campaign.
Two years ago, the Wallabies would have taken the penalty and settled for a draw. Why? Because results were more important than passion for the jersey.
Moore’s decision was symbolic of a new attitude in the Wallabies. And the man who’s instilled that attitude is new coach Michael Cheika, under whom the Wallabies are on their way to regaining the passion and respect the gold jersey once held.
In recent years, the Australian side has suffered under a string of coaches who seemed more caught up in the politics of selection and off-field antics than developing a side that could become a major force in world rugby.
From Robbie Deans’ axing of the brilliant Matt Giteau prior to the 2011 World Cup, to the Ewen McKenzie saga surrounding Kurtley Beale’s ill-thought text message, drama and division within the Wallaby camp has been present.
The culture just wasn’t right.
The previous two coaches had decent win-loss records, but the Wallabies weren’t getting any better due to the simple fact they lacked a strong, uniting culture.
While the rugby powerhouses of New Zealand, South Africa and England played with trademark passion, Australia seemed listless.
Gone is the golden era following the 1999 World Cup, in which the likes of John Eales and Tim Horan were household names.
In recent times it seems the public has lost an element of respect and admiration for the Wallabies. Again it comes down to one simple element that formulates what the Wallabies mean to people: culture.
Talent can only take a side so far. A third place finish at the 2011 World Cup aside, the Wallabies’ performances in recent years have done little to capture the imagination of Australian sports fans. The sad reality? Australian rugby had lost the edge that once made thousands of young kids cry: “I wanna be a Wallaby”.
Already this year the Wallabies have beaten the Springboks despite being dominated in nearly every statistical aspect of the game. They thrashed the Pumas in a scrappy match full of niggle and refused to take the bait when their Argentinian counterparts tried almost everything to throw them off their game.
Michael Hooper demonstrated the Wallabies meant business with his open handed shove to the back of a Puma who was holding his jersey. While this move landed him in front of the judiciary, it showed that the Wallabies are becoming a side that refuses to be pushed around.
Regardless of whether you agree with Hooper’s week-long suspension, it is hard to argue that the Wallaby vice-captain was only acting in the mindset he has had drilled into him during his last few years at the Waratahs. That’d be the old-school “no backward steps” kind of tough rugby indicative of Michael Cheika’s brand.
And the so called “Cheika Effect”, quite frankly, is what the Wallabies need.
Since the first 2015 Wallabies squad was pulled together, every man eligible to wear the gold jersey has had the “Cheika Effect” thrust upon them, and they seem to have relished it.
The “Cheika Effect” runs through every side Michael Cheika coaches. It’s a unique type of coaching not often seen in the modern game in Australia — a zestful, tough attitude that embodies what rugby is really about — passion, pride, mental toughness and camaraderie.
In every team he coaches, Cheika brings a very simple, old-school attitude to his side. His willingness to put his players through full-contact sessions even in the days before a match is something not often done in the modern-era of professionalism. It is things like this that develop a side that is mentally strong and bonded.
For the former Waratahs front man, there is no substitute for hard work, grit and pure mental toughness. It is these core values that have been lost in Australian rugby in recent years.
By contrast, the All Blacks have always had it. Their willingness to die for the black jersey is something that is ingrained in every rugby player pretty much from birth. They develop a winning attitude, a mental strength and passion for rugby that makes them almost unbeatable.
England achieved it during their 2003 World Cup campaign. So strong were they mentally under coach Clive Woodward that the side would not accept anyone giving any less than their all.
Jonny Wilkinson once spoke of his embarrassment at turning up a minute late for the team meeting. To most it would seem a minor issue, however the team had agreed no one be late or risk letting the group down. So ingrained in the side was this culture that failure was not only unacceptable, it was non-existent in their mindset.
It seems under Cheika, the Wallabies are on their way to developing a similar culture. Never before has the group appeared so tightly-knit. The division and squabbling among players and figureheads has disappeared and their outward support for each other is stronger than ever.
You only have to look at the way the side has supported Quade Cooper amid his conflicting contract negotiations of late to see that this is a side that will back each other.
Upon taking over at the Waratahs in 2013, Cheika managed to transform a team that failed to reach the finals in their first season under the new coach into Super Rugby champions the following year.
And with a very small influx of new players in the 2014 campaign, something must be said for the way the former Randwick back-rower runs his sides.
Cheika may well be the best thing to happen to Australian rugby since Eales first ran out for the Wallabies in 1991.
It has been Cheika’s culture shock and no-frills attitude to coaching that has already proved to have turned the mental strength of the Wallabies on its head.
At the end of the day, Cheika takes rugby back to its roots to instil the core values of passion, toughness and determination into any team he is involved with. And it creates champion outfits.
In the Cheika era, we may well see more than some famous Wallabies wins. We might once again see the Wallaby supporter rediscover the passion that once made them want to bleed gold and green.