Are The Wallabies On The Up?
Things seem to be on the up if you are an Australian rugby supporter. Okay, the Samoan debacle was just that – but the island mauling aside, things have been pretty sweet for the game they play in heaven (according to locals).
Two Aussie teams in the Super Rugby finals series, the Queensland Reds going on to capture the title (the first in this neck of the woods since the Brumbies in ’04) and the simple joy of watching the likes of Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor running around a rugby field all make us feel good about the Wallabies’ prospects.
Throw in the enticement of the World Cup – played in the mercifully easy-to-watch Kiwi time zone – and the growing prospect that a free-running Wallabies side just might meet the All Blacks in the decider, and one would say the 15-man game is in rude health.
And rude is exactly how I’d describe the Springboks. South Africa is treating the Tri Nations as a joke by sending second- and third-string players to the tournament. Sure, they can lay claim to injuries but coach Peter de Villiers trying to tell us that 21 top-line players are out of action – puh-lease.
So, are the defending Cup champions making a mockery of the Tri Nations – in most other years regarded as the premier rugby series in the world? Should we can the Tri Nations (soon to be Four Nations with the inclusion of Argentina) in World Cup years? Alternatively you may think the Springboks are doing the right thing by saving themselves for a crack at Bill in New Zealand? Then again that could backfire by not having the match-hardened players when it comes to the elimination rounds…
Tell us what you think!
Recent Comments