Australian rugby woes
EVERY week The Chronicle sport team look at the big issues in sport. This week Glen, Jason and Sean talk about the state of Australian rugby.
Jason Gibbs: I think it’d be quicker to for us to discuss what’s right with Australian rugby – because the alternative is simply too mammoth a task to undertake.
As we prepare for yet another season of disappointment against New Zealand rugby sides I’m convinced we are cursed.
We’re cursed or the boys from across the ditch have some kind of crafty Kiwi magic we don’t know about.
They’re the only two reasonable explanations I can think of to explain our poor performances.
Some might argue the fact rugby is not the dominant footy code here in Australia but I’m not buying that.
Surely we can put together at least one competitive team over the course of a season.
Maybe it’s time we cast our selection net a little wider – I hear there is a real promising bloke playing park footy in Brisbane – his name is Quade something.
Sean Teuma: There’s a number of ways you could look at the dismal record of Australian Super Rugby teams against their New Zealand counterparts, but I think it’s quite simple, they’ve got it over us upstairs.
I believe there is a lack of belief among the current crop of Australian teams.
If the standings were based on total points, the top Aussie side would be sitting in seventh, and that’s largely because they have cushy draws where they largely avoid playing against the much superior Kiwi sides.
Look at the Melbourne Rebels. They were coasting along in the early stages of the competition after winning four of their last five, before they were trounced by the Hurricanes.
They’ve now lost five in a row and they’ve got as much momentum as Malcolm Turnbull’s Newspolls.
At least we can hold out hope that an Australian side may get within a try of one of the Kiwi teams, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.
Glen McCullough: It would be easiest to simply say “who cares” and let the Kiwis have their fun.
We’ll just be good at almost everything else they are not.
Lets face, it rugby is a religion in New Zealand.
The country worships the sport and that fanaticism is rewarded with an extraordinary dominance at world level. Not so the case in Australia. Our lust for rugby success is more subdued but that’s no excuse for continuing poor form against our neighbours.
We obviously have the numbers to support four football codes in this country and as Australians our thirst to win everything we contest never diminishes.
I don’t understand the politics of Australian rugby union but people in the know maintain our “lack of success” starts at the front office.
Private schools in this country more than pull their rugby union development weight, so where would be without them.
Perhaps we just need to admit whatever we do on the rugby field, the Kiwis do it better.