Wallabies, or Wobblies?
THE BLEDISLOE CUP
This could get messy. While Australian rugby has wobbled from one major problem to the next ahead of the Bledisloe Cup match in Sydney tonight, the All Blacks have spent the last week twisting their own dials in a bid to reach boiling point at ANZ Stadium.
The idea, of course, is for coach Steve Hansen to have his All Blacks in such a glassy-eyed state before kickoff that they can ruthlessly suck the energy out of the Wallabies and add another layer of misery to the embattled sports organisation in the Land of Oz.
Less than two years ago, when the Wallabies met the All Blacks in the World Cup final in Twickenham, and coach Michael Cheika was named as World Rugby’s coach of the year, the Aussies were on the cusp of being the kings of the rugby world.
The downward spiral of Australian rugby makes for grim reading. They are searching for a new chief executive in the wake of Bill Pulver’s recent resignation, are set to be embroiled in messy divorce proceedings after chopping the Western Force, not one of their clubs could beat a New Zealand side in 26 attempts in Super Rugby, and the projected crowd of 50-55,000 for this match ANZ Stadium will be record low for a Bledisloe Cup match at the Olympic venue.
The Brumbies were the only Australian team to qualify for the Super Rugby playoffs, and got dumped out when they lost to the Hurricanes in the quarterfinal. Hansen would have preferred to see more Aussies involved in the physically demanding suddendeath series.
‘‘While their franchise fans probably weren’t overly excited about the fact that they got knocked out early, I would rather have seen them play through the finals and have less preparation time,’’ Hansen said.
He was also adamant the Wallabies had enough talent to field a decent side and then added: ‘‘The third thing that makes them really dangerous is their desire to help Australian rugby, and at the moment it’s got a bit of a cloud over it.’’
That final statement is no exaggeration. But given the All Blacks drew 1-1 in the series with the British and Irish Lions, Wallabies supporters holding their half-full drinking jars aloft will say that proved the world champions can be toppled.
Such optimism is to be admired. But if Cheika and his captain Michael Hooper are to empower their team to sling a rock between the eyes of the New Zealand giant they must get every detail, tactically and executionwise, right.
Hansen and his fellow selectors haven’t panicked in the wake of the disappointing 15-15 draw to the Lions in the third test in Auckland; embedding Damian Mckenzie at fullback provides a potent counter-attacking threat if the Wallabies’ kicking game is sloppy.
Cheika will have analysed how the Lions used their defensive strategies to limit the All Blacks’ time and space with the ball, and is likely to employ a rushing line to put pressure on the midfield pairing of Sonny Bill Williams and Ryan Crotty and prevent them getting clean ball to their wings.
A first-up win in the three-test series for the Aussies gives them the chance to reclaim the cup for the first time since 2003. Cheika will have to cook up something special if he is do what Ewen Mckenzie, Robbie Deans, John Connolly and Eddie Jones couldn’t between 2004-2014
Hansen reinforced the obvious, that he doesn’t want to be in charge when the Bledisloe goes west.
‘‘Someone is going to lose it, I guess, but you don’t want to be that person.’’