Testing the friendship
Aussie, Kiwi fans face off over Rugby World Cup
IF Waxy’s bartender Ashley Mason had a dollar for every Kiwi who’s walked into her bar and bleated “We’re gonna win the World Cup”, she’d be in the crowd at Wembley Stadium for Sunday’s Wallabies-All Blacks showdown.
“Every time a Kiwi comes to the bar they tell me they’re going to win but sadly, they’re not,” she said yesterday.
“They’re very cocky, the Kiwis. We’ll see how happy they are on Sunday.’’
Forget Australia’s dominance over New Zealand in cricket, netball and rugby league.
And a big fat medal schmeddle to anyone keeping count of our Olympic gold hauls (it’s Australia 138 v NZ 42, for the record).
There’s only one count that counts when it comes to trans-Tasman rivalry and that’s the tie-break set to be settled (at least for the next four years) in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.
The match, the first time the two teams have faced off in the World Cup final, is hopefully as close to outright war as Australia and New Zealand will ever come.
Much like the Bledisloe Cup, the stoush will divide families and fracture friendships.
All bets will be off – and plenty of bets will be placed.
A Wallabies loss will force fans to gag on humble mutton bird pie for the next four years, while the land of the long white cloud’s future will be grey if the All Blacks can’t clock the win.
“I reckon half of them will move home again rather than hang around and cop it from us for four years,” Wallabies fan Darryl said, spit flying from his lips as he laughed at the thought.
“They’ve got nothing else to talk themselves up about. Rugby’s the only thing they’ve ever been any good at.
“And anyway, let’s be honest – they still owe us big time for flick passing Russell Crowe and bloody Joh Bjelke-Petersen.”
New Zealand-born, Brisbane-raised rugby player Ian cheers Australia on in plenty of international sports but can’t stomach the thought of a Wallabies win in rugby.
“It’s going to be an awesome game but the Wallabies can’t win,” he said.
“Half their team are from the Pacific Islands, anyway.”
His Kiwi-born, Sydneybased cousin Fionah, who is holidaying on the Gold Coast with her Aussie husband, feels the same way.
“We’ll be watching in our hotel room. It gets a bit tense,” she said.
“It will be all-out war. We’ve got no mediator.
“If the All Blacks don’t win, I’ll be having a sickie on Monday.”