No end in sight for Aussie drought
But Umaga steps over pot hole transtasman question after Sydney victory HURRICANES
Tana Umaga, still basking in the rare glow of victory, has wisely dodged the question of whether an Australian Super Rugby team will beat a Kiwi outfit this season.
The Blues have still to play the Rebels and Reds at Eden Park — an unhappy hunting ground for Umaga’s men this year — and, besides, they don’t have the wins to be passing judgment on the collective performances of the four strugglers across the Tasman.
But if not the Blues, a hitherto bumbling and at times shambolic mob who looked composed, gritty and disciplined in Sydney against the Waratahs — Australia’s best team, no less — then who?
There are 10 New Zealand v Australia Super Rugby regular season matches to come this season and the first couple do not look promising for Australian eyes; the Crusaders v Waratahs in Christchurch next Saturday, and fellow Kiwi high-fliers the Hurricanes against the Reds in Wellington the following Friday.
The streak is currently 38 matches and stretches back to May 27, 2016, when the Waratahs beat the Chiefs 45-25 at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium.
It is becoming a huge monkey on the backs of the Australian teams, the supporters of whom, being Australians, like winners.
Heavens knows what this streak will do to the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup chances this year, but suffice it to say it won’t help.
Australia gave up the cup in 2003 and haven’t won it since, a remarkable streak in itself.
The culling of the Western Force from the competition was supposed to help strengthen the depth of Australian rugby but there is no evidence of that yet.
The Rebels, the second best Australian team this year, had a good start to the season but were thrashed 50-19 by the Hurricanes in Melbourne in round seven and looked worse than clueless against the Crusaders at AAMI Stadium on Friday.
The visitors ran in six converted Upcoming transtasman Super Rugby matches Saturday: May 18: May 19: May 26: June 2: June 29: June 30: July 7: July 14: tries in the second half for a 55-10 victory; the last of which came after the final siren and there was a hint of surrender as Manasa Mataele went over far too easily.
Against New Zealand teams the Aussies appear to be mentally fragile, prone to making mistakes under pressure and unable to consistently put the opposition under pressure themselves. There isn’t enough direction coming from their playmakers, some of whom are extremely experienced.
There is a certain irony in the Blues having been guilty of these very things recently but being able to hold off the Waratahs 24-21 at Brookvale Oval to focus even more scrutiny on the streak and game in general across the Tasman.
Of all their faults, the Australians’ mental state when facing Kiwi opposition appears the most important and Umaga got to the crux of the matter this morning when he said: “The more you make of it the more it plays on your psyche.”
This could get a lot worse for the Aussies before it gets better.
“We didn’t talk about it,” Umaga told the Australian media of the streak in the aftermath of the match.
“We’ve got our own issues we’re trying to sort out… but yeah, there’s a lot made of it.”
Halfback and skipper Augustine Pulu added: “We always talk about the inner belief in our circle, and that’s all that matters.’’ There is pride and relief among the Blues players and their coach Tana Umaga that they have maintained New Zealand’s Super Rugby winning streak over Australia.
It was done the hard way and that in itself pleased Umaga. Up 24-14 and looking comfortable in the second half at Sydney’s Brookvale Oval, a converted Michael Hooper try with 10 minutes remaining put the Blues on red alert for the final, anxious, moments before they heard the final whistle on a precious 24-21 victory, only their third of the season.
“It’s huge for us,” Umaga said this morning. “We’ve been through some struggles recently — they’re well documented.
“We needed some positive outcomes for the amount of work we’ve put in. We knew coming over here that the Tahs, with the way they’ve been playing, were targeting us. We just wanted to put a bit of pride back in our performances and our club.”
They have done that, and with outside back Melani Nanai and midfielder Sonny Bill Williams potentially returning for Friday’s match against the Hurricanes at Eden Park, this coming week should have a very different vibe.
The Blues have lost all four games at home this season but this victory, after they led 18-14 at halftime, will give them some dearly-needed confidence.
The alternative would have been ugly and increased the scrutiny on Umaga and the underperforming franchise. The Kiwi winning streak over their Aussie counterparts now stands at an extraordinary 38 matches, but Umaga was wary about saying when or if it would end.
“I’m not going to say anything around that,” he said. “We’ve still got a very good Rebels team to come and a Reds team that is playing well. Like anything, these streaks are made to be broken, it’s just when [not if]. The more you make of it, the more it plays on your psyche.” Blues coach Tana Umaga
It was on lock Patrick Tuipulotu’s mind beforehand. Asked about his feelings at the finish, he said yesterday: “A sense of relief. For me, when I heard of that streak, that pretty much fired me up in the days leading