A decade of inconsistency and disappointment for Australian rugby
Australian rugby is licking its wounds after a miserable year that drew the curtains on a decade best consigned to the sport’s historic dustbin.
Rugby enters a new 10-year block facing serious challenges to its status as a premier Australian sporting product, the Israel Folau storm of 2019 the latest and most damaging from a collection of off-field blow-ups.
Negative headlines have outnumbered celebratory moments, the last of which came three years ago when the women’s sevens team collected gold at the Rio Olympics.
Men’s results have tailed off although the Wallabies sparked memories of the glorious 1990s when the 2015 side under Michael Cheika defied all predictions and reached the Rugby World Cup final.
Cheika was at the helm when the NSW Waratahs won a maiden Super Rugby crown a year earlier, mirroring the deeds of the 2011 Queensland Reds.
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Otherwise, Super Rugby was a grim landscape for Australian sides, translating into a struggling Wallabies te am whose form was rarely better than patchy. A winning ratio of just over 50 per cent across the decade was the sixth best among tier-one nations.
Reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup was a task too hard for Robbie Deans, Ewen McKenzie and Cheika, whose Wallabies coaching tenures all ended on low notes.
Turnover king David Pocock was a world-class forward operator but a dearth of x-factor backline players made the sport a hard sell.
Aside from Folau, it’s hard to think of an attacking back that repeatedly got hearts racing, although Will Genia and Quade Cooper were a lethal playmaking pair for a fleeting time.
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Cooper became as well known for his off-field run-ins, a member of the “three amigos” – alongside Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor – the young Test stars who kept officialdom on their toes.
Honours Board:
– 2011, Queensland Reds win Super Rugby
– 2011, Wallabies win the Tri-Nations.
– 2014, NSW Waratahs win Super Rugby
– 2015, Wallabies win the Rugby Championship
– 2015, Wallabies reach the Rugby World Cup final.
– 2016, Women’s sevens win gold at the Rio Olympics
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Winning percentage (tier-one teams)
New Zealand 86.6%, England 68.3, Ireland 60.8, South Africa 59.8, Wales 55.0, AUSTRALIA 53.7, France 46.9, Scotland 46.6, Argentina 35.6, Italy 23.4.
Best Wallabies XV
Fullback – Israel Folau. Before disappearing in a blaze of controversy, Folau was easily the most devastating attacker to wear green and gold this decade. Kurtley Beale had his moments at the back.
Wingers – Adam Ashley-Cooper and James O’Connor. The lack of quality wide men is highlighted by two players better known for their versatility getting the nod. Of the spe cialists, Drew Mitchell peaked the previous decade and 2019 World Cup star Marika Koroibete left his run too late.
Centres – Tevita Kuridrani and Kurtley Beale. Fielding a settled Wallabies midfield was rare. Kuridrani was strong and reliable while Beale on his day could be a match-winner but he was shunted around the backline.
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Five-eighth – Bernard Foley. Solid and racked up points at a decent rate but only really shone at the 2015 World Cup. Quade Cooper’s flashes of brilliance were too fleeting.
Halfback – Will Genia. The game’s premier No.9 early in his career before tailing off by the end but always one of the team’s most important players. Nick Phipps was an admirable backup.
Back row – David Pocock, Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy. On sheer ability, champion ball scrounger Pocock and the workaholic Hooper are both there, despite criticism their combination created an under-sized pack. The industrious Fardy blended with them best in 2015.
New York has left Mathieu Bastareaud feeling all chilly at new club Rugby United https://t.co/yaYmpvRW8q
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Locks – Rob Simmons and James Horwill. Simmons was a model of consistency across the decade. Horwill was promoted to captain, edging him ahead of some worthy candidates.
Props – Sekope Kepu and Scott Sio. Kepu was the most capped Wallaby during the 10 years, playing 107 of the 136 Tests. Sio was a brutal performer in recent seasons, seeing off the claims of James Slipper and Benn Robinson.
Hooker – Stephen Moore (captain). Like so many of the 2015 Rugby World Cup finalists, finds a place in this selection. A tough as nails skipper, complemented by Tatafu Polota-Nau off the bench
– AssociatedPress
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Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments