Wallabies v Springboks
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@Mick-Gold-Coast-QLD said in Wallabies v Springboks:
No matter where the debates meander on why the players do as they do and fail as they fail, who is the right coach, what is wrong with this coach or that, the referee is a dunce and so on, this is what is happening continuously, the inevitable erosion and contraction of a once valuable institution which is a central part of community life.
You cannot imagine the deep disappointment and sense of loss one feels after a lifetime involvement, from mid teens, witnessing the decline of Australian rugby.
It's something of a mystery to me as to where Australian rugby has gone wrong. But, on the plus side, I think that we've only won one cricket test against you guys in the past 25 years and that hasn't in the slightest killed cricket in New Zealand, so I expect all the grave fears for the death of Australian rugby are both premature and overstated. Unless you guys are much bigger wet blankets than I think.
That's the sop - now here's the boot.
In the period of around 1998-2003, you fucking Aussies were thrashing us at everything. The Commonwealth games would come around and we might as well have put "Advance Australia Fair" on constant cycle, cricket, league, netball and, appallingly, even fucking rugby. People were leaving our country in droves for your balmy shores, you guys seemed to be paid about twice as much as us and, frankly, it was a fucking depressing time to be a New Zealander.
I consoled myself that you guys, your sportsmen at least, were doubtless all on drugs!
A decade or so later and the boot is on the other foot. We may not beat you guys, but in a lot of sports we're going in on an even footing in terms of hope, if not expectation. Our Crown Jewel, rugby, we've jumped away from you and your government has been a source of ridiculous delight to me - lurching from shambles to disaster.
We've got better - but, you guys have definitively also got worse across many spheres.
This isn't really to put the boot in too much, but maybe you should send this frank assessment to your Prime Minister, because Jesus, you guys have made a bollocks of things and need to lift your game!
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The Boks approach to this game was bizarre.
Did they not see England beat us mid-year with a combo of kicking and power? It's a style they are ideally suited to playing, but for some reason tried to try and play razzle-dazzle rugby. Elton Jantjes cross-kicked in his own 22. Twice. What planet was he on?
The Wallaby lineout was on life support the last two weeks, but did the Boks try and kick to the corners? Nope. Just mind boggling, really.
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Jantjies was very good for the Lions in Super rugby. Probably isn't suited to test footy where you have less space/time.
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There is a new thread in Off-Topic for that religious discussion that was taking place...this thread can now die on its own
As an aside, the thread separating and moving tool is pretty easy on the new software!
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@No-Quarter Yeah, rather Quade Cooper like that. I think the more he plays the more he will bed himself in. He's a great player, abeilt not one in the typical SA flyhalf mould.
