Last Saturday night marked my initiation to a live Wallabies game after an elapsed duration of over ten years. The year of 2023 was rather dreadful for the Wallabies, and this game saw about 36,000 dedicated fans, donned in golden gear, grace the splendid Sydney Football Stadium. Despite the stadium not being sold out, the attendance was impressive, considering the Wallabies hadn’t scored a victory against a top-tier team in Sydney for over a decade.
Joe Schmidt, endearingly known as “Aussie Joe”, was not the indigenous coach the home fans would have preferred. This, however, did not deter their unwavering belief that their cherished yellow jersey would someday regain its grandeur. Thus, they aimed to motivate their lacklustre team with their presence.
A triumph over the lacklustre Welsh team was their highest possible expectation and as is widely acknowledged, a victory is still a victory.
Prior to the Sydney test, Wallabies’ supporters congregated in pubs to be witnesses to the remarkable skills displayed by the New Zealanders, who were striving to up the game’s tempo. In the meantime, England was seemingly playing under Gareth Southgate’s instructions, grappling at limbs, and vying to reduce the game’s speed.
A fan donning a golden scarf, seated in the row ahead of us, spun around and remarked, “Have you noticed how Razor [Scott Robinson, NZ coach] has the Kiwis playing? They’re going to score 50 against us.” It was regarded more as a declaration of truth rather than an opinion.
The same evening, the Irish game was directly broadcasted from Pretoria’s highveld to the Australian households. The extraordinary physical prowess demonstrated in the match between the world’s two highest-ranked teams was a stark contrast to the Wallabies and Welsh match. New Zealand, South Africa, France, and Ireland are clearly superior classes.
Tony Brown’s appointment as the Springboks’ offensive coach was quite intriguing for me. Whether as a player or a coach, from Otago to Japan, Brown had always inflamed running game passion.
I’ve consistently maintained that the unexplored offensive abilities of the Springboks team imply that they are well-equipped to play a game as expansive as that of New Zealand, Ireland, or France. This kind of gameplay could enable the William Webb Ellis trophy holders to motivate globally rather than simply exert force.
It was heartening last weekend to observe the Boks operating at a more accelerated pace with the ball. Bearing in mind that it was their initial match adhering to Brown’s strategy, it’s worrying for the rest of the rugby world. If the Boks supplement their remarkable physicality with a skillful offense, their intimidation factor will increase manifolds.
Like all successful teams, the Springboks are continuously improving, rather than resting on their laurels after World Cup victory. They’re already in the process of evolution.
One can’t help but wonder if Brown’s influence on the Springboks’ strategies could alter their traditional 7-1 and 6-2 squad selections that safeguard the relatively scarce Springboks backline players.
In the 48th minute of the previous week’s test, six bulky substitute forwards stepped in to relieve their fellow Springboks. Whilst this meant that 12 Springbok forwards each played slightly more or less than half the match, the global rugby community is justified in questioning if utilising a refreshed forward bench against an exhausted adversary is safe.
As the concussion crisis severely impacts rugby recruitment with parents fearing head injuries for their children, images of Craig Casey’s unconscious face made their rounds on global television. This was made possible by a gap in safety regulations that enables coaches to appoint two squads of large players in a single team. This inevitably means that worn-out players have to physically contend with energetic ones, a guaranteed formula for injuries.
This isn’t solely my perspective. Numerous neurologists and specialists on concussion have publicly communicated the same argument about the existing bench structure.
It’s fundamental not to forget that the reserves bench was a direct result of a previous injury pandemic in our sport. During the 1980s, horrendous scrum injuries had detrimental effects on lives and posed a threat to the survival of rugby itself.
The notion of a reserves bench was conceived and introduced by astute administrators, prioritising player safety. This ensures that an adequately trained replacement player can take the field safely, should a starter player suffer an injury.
The present law regarding the structure of reserves, however, allows for discriminatory practices against backline players by coaches. This is not only contrary to the principle of rugby – a sport inclusive of all body types – it is, moreover, unsafe.
Observe Casey’s terrifying tumble towards the ground, a massive substitute player wrapped around him. Take note of the chaotic explosion in the Irish scrum as bodies and necks twist uncontrollably. Attempt then, to construct a convincing rebuttal.
It is unsettling that regulations initially designed for player safety have devolved into practices which are distinctly hazardous and discriminatory towards the inclusion of backline players. Yet, they are accepted as both safe and in keeping with the spirit of rugby by our administrators.
I feel compelled to invoke the wise words of Leo Tolstoy to illustrate our current predicament, “An act does not cease to be wrong because the majority participate in it.”
Sacrificing a player’s safety for victory is never a worthwhile trade-off.
While South Africa were undeniably superior and rightful winners, the exhaustion seen in the Irish players was palpable. After working staunchly for 13 months, they are understandably fatigued.
Achieving victory at the Six Nations was monumental, but the effort exerted throughout the gut-wrenching World Cup campaign, continuous losses throughout the URC and Champions Cup, coupled with the extensive South African tour, was maximally challenging.
The performances of this season’s emerging players – Jack Crowley, Calvin Nash and Joe McCarthy – appears to wane as their initial vigour is nearly depleted. Saturday, therefore, may usher in a celebratory home run for the world champion title incumbents.