On the weekend commentator Greg Clark made an obvious point during the Brumbies v Rebels game; Australia derbies are mistake-riddled. This comment came after a period where both teams were struggling to hold on to the ball, and conceding repeated penalties. This dour affair was even more disheartening where compared with the Crusaders demolition of the Highlanders a couple of hours before, which produced probably the try of the tournament.
As the international season draws near commentators and fans are becoming concerned about the contrast of skill level between local derbies here and abroad. There’s no doubt that all Australian teams have produced moments of brilliance, but that brilliance goes missing when they play each other. If these performances are seen during the Rugby Championship it will be a long season for the Wallabies.
Lack of basic skills and junior development are mentioned when these games are discussed. It is true that in some cases these fundamentals may be lacking when compared to our South African and Kiwi rivals, but this alone doesn’t explain these lacklustre matches.
Rather, it is the conference system that plays a huge part. When a team defeats another in their conference, they get the four points and deny the other team four. With these games effectively worth eight points, the bonus point incentive (only one point) loses its appeal. What’s the point of risking 8 points for a measly one?
In all likelihood there will be only one Australian team in the finals, so wildcard spots and the necessary bonus point to get into the top six is pointless for Aussie teams. The only option is to win the conference and deny other local teams that opportunity. This means that every local derby is effectively a final – and a final means finals footy – invariably a dour grind where each side is simply intent on not making errors. The Brumbies and Reds are capable of brilliance but there’s no point playing entertaining rugby if you lose the conference.
In the coming weeks South African and New Zealand derbies will be more entertaining because their teams are fighting for three wildcard spots. These different styles of play don’t mean that Australian teams lack skills, it just means that they’re at a different stage of the competition. Of course these games are tough to watch for all supporters, but that doesn’t mean they should be worried. The bright side is that these players are learning how to play in close contests where everything is on the line – Something that could come in handy when they’re trying to regain the Bledisloe later this year.
::Ewen Hollingsworth
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It’s GOT to stay at 20 teams, or even move up to 24 or so. I had never heard it be suggested that there be a socned trophy for those failing to qualify for the QFs. I think that it is an excellent idea. My visions for the future of the Rugby World Cup were more along the lines of the football WC, with 32 teams competing in the finals for 16 socned round places, but I think the B trophy idea would bring extra excitement to the competition and would encourage the supporters of the weaker nations to follow the event to its conclusion. The Big 8 are not so big any more, with Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England all looking very ordinary for at least some of their matches. Even France got undone by a seriously superior Argentinian team. The only team to have really lifted its game is England, and there is still serious doubt in the minds of almost every England supporter about whether they are able to perform well for another game.I also agree about there being more teams in both the 6-nations and the Tri-nations. Just look at the improvement in Italy’s game since they joined the tournament. Imagine what that kind of annual competition could do for the other nations which struggle to get on the international stage. I think this world cup has been the greatest yet, and that has been brought about by many of the games being very closely contested and some fantastic rugby being played by some of the lesser’ teams. My ideal final would be Argentina V England, with England winning, but I think it would be very good for the game of Rugby if the Argentinians could come through and win the trophy.
Posted by Stelios | June 22, 2012, 4:51 AM