...no no Nathan, thank you!
Sunday, 23 November 2008
At the end of a wonderful World Cup Final, New Zealand captain Nathan Cayless thanked the British fans for all the support they offered the Kiwis on the way to victory in Brisbane. It is though the English fans and the RFL who should be thanking the Kiwis.
A dark cloud had hung over English Rugby League fans and commentators all week. We had been contemplating another long period of Australian dominance. Whenever an English team was to take the pitch against Australia, we would be psychologically beaten before the game had even started. The best we might hope for would be that we might be competitive, rather than thinking about how to beat them.
Yet the Kiwis proved that the Australians are not supermen. They are fallible like the rest of us. They can be put on the back foot and respond poorly when the tide of matches goes against them.
The Kiwis recovered from a drubbing in a test series in 2007 to win a World Cup in 2008 against a side many had suggested was the best in history. They did so with a blend of youth and experience. They did so even with key players out injured. But they did so most of all with a solid game-plan, with a coaching staff of the best and the brightest, with enthusiasm and vigour sustained over 80 minutes. Instead of reforming every aspect of Superleague, these are the lessons we must learn.
None of this of course makes up for our disappointment with the England World Cup campaign, but it might just offer us a glimmer of hope. England were competitive with the Kiwis during the two matches they played, but they let those games slip out of their grasp. They only played Australia once, took a shellacking, and failed to give themselves a chance to make up for it. Perhaps we are not as flawed as we might have believed earlier in the week? Perhaps next time around things might be different?
Albert Camus once wrote that when God doesn’t exist, anything is possible. Well, perhaps if Australians are no longer Rugby League gods… you can probably guess the rest.
A dark cloud had hung over English Rugby League fans and commentators all week. We had been contemplating another long period of Australian dominance. Whenever an English team was to take the pitch against Australia, we would be psychologically beaten before the game had even started. The best we might hope for would be that we might be competitive, rather than thinking about how to beat them.
Yet the Kiwis proved that the Australians are not supermen. They are fallible like the rest of us. They can be put on the back foot and respond poorly when the tide of matches goes against them.
The Kiwis recovered from a drubbing in a test series in 2007 to win a World Cup in 2008 against a side many had suggested was the best in history. They did so with a blend of youth and experience. They did so even with key players out injured. But they did so most of all with a solid game-plan, with a coaching staff of the best and the brightest, with enthusiasm and vigour sustained over 80 minutes. Instead of reforming every aspect of Superleague, these are the lessons we must learn.
None of this of course makes up for our disappointment with the England World Cup campaign, but it might just offer us a glimmer of hope. England were competitive with the Kiwis during the two matches they played, but they let those games slip out of their grasp. They only played Australia once, took a shellacking, and failed to give themselves a chance to make up for it. Perhaps we are not as flawed as we might have believed earlier in the week? Perhaps next time around things might be different?
Albert Camus once wrote that when God doesn’t exist, anything is possible. Well, perhaps if Australians are no longer Rugby League gods… you can probably guess the rest.
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