Club Troppo

It was last year’s mantra, at least among my friends, as we looked to 2007. We need to win back the Ashes to put the pommies in their rightful place, we kept saying to each other. We need to defeat John Howard to save working people from the grand theft that is WorkChoices. And we also need to put the Eddie Jones era well behind us by winning the rugby World Cup.

As it happened, we won back the Ashes before 2007 even started, and the cricket team went on to make a historic clean sweep in the New Year. The second leg of the trifecta is already looking good. Although it’s still too early to tell what will happen at the general election, Rudd Labor is clearly competitive. On the other hand, the prospect of a Wallaby victory in France later this year has been looking distinctly more and more impossible as 2007 has ebbed by … until last night!!

The maestro in action

There hasn’t been much rugby worth watching this year, especially for Aussie fans. But last night’s match between the Brumbies and the Crusaders was a cracker. Australia’s forwards defended like men possessed, which is to say like Wallaby forwards of yesteryear. They even made All Black great, Richie McCaw, look merely human. The Brumbie backs were superb. Gregan was commanding. Mortlock played out of his skin, or as if he didn’t care about his skin, or his body, or anything except his huge heart. The other backs were also magnificent.

Where superlatives fail is when you get to that man, Stephen Larkham. It wasn’t that the Kiwi pretender to the title of the world’s best No 10, Dan Carter, played badly. On the contrary, Carter had a good game, by any standard - except for ‘Bernie’ Larkham’s standard. On top of his game in a committed team, Australia’s great 10 remains peerless. The abundant inadequacies of Australia’s selectors and coaching staff notwithstanding, so long as Bernie can stay fit, Australia has a real chance at the great trifecta. Between the Ruddster and Larkham, the nation may yet be saved. Lord be praised.