All Blacks v Wallabies - The Bledisloe, Dead Rubber Edition

-

October 31 2015, Rugby World Cup Final, New Zealand (1/3 - FAV) v Australia (9/4) , Twickenham.

October 22 2016, Bledisloe Cup (dead rubber), New Zealand (1/25 - FAV) v Australia (9/1), Eden Park.

Cold hard facts that paint a tale of exponential growth in All Black dominance, not just over their cross Tasman rivals but also the rest of World Rugby. Patience, England, we know you fancy a pop. To think there were concerns that post the Autumnal glory at HQ, the All Black ship would find itself in choppy seas without good ol Captain McCaw and First Mate Carter to guide it home. Transition period? Not here.   

The All Blacks are the World's premier rugby team. News to nobody. However, the manner in which they have extended their preeminence over Rugby Championship rivals this season, is news. Six games, six victories, six bonus points and a score differential of 178 – an average winning margin of nearly 30 points. Australia, South Africa and Argentina all finished the Championship, with a negative for and against. Maybe they’re stuck in transition.  

Off the field, the All Black brand is frothing commercially - they are the prize heavyweight that all fans want to see their man pitted against, even if it does end in brutality. If it does - so be it, we’ll do it all again next time. The fans will pay their coin in hope that this time is THE time.  

BUT, what if one day these fans get fed up of seeing their gang getting a pummeling by the Men in Black. Better things to do, more exciting sports to watch, seen it all before etc etc. The cash stays in the pocket, and not the hands of the bully.

Don King and Prestige Worldwide, combined, would struggle to build any sort of hype around Saturday's final Bledisloe Cup game of 2016 at Eden Park. Press conference jibes and a Quade Cooper orientated campaign of hate, have no place here. Not worth the effort, the emotion. The bookies have spoken. The All Blacks will win; perhaps a realistic shock would be a margin of less than twenty points. Maybe even for the most ardent All Black supporter there is a grain of the brain that wishes it was all on the line this Saturday. They are accustomed to exciting rugby but rarely a thrilling encounter.

I propose that in the longer term, continued All Blacks superiority over their nearest and dearest might become a genuine threat to the All Black commercial brand. Crazy hypothesis, or is it? In professional sport, a predictable product can’t be as marketable as one that has greater volatility in the end result. If not damaging to their own brand, what about the impact of New Zealand’s dominance to the value of SANZAAR's Rugby Championship. Can we draw parallels from the demise of Glasgow Rangers and the subsequent stranglehold that Glasgow Celtic have over Scottish Football? I’m sure any prospective sponsor or television mogul would tell you they would prefer to bank roll a Scottish Premiership with the two Glasgow giants going toe to toe for the title. I’d imagine even the Celtic fans were glad to see their bitter rivals back in the same division this season. All Black fans, one day this could be you!

10 bucks on Australia please Mr. Bookmaker. 9-1 though, kick yourself if you didn’t.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All Blacks v South Africa

-
For us outsiders, it is easy to pass off a rare All Black defeat as a one off. An anomaly. Like getting a B in religious studies when you’re rocking A’s galore in the subjects that matter. New Zealand will bounce back. It would take a brave punter to back their opponents next week, or the week after. Bugger it, you’re brave if you ever wager against the World Champs.  But, what outsiders classify as an anomaly, is simultaneously the greatest fear for those in the inner sanctum. It is the reason for the extra rep, the justification for the ‘clean as’ feed.  Whilst the rest of us might lie awake on a Sunday night asking searching life questions like ‘why am I still drinking Hooch at the age of 31’; The All Blacks’ sheep counting is interrupted by visions of that B grade performance, the anomaly. Why the worry? They’ll win next time, they will win the Rugby Championship.  For the answer, I defer to the All Black sides of the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups
Read more

The Murrayfield Lament with a side of George North

-
Image
The Star Casino, Sydney, bears little resemblance to 'Taly Social' (pronounced Taleee, short for Talybont), the bar at my Uni halls of residence. It bears no resemblance. However, as I exited the gambling emporium at 3:37am on Sunday February 26 2017, vis a vis today, my face held a glum expression that perfectly resembled that with which I departed  the student binge drinking haven on February 10th 2007. The day on which Wales last experienced defeat at the hands of the Scots. As a sign of personal development, I would like to add that the 2017 dejected Welsh fan comes without the Strongbow and Black stains situated within a short radius of the mouth. So, why did Scotland win? They nailed their doubles. No, this is not a reference to the much stereotyped drinking prowess of the Scots, more a darts type analogy used to indicate that Vern Cotter's side were more clinical in converting opportunity into points. And we all know what points mean.....(the answer is prizes).
Read more

Where on earth are you from?

-
Image
'Hey, where you from?', the cliched opening gambit of one backpacker seeking to temporarily befriend another over a cold beer. As a Welshman, I know that in many instances my response will draw a blank face and a 'Ah, Cool. Where's that?'. Each time, I sigh internally, so as not to come across rude, before offering up a token 'next to England'. On reflection, Wales' notoriety level or lack of, probably says as much about what the principality is bringing to the global stage, as it does about the geographical awareness of my fellow traveller. This lack of global identity is not an issue for our Celtic brethren from Ireland and Scotland. They have many an export, synonymous with their nation that have become common place in global society. The fact is, Brains isn't Guinness, Penderyn isn't Glenmorangie or Jameson, and despite his statue in the middle of Corwen, Owain Glyndwr isn't William Wallace. But then again, Wallace was seven feet tal
Read more