Given recent disappointments, is it acceptable to be satisfied with a ‘sloppy’ Wallabies victory?

Like many of my followers here, I have suffered countless disappointments from the Wallabies over the past decade, even longer than the Bledisloe Cup.

The term “dark ages” was something of a loose term until last year, but it was only after the World Cup and the disaster of the Eddie Jones experiment that it seemed to dawn on us that Australian men’s 15-a-side rugby had truly entered its dark ages.

The harsh reality is that while the world has slowly embraced rugby over the past decade and it has seemed to improve at a national level, the Australian men’s team has continued to sink, and at times even promise success, such as the 2015 World Cup final. (Is anyone surprised?)

But eventually Australia went down while the other teams went up, and until Wales won we were ranked 9th in the world.

There have been some positive signs in Super Rugby throughout the year, with the Reds’ resurgence under Les Kiss and the Brumbies resulting in a great regular season and a disappointing finals exit.

The rebels fought harder than we expected. Force and Waratahs… well, Jeremy Williams and Jake Gordon had a good year, didn’t they?

Like many, I felt a mixture of relief and excitement when Joe Schmidt was announced as Australia’s head coach. He is a cool, experienced and clear communicator who has taken the reins and was clearly the best choice.

I was equally excited to see his squad revealed. Of course, I had my opinions. Lalakai Foketi and Seru Uru seemed like harsh exclusions, but ultimately they looked like a cohesive unit.

(Photo courtesy of Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

And I liked the way he wore No. 23 on Game Day.

When the team won the first Wallabies Test of the year, their first win under Schmidt, I felt relieved yet excited at the same time.

The team wasn’t perfect throughout the game, but there were enough moments of individual brilliance and passion and tenacity that it was enough to leave me, a well-ironed and frankly jaded Wallabies fan, satisfied with the result.

This is why I was shocked and disappointed by some of the commentary on the game by Tony Harper, the editor of this publication. I listen to the Roar Rugby Podcast religiously.

I don’t always agree with it, but I’ve found Harper’s recent comments to be largely cynical and negative. To be honest, it reeks of someone who doesn’t watch much rugby.

He seemed to make an almost conceited comment about not attending the game, which may have been a good reason, but what really surprised me was that he gave the game a “three out of ten”.

We are ranked 9th in the world.

2023 was a terrible year overall, and now we have a completely new coaching staff, seven debutants and we are playing in a stadium where we haven’t won in 10 years.

Head coach Joe Schmidt. (Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

It was a game where we won by more than 7 points against a team that was ranked higher than us in the world. They were also going through a rebuilding process, but they were a team with little experience and there was a nearly sold-out crowd.

So, having been given a 3 out of 10 by Harper, I’m not sure how he defines the future success of Australian men’s 15s rugby.

No, of course this victory doesn’t mean everything is okay.

But it was clear to me and some of my close rugby-obsessed friends that the positives far outweighed the negatives, at least for a while now.

So Tony, if you’re reading this, would you consider rewatching the games and rewatching some of this year’s Super Rugby games and seeing where the squads and players came from?

Look at the way Schmidt has communicated with the public, the press and the players since he took over as manager. I think he is honest, clear and not a ‘biased commentator’.

Look at that score compared to all the Test matches last year.

We hope that in your next appearance on the Roar Rugby Podcast, you will rethink your thinking and come up with a more informed and insightful contribution.