I was tempted to put the customary, “0,” representative of the Wallabies (now to be forever referenced by their title, “Wobblies“) failure at Etihad in Battle One for the Bledisloe, but after what was witnessed at the encased environment in Melbourne, such a reference may even be too offensive and unfair to the concepts inherent in a “0’s” world.
If only the result was as happy as the colour of their attire. Yes, that’s a happy, happy t-shirt they’ve got on! Can we call it a jersey? Please, somebody turn out the lights, because the Wobblies are wearing the Sun! Maybe the problem is that they’ve been staring at themselves too much in the mirror? Nah, that doesn’t sound likely, after all, we know that Australians don’t rate themselves very highly! Maybe, it’s just the blackness of their opponents? The “Wobblies” did seem to become all star-struck, and caught, staring at the moon, while the Blackness played on!
Whatever it was… Yes, train-spotter, the Pace, Power, Verve, and Flair of the All Blacks could have had something to do with it, but let’s have a little bit of honey with our tea, shall we?! For all the All Black tragics, this Black Hole was a wonderful environment to be lost in on a Saturday night, as our All Blacks sought to emulate a Pakistani cricketer, and put 88 on the Australian scoreboard.
Failure is such a fiend… Well, there’s always next week!
If you think this is rather humourous, try being on the end of this joke, as this must be butt ugly, and while Eight was enough on a TV show (Yes, ‘showing’ my age), we are Crazy Cat’s who long for the Nine to be alive [nine wins in a row over the Wobblies] this Saturday night in Christchurch! However, before Bledisloe Two is Postscript members of the Blackness, let us warm ourselves in the ‘glow’ of Bledisloe One, as our Boys got their freak on, mad style.
While much can be said about this performance, and you will have your chance to ‘stand up to the mike‘ and share your spleen, iamjonnyking is going to spend some more moments digressing on the Fab Four who stood out to him on this Saturday night. We will limit it to four… Two in the forwards, Two in Backs
The Fab Four Kevin “Mealamu… Me and Jonah ‘Lamu,’ are Gonna Run Over You”
Last year it seemed that the hooking force of Kevin Mealamu was on the wane. Usurped from the starting line-up by the understated Southener, trapped in a Taranaki world, Andrew Hore, Mealamu was left to warm the splinters… on the bench, as ‘happy hour’ was Andrew’s world, which was a very ‘un-excellent’ reality for Kevin. However, with two unforeseen realities, Hore’s injury and the revolutionary rule interpretations, we are witnessing a second coming of this onward Christian soldier. While Saturday’s performance was a continuation of his Springing against the Bokke, Mealamu’s performance on this Saturday night with ball in hand, his ability to make metres under fire, the ferocity of his ‘smack you in the mouth’ defense, and his all round skill-set, means Mealamu is now the hooker-come-half-back, as he roams and maraudes around the field, with a Brad Thorn in tow, making music with his impact, on the straight and narrow to All Black glory.
Mealamu has regained the form that gave the All Black front-row its historic go-forward, and while Hore will return, such a scenario is all white [insert: right] for black!
Richie “My Man McCawesome”
What can we say about our ‘Captain our Captain.’ Since his man-of-the-match, debut performance in the land of Ireland, McCaw has been a constant in an All Black world, with recent history affirming that it is not only his play that is becoming peerless, as Captain McCaw is now very easily wearing the mantle of the One. In the Wobblies first Test of their Tri-Nations season, we had witnessed David ‘Bam-Bam’ Pocock assert his potential in the Springbok clash in Brisbane. Subsequent talk had been about the young pretender laying claim to the King’s Crown in Melbourne. While it is true that Pocock did justice to the potential, we witnessed a virtuoso performance from the King.
While Pocock is still very much the fetcher of ball, McCawesomeness is evidencing a game that has matured with age and time, becoming more and more suited to this modern game, with Richie now as adept with ball in hand, as he is when the burglary is on. On Saturday night, it was as if McCaw was aware of the noise about the opponent, and like a Warrior King of old, he lead the boys from the front, offering his body again, and again… and again!
Long Live the King!
Cory “I Own the Plane, I am No Plain, Jane”
It is true that the backs can only go mad with an Epic #, if the forwards are doing the business, which is why in this Four, they have preceded the Merchants of Venus. Venus? Well, their mad skills were out of this world on Saturday night, with Cory Jane going, Mach, with his little sorte! If Jane ever wants to moonlight in another sporting career, I suggest the ‘sweet science’… Boxing, as the man wields a wicked jab-like of a fend, which made mince-meat of the opposition, as he set up one try for Mils with a surreal piece of hand and foot disease that we all would like to be blessed with, while completing a second, rounding his opponent and denying Genia a Gregan-on-Wilson moment in the corner.
Jane at the start of this season affirmed his desire to play in the number 15 jersey. Given his ability to make the most out of even half-a-chance on the wing, this position on the All Black plane, is his to lose, as at present, his name must be one of the first down in Henry’s notebook! We say, “Fly Cory, Fly!”
“Not Your Run of the Mils” Muliaina
In a real sense, we end where we began, as Mils Muliaina was another player who began this International season with much to prove, as questions were being asked if he still had ‘it,’ and with “The 12 Tribes of Israel” Dagg, breathing down his neck, there was opinion that Muliaina was very much, the run of the mill… past, while Dagg was the present-to-future. Then the Tri-Nations season began, the talking stopped, and ‘the Mils’ ran like never before! Once again, and this time in Melbourne, Mils ran like a man possessed, like a man possessed with the realisation that this could be his last International in an All Black jersey. The result is that the intensity and impact from Mils in the overall performance of this team is definitive. He seems to be faster than one can dare to remember, and is running with a decisiveness and purpose that indicates he is a man on a mission… Heaven bent on making his mark! And to think, the song says you have to wait for life to begin at 40. Well, as Mils made clear on Saturday night, what’s a decade between friends, as he, just turning 30, is making it clear that if somebody wants the number 15 All Black jersey, they are going to have to fight him for it… and, he is up for the challenge. No, he never was run of Mil!
Now O BackingBlack member, the floor is now yours!
We would love to hear from all of you about your reflections on the Melbourne Test. You don’t have to give your player/s of the day [so to speak], as it maybe a moment of magic, a reflection, or some thoughts in a given area that relates to this All Black victory and All Black future.
Don’t be shy, I have my mouth-guard in, so it is very difficult to bite 😉
Let’s do-lunch!
Until Next Time
iamjonnyking
Note: The BackingBlack Manifesto post has not been forgotten, but we may leave this until after Christchurch 🙂
