Analysis: As Australian rugby lurches from one crisis to another, 1News' Australia correspondent Aziz Al Sa'afin assesses the mood of Wallabies fans.
In the world of sports, it's like watching a beast stumble in the wild, uncertain of its footing.
Australia's national rugby team, the Wallabies, has faced its darkest days, akin to witnessing a once-proud Kangaroo struggling to jump.
While I can’t speak for all Australians, from the ones I have spoken to, the Rugby World Cup, a symbol of international rugby prowess, has been a touchy subject.
I don’t blame them - the team’s biggest World Cup loss (to Wales) and a shock loss to Fiji hits hard and those feelings come with every mention of the tournament.
My conversations leading up to the final have been rather hushed, a little uncomfortable, and like I had mentioned a great offence.
It was as if speaking too loudly would draw attention to their collective embarrassment.
Now, Eddie Jones, the coach who was expected to lead the Wallabies to glory, has left the field and his team in tatters.
"[I] gave it a run. Hopefully be the catalyst for change. Sometimes you have to eat s*** for others to eat caviar further down the track," Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald's Peter FitzSimons.
His resignation follows the abysmal performance that left fans across Australia disheartened and perplexed. I can only image it resonates like a requiem for the dreams of a nation that once thrived on the rugby field.
Fast forward to the Sunday morning, both Kiwis and Springbok fans alike had packed Sydney bars to the brim, relishing every moment of the Rugby World Cup final.
In stark contrast, I asked some Wallabies fans if they were going to watch and got resoundingly muted responses.
So, as we turn our gaze towards the next tournament in 2027 - in Australia no less - the anticipation is laced with uncertainty. More teams, an additional knockout round, and a week less to play.
October 1 might even herald a great comeback. Redemption, not just for the All Blacks, but for the Wallabies, who might be eating “caviar down the track”.
SHARE ME