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This has got to be the funniest thing ever written by Grumbles. I must admit I have noticed a slight positive change to his recent articles. Maybe the fact that he is living in the same hotel as the Wallabies has aloud him to bond with the team. Or maybe he's realised that although the pen is mightier than the sword it still doesn't prevent a slap in the puss from Sharpie.
Whining game has kicked off
Greg Growden, Chief Rugby Correspondent | September 14, 2007
THE Rugby World Cup has already turned into a world championship whinge-a-thon.
There's constant moaning about how hopeless the northern hemisphere teams are, how patronising referees are towards minor nations, how unfair the draw is to some teams, how it would be wrong to cut the tournament back to 16 sides, how the citing officer has too much power, how lopsided some games are, and even how teams are being quarantined from the media.
Such negativity dulls the brain. Some complaints are getting downright stupid - such as grizzling from some northern hemisphere teams about the competition unfairly favouring the south.
That's right, the locals are saying a tournament staged in the northern hemisphere unfairly favours those who have to travel halfway round the world to get here to compete.
The basis of this argument is that southern hemisphere powers have been played into form by the recent Tri Nations tournament. What has been quickly forgotten is that some of those teams, such as Australia, haven't played in almost two months, while northern hemisphere teams have been involved in a succession of recent lead-up games.
Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan spat out an excuse based on this idea after his team's poor first-up effort against Namibia.
"The Six Nations sides have hardly played since March, whereas all of the southern hemisphere teams have played throughout the summer. They have had a summer of rugby we haven't had, and we've had to put all our eggs in one basket preparing for the World Cup," he said.
"If we were to play games during the summer in preparation for a World Cup, that's fine, but the problem is that by May or April the players are running on empty."
So that's why all the Six Nations teams are playing dreadful football - they're not ready. Give us a break.
But the whining game is not solely a northern hemisphere characteristic. The Wallabies have protested far too much about having to go to Cardiff to play, arguing that it's unfair Wales get home advantage when the tournament is based in France.
But the Wallabies have known for years they would face Wales in Cardiff, and it's time to get over it. After all, their trip from Montpellier to Cardiff will take just under two hours in a chartered jet - Sydney to Brisbane stuff.
This whinge is as silly as the lament of some Wallabies officials who have gone on about the 2007 team having to face the toughest draw of any Australian side involved in a World Cup. We can only hope they had clown suits on when they said that - compared with England, South Africa, Samoa, Argentina, Ireland and France, Australia have a very comfortable draw.
New Zealand are in the easiest pool, but for Australia to complain that they have to get past Japan, Canada and Fiji to get into the finals is pushing it a bit far.
There is one justifiable argument against playing Wales in Cardiff. That is, the sooner RWC organisers realise the tournament should be staged in one country the better. This sixth World Cup has been fragmented because of the horse-trading that went on between French, Welsh and Scottish officials to ensure that France won the hosting rights.
Wales and Scotland backed the French bid, and the payback was that those two countries would get games. Hopefully, cup officials will no longer allow such horse trading - but don't sit at home waiting.
Thankfully, some of the moaning has been hilarious. The British media have had great fun deciding whether this is the worst England World Cup team of all time. And they've found plenty of punters saying "yes".
But the loudest moaning of all may still be some weeks away. Imagine the bleatings of a certain nation if the All Blacks don't win.
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Actually most kiwis I talk to are pessimistic about chances and are expecting to get knocked out. Figure we have as a good a shot as anyone, form team at the moment for mine is the Bokke.
Originally Posted by Jethro
