One of the greatest fly-halves rugby union has ever seen? Definitely. The finest Wallaby Australia has produced? Quite possibly. Mark Ella’s legend has continued to grow with the passing time, usually helped by the fact this mercurial genius hung up his boots at the age of just 25. That meant he never graced a World Cup, his retirement coming three years before the inaugural tournament in 1987. But the 1984 Grand Slam winner has remained involved in the game and has been in the UK following the exploits of the current batch of Wallabies.
Ella likes what he has seen, especially the national team’s progression under Michael Cheika. The head coach, like Ella, is a product of the famous Randwick club in Sydney, which has been at the heart of Australia’s rugby renaissance of the past 30 years. Cheika made his first-grade debut in 1985, the year after the playmaker departed, but Ella is familiar with the 48-year old’s style and stature.
“I know him well,” he says. “I was a little bit older when he started playing, but he was always a fighter. He took nothing for granted and always worked his backside off. He’s installed that philosophy into this current group of players that nothing comes easy and they’ve got to deserve their victory. These guys are playing for it.”
In exactly 368 days Cheika has revitalised the Wallabies, taking them from a European tour at the end of 2014 where they lost three out of four Tests and dropped to sixth in the world rankings, to Rugby Championship winners this year. Australia beat the All Blacks in Sydney two months ago, for the first time in four years, and have now won seven matches in a row. Cheika has led them out of the “Group of Death” and into their fourth World Cup final.
“Michael Cheika has done a wonderful job in such a short amount of time,” Ella says. “He’s turned them around. These guys have got faith in their own ability, they’ve got faith in each other and he’s done a remarkable job.”
Awaiting them on Saturday (Sunday morning Australian time) are their old foes, their familiar opponents from across the ditch. New Zealand are the current World Cup holders and the No1-ranked team. Their long history with the Wallabies goes back to 1903 when the on-tour All Blacks defeated Australia 22-3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Wallabies would have to wait seven years before they finally got one over their neighbours and little has changed in the past century. The two teams have met 154 times and on only 42 occasions, or 29.2% of the time, have Australia emerged victorious.
That might sound like ominous figures but this is the All Blacks we are talking about, a team with one of the best winning records in any sport. They are the Harlem Globetrotters of rugby, a side with a reputation and mystique that few can match. The only other national side with a better percentage against New Zealand is South Africa, and that stands at 38.4%. But the Wallabies have some history on their side, as in World Cups they have knocked the All Blacks out twice – on their way to victory in 1991 and in the semi-finals in 2003.
These are two teams, two rugby nations that know each other intimately. “The Wallabies are probably the bogey team for New Zealand but at the same time New Zealand have beaten the Wallabies more times than we care to talk about,” Ella admits. “It’s going to be a pretty tough encounter, there’s no doubt about it. Michael Cheika will be happy to face the All Blacks, in the same way that Steve Hansen will be happy that the Wallabies are there because at least he knows the players, he knows what to expect.”
New Zealand booked their place in the final after a tight and tense battle with South Africa, eventually seeing off the Springboks by two points. Australia’s win over Argentina was a little more straight-forward, but still involved several nervy moments in the second half as the Pumas rallied. “Both the semi-finals have been pretty tough games,” the 56-year old says. “Australia probably had the easier game but both teams weren’t that convincing. It’s probably like all Rugby World Cup finals – you get to the pointy end and they start to tighten up. The Wallabies will be happy with the victory but whether it’s enough to beat the All Blacks, I’m not sure.”
Spurring the All Blacks on in this World Cup is the impending retirement of captain Richie McCaw and star playmaker Dan Carter. Both will walk away from international rugby after Sunday’s final and both are ornaments to the game, both to the All Blacks and to the sport in general. Combined, the two have played in 257 Tests and scored more than 1,700 points, winning everything there is available. But emotion count for little when the die is cast and the referee’s whistle goes.
“It’s sentimental in value, yes, it’s a big game for them,” Ella says. “But these guys are professional and there’s only one way to play. They want to win. New Zealand is a proud rugby nation and it doesn’t matter who’s playing, they’re going to rise to the occasion. McCaw and Carter have been around a long time, and probably in an ideal world they deserve to go out winners but the Aussies will have something to say about that.”
Australia and New Zealand are both going for their third World Cup win – the All Blacks with victories in 1987 and 2011, the Wallabies with silverware in 1991 and 1999. No country has won the William Webb Ellis three times, with South Africa claiming two wins and England’s sole triumph back in 2003. History will be broken this weekend no matter who emerges victorious. Another slice of the strong sporting rivalry between the two southern hemisphere nations is set to be written. After World Cup wins in one-day cricket and netball this year over the Kiwis, Australia are going for a hat-trick of trophies.
“It’ll be a remarkable achievement for either side,” Ella believes. “For New Zealand or Australia they will be the first team to win three World Cups. But a big point is Australia have won two of theirs in the UK and the All Blacks both of them in Auckland. New Zealand are a great side but Australia knows what it is to win away from home.”
