In a scenario few Australian sports fans would have considered possible a year ago, the Wallabies will contest the Rugby World Cup final in London early Sunday eastern Australian time. Their opponents are the near-invincible New Zealand All Blacks, but so well are the Wallabies playing at present that what unfolds on the hallowed Twickenham turf may conceivably reach epic proportions. This would be a fitting finale for a tournament which knowledgeable students of the game have described as more open, enterprising, engaging and watchable than anyone might have dared hope.
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Australia reached the final after topping the "pool of death" in the tournament's initial stages and then backing up to record quarter-final and semi-final victories over Scotland and Argentina respectively. It's now in the contest to win the William Webb Ellis trophy for the third time – a remarkable turnaround for a team which struggled on and off the field throughout the 2014 international season. After a Bledisloe Cup draw and then two losses, the first a 51-20 thrashing in Auckland, the second a heart-breaker in Brisbane, coach Ewen McKenzie announced his resignation. McKenzies' departure, the primary cause of which was an ugly team rift over the role of business manager Di Patston, marked a low point in the fortunes of the Wallabies and indeed of the Australian Rugby Union – already beset by financial worries about the viability of Super Rugby franchises and the threat posed by the popularity of other football codes.
The ARU's decision to appoint Michael Cheika as McKenzie's successor proved an inspired one, however. The new head coach resolved the player/management rift with the minimum of disruption and player ill will, and he's rectified some of the Wallabies' on-field weaknesses with a blend of discipline, subtle personal skills and brutal training methods. One of Cheika's most astute moves was to appoint Mario Ledesma as the Wallabies' forwards coach. The former Argentine hooker has turned the Australian pack, once the laughing stock of international rugby, into a feared and dominant force. For many Australians, the spectacle of the Wallabies eight pushing England's scrum around the paddock in the October 3 pool match will remain a highlight of this World Cup.
If the Wallabies have impressed throughout the last month and a half with their skills, determination, strategy and self-belief, the All Blacks are easily the competition's strongest team. Since the All Blacks beat France 8-7 to claim the 2011 World Cup in 2011, New Zealand has been imperious on the rugby field, with a win ratio of 92 per cent. With seven members of its 2011 cup-winning team likely to line up in Sunday's game, the All Blacks' big match experience is unparalleled. The team plays with a pride and intensity borne of an entire nation's backing.
The All Blacks' style of play, classically built on formidable forward play but even more so on power and skill in their backs, has served them well in the past. But for all its historical dominance, it hasn't been an irresistible force at World Cups. In past tournaments New Zealand has sometimes been rattled by teams which can shut them down by aggressive defensive play and match their dynamic attack – teams like Australia and France. In a home tournament in 2003, a vastly under-rated Wallabies team did just that, knocking New Zealand out at the semi-final stage.
While no one will contest the All Blacks' favouritism in this final, the improvements engineered by Cheika and Ledesma in facets of Australia's game traditionally its Achilles heel – notably the scrum and the rolling maul – should ensure the Wallabies command New Zealand's respect on Sunday.
The combination of a powerful Wallaby pack (capped by the ball-gathering skills of No. 8 David Pocock), a backline which plays with flair and ingenuity – and perhaps the rub of the green – may be enough to secure a famous victory.
Having already secured the respect and deep affection of Wallabies supporters disillusioned by the dramas of the pre-Cheika era, that would bring to Australian rugby a boost in interest not seen for more than a decade.
