Every rugby fan remembers their first World Cup experience, be that in person or on TV.
The build-up to the competition, the unique colourful supporters bringing atmospheres to games, and the lesser-known rugby nations you get to root for as they attempt to cause the shock of the tournament.
To this rugby fan, the World Cup I can fully remember is the 2011 tournament in New Zealand.
I dreamed of Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell holding the Webb Ellis trophy aloft that year. That was before I was aware of the quarter-final curse that forever haunts Ireland.
World Cup heartbreak
So, when Wales beat them in Wellington, I should not have been surprised.
Yet I still was.
This shock came mainly due to the ease with which Warren Gatland’s side dealt with Ireland, particularly after the match that lives fondly in my memory to this day.
Their performance in their second fixture of the tournament, a game where I believe for 70 minutes of it the opponents were trapped in choke tackles.
I had never seen the Irish battle as hard as they did that day, with their tactics working perfectly to beat the team ranked second in the world rankings, Australia.
That match will live long in the memory for a number of reasons, but a major one was the belief it gave me that Ireland could achieve anything; as if my wee nation could stand up to the might of the Wallabies and emerge as victors, then they can beat anyone.
Flash forward 14 years and beating Australia is not much of an achievement for many major rugby nations anymore, and when I once feared for any opposition playing them, I now just feel pity toward the Wallabies as they struggle against those they used to beat regularly.
We all know the Wallabies are a proud rugby nation, having lifted the World Cup twice while also reaching the final on a further two occasions.
However, they are arguably the second weakest Tier One nation currently playing the sport.
Australia made history in the 2023 Rugby World Cup by exiting the competition for the first time at the pool stage. They have made a slight recovery since then, but this is not much of an achievement considering how far they had fallen.
Rugby union has been struggling in the nation now for quite a sustained period of time, having to compete for players with rugby league and Aussie rules.
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While that may be direct competition for union, there are many other sports in the country that will poach potential players away from playing rugby union.
The desire of players to play the more popular rugby code and the traditional sport of the country has contributed heavily to the decline of the Wallabies, and there does not appear to be an end to this torturous period for the country.
This brings a feeling of worry and dread for Australia as it is set to host the 2027 World Cup.
Host nations are hoped to remain in the competition for as long as possible to help keep the attention of the event while bringing in fans who may not have been supporters before.
It was hoped the British and Irish Lions tour would help reinvigorate interest in the sport, but that has not come to fruition.
The tour has yet to come to life, and after the performance of the Wallabies in the first Test, it is unlikely it will have inspired any young Australian to dream of pulling on the golden jersey.
While there will be hope that the 2027 World Cup in Australia could help stir an interest in the next generation of Aussies to play the sport, it is a long shot that it could once again lead them to becoming one of the elites in the sport.
I believe this to be a fallacy.
Should the series go as many expect, with it being a whitewash for the tourists, then morale will be at an all-time low.
The Rugby Championship follows soon after, and they could finish bottom of the competition for the third consecutive season.
The Wallabies need to find a spark to reinvigorate them, or they could be battling it out with Italy to see who is the second-weakest Tier One nation for the foreseeable future, as Wales remains at the bottom.
I can’t see where they find that spark in the near future, as we move from the Lions series into the Rugby Championship, with both the Springboks and the All Blacks having a stranglehold over them; New Zealand look set to inflict another piece of unwanted history, as another loss would make it 10 in a row for the Wallabies, their worst ever run against their bitter rivals in the professional era.
Rugby Australia need to act now to bring about a resurgence in both popularity and performance.
Ireland argument
It may be difficult with having to compete for athletes with other sports, but it is possible to create a world-class team from a limited pool, the way Ireland have done.
The Emerald Isle’s most popular sports are Gaelic football, hurling, and soccer, yet their rugby team can still become the number one-ranked side in the world and achieve great success; just discount their performances in the World Cup and focus on their Six Nations achievements.
This should demonstrate it is possible; it just needs a bold strategy and clever investment to stabilise the sinking ship before the Wallabies can return to their position as World Cup contenders.
At present, I worry for how far Australia could fall; however, I do believe the Wallabies could be one of the best in the sport again, striking fear into young fans when they see the golden jerseys take the field, like it did to me all those years ago.