2013
Things can turn around quick and the Bledisloe Cup
I have a 10-year reunion for the 2013 Brumbies side this weekend, and I can’t wait.
About half the team is coming and it’s crazy to think it’s been 10 years since we beat the British Lions and made the Grand Final.
I’ve been retired for 5 years now and looking back, the 2012-13 seasons at the Brumbies are the ones I remember most fondly.
I was a Brumbies fan for all my teens, and to play for them was a dream come true.
But all the success the club had meant the bar was set very high, and it stung to be part of the worst team in Brumbies history in 2011.
Despite having a great team on paper, we finished second last, and would have got the wooden spoon had it not been for a last-round win.
But how we bounced back in the following years with a young and hungry team taught me that no matter how bad things get, they can turn around. And quick.
Something I was reminded of again last year when I started the year at rock bottom, but finished the year on a high.
I’ve written a lot about how I struggled after the losing the Lions series and being sent off in the decider.
And I think I’m so excited to see my old teammates because of how they rallied around me in the weeks after that loss, as they helped me bounce back to play some of my best footy.
The weekend after we lost to the Lions, we went to Perth to play the Force (we lost and dropped to 3rd… sound familiar?), but then playoffs began. Which meant there was little time to mope.
After narrowly winning a home quarter final, we travelled to South Africa and became the first away team to win a knock out match at altitude. And the following week, we we’re 10 mins away from winning a grand final in NZ.
A historic season full of great memories that helped me move on from the painful Lions loss.
And I know resilience has become a bit of a buzz word these days.
But from my experience, resilience is simply “the strength you draw from others”. It’s the support from the teams and communities your connected too when the times are tough.
And I’ll never forget those who helped me bounce back.
Bledisloe Cup
While we’re on the topic of Rugby, I’ll be leading a tour over to NZ again for the 2nd Bledisloe Cup match in August.
Thanks to a tough refereeing decision in the final minute of game 1, last year’s trip meant we watched a dead rubber.
But with Eddie Jones back and the Wallabies playing the All Blacks at the MCG the week before, I’m confident our trip to Dunedin for the 2nd test in the indoor stadium will be for a Bledisloe Cup decider.
Tickets are on sale now, and click the button below to email me and find out more.
Up the Wallabies!
Lot of hype around Razor. But you are only as good as the cattle you have and it will be a big step up for that incoming coaching group as it's a whole new ball game for them and, if anything, the jump to the next level is even greater than it is for the players both in terms of time with the players to pull it all together, and also the external pressures that go with the gig. Some thrive on it, such as Eddie. Others don't, and some very good coaches have fluffed being head coaches at test level, Wayne Smith when he was head coach of the All Blacks being one that springs to mind. So it's gonna be a big test for Scott, who's never really faced adversity and true external pressures, in his career to date. Will make for fascinating viewing though. Nope won't be in Dunedin. Heading to the UK for a bit shortly so will be up there when it's on. Hopefully I will catch both games though.
Bledisloe Cup? Gee you are a sucker for punishment BA. Didn't you have enough disappointing trips home from across the Tasman as a player 😆 . I know i did accompanying you guys. They were a great side in that period but getting beat when i knew we had the capability to beat them over there, if not the belief, still sucked! Wallaby lads will never have a better chance than this year, reckon this is probably the weakest All Black team since the late 90s when a few went past their use by date. Even the 03 side we beat to finally win it back was still a good side - which we knew, hence the euphoria in the dressing room after - & also as they proved later that year at the RWC. Should be a great series. Given the historical record, I would have played the Aussie leg at Suncorp though. You lads always seemed to grow and extra foot or two when we played there, the 2011 Tri Nations will always be one of my favorite memories from the game.