Greg Martin Wallabies Greg Martin Wallabies
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But all these local games have helped the part-time rugby enthusiasts grab a bit of interest in the game. 

I’m just a little bit worried about how we keep getting beaten by the New Zealand and South African sides, but we’ll see how that goes as the year goes by ...

Yeah, I’ve always been surprised they didn’t move away from these region-less franchises and back to the old provincial names …

Oh, I know! But in the modern world of sports you’ve got to have a symbol or an emblem or a bloody animal for people to grab hold of ... You know, as commentators we’re not supposed to call them the Auckland Blues or the Waikato Chiefs because they encompass all these other pissy little unions, so we’ve just got to call them the Blues or the Chiefs. I’m not a fan of the names ‒ they don’t mean too much to me ...

In the Australian conference right now we seem to have one decent team and four weak teams. Have we spread our talent too thin with that fifth franchise in Melbourne?

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. And you’re probably right – the Reds have got a faint chance if they start to play alright, but the Waratahs are our only powerhouse. But I’d rather look at it as building talent. I know most of the Rebels’ blokes are from the Queensland and NSW club comps, but I like the fact we’re giving them a chance and they’re winning a few. This expanded competition’s not only about generating more money and getting more games on TV, it’s also about giving these young blokes a go. And that’s got to make us stronger.

And have a look – the fans are hungry for it. The Rebels have hit their low tide mark at 16,000 people per game. I mean, the Storm only got 16,000 to their first game. There are people down in Melbourne who have been dying for rugby and if the Rebels keep winning watch their crowd figures start creeping up to 20,000. The Force are thesame – their low tide mark is 16,000 and they never drop below that. If they start winning they’ll get 20,000 people to their games easily.

Mate, rugby needed to be in those two cities and now that it is, it’s going alright. I know it might not look like it on the table, but those teams will hit a cycle sometime in the next five years where they’ll go alright. They’re wearing some pain now and they’re probably three good players away from being a top

six team, but they’ll come good.

Which young blokes have particularly jumped out at you?

Well, at the Reds Beau Robinson’s been a bit of a surprise. He’s a guy who’s been given a second chance because he’s been hidden behind Phil Waugh, and I like the way he’s going. He’s ferocious. At the Rebels I reckon that hooker, Ged Robinson, has gone really well. You know, he’s a guy who’s 27 and finally got his chance. At the Force those two hookers – Ben Whittaker and Nathan Charles – have impressed me. I reckon they’ll be the two hookers for Australia within two years. And their lock, Sam Wykes, has also started to go alright.

Having said that, I don’t think there’s anyone after the first few rounds who’s said, “Hey, Robbie!” No one’s jumped out of the ground and said, “I have to be in the Wallabies.” I think it’ll be pretty much the tried and the true for the Wallabies this year. I wouldn’t worry too much about the performances of the Super teams – I reckon we’ll have a good squad of 30 for the World Cup.

 After Queensland got hammered by NSW in the second round, Reds coach McKenzie said, “Philosophically the game has shifted a bit. Last year it was all about attack. This year it’s all about the breakdown ... ”

Yeah, the referees have started allowing a bit more of a contest at the breakdown this year. Last year they favoured the attacking team, so the tackler had no rights whatsoever. But this year the tacklers are getting more rights, which means there’s more of a battle at the breakdown. And that’s completely fucked Will Genia and Quade Cooper at the Reds, because they rely on fast ball. More recently, I think the refs have been increasingly strict on the tackler, getting into him, making the ball speed up at the breakdown. And that’s helped the Reds – they’ve got to get fast ball, otherwise Cooper’s stymied.