Raining champions. That’s what they’ll call England when the World Cup is taken from Australia’s jealous grasp on Saturday.
On Thursday night, it poured down. Sydney awoke to a monsoon every bit as soggy as the one that sunk the French last Sunday.
The advantages for England are threefold:
Our fans don’t give a damn about the rain as long as it’s not cold. The Aussies hate the stuff.
The suggested barrage of noise outside England’s Manly Pacific hotel, suggested by the local paper, was washed out.
Most importantly of all, England adapt to different conditions better than any other side in the world.
When Clive Woodward was asked if the conditions helped England to their surprisingly comfortable 24-7 semifinal win over France last Sunday, he said: ”I’ve been on holiday to France, it rains there too.”
And and he added: ”We don’t choose the conditions, there’s nothing we can do about the rain.”
Woodward insists his side can beat Australia in the wet or in the dry.
Possibly. But all over this sports-mad city, Sydneysiders are cursing their weather patterns, praying for blue skies that might help the Wallabies with their running game.
It’s too late. The clouds are here to stay. The game will be played in a slippery mess.
Of course bad weather doesn’t make it a foregone conclusion. England aren’t the only side capable of playing it tight and while Jonny Wilkinson was stinging in the rain last week, Elton Flatley is probably no mug with the wet boot either.
It’s just that the Aussies realise that muddy awful conditions take the pressure off Clive Woodward’s boring, boring army.
When it’s teeming down, nobody expects the ball to be whisked out to Ben Cohen or Jason Robinson. Rolling mauls look more acceptable in the wet, we can forgive Jonny for his drop-goals and we can accept Martin Johnson telling him to kick every penalty at the posts.
Back in 1991, when these two side met in the final at Twickenham, England came out determined to lose the boring tag. They threw it around and lost.
On Saturday, the rain will wash away the need to produce an expansive, entertaining game. Personally, I don’t think Woodward would have changed the style anyway.
Ever since the World Cup began (well, after the thrashing of Georgia anyway) England have played it tight. Cohen, our master finisher, scored twice in the 80-6 win over Georgia.
He hasn’t come close since.
And I don’t think he’ll get many chances today.
I suspect England will start with Mike Catt rather than Mike Tindall — or they’ll bring him on pretty early.
Australia will be kicked into submission.
They will claim afterwards it was another Bore War, but of course, that’s the Aussie way. This self-styled nation of world champions (apparently they have 59 global titles to our 26) cannot accept defeat graciously.
They have dominated on so many fronts … cricket, both codes of rugby, Davis Cup tennis, swimming … oh and Aussie Rules. So surely the old Empire can’t strike back legitimately?
Oh yes, we can. Just you watch.
It may bore Australians but the 30 000-strong Barmy Army and 50-million folks back home will love every minute.
Get ready to grumble!