Ah Crabman, who doesn't love a bit of "We're better than you" banter!?
The Tri Nations MX would be a great concept with gold plated bragging rights!
Dying to get a response? Mate, here's my response as a proud Queenslander and former rugby player:
Australia has two Rugby World Cups; and congratulations must go to South Africa for recently catching up with their second cup.
A good win and well done; for many years S.A. and NZ combined had a World Cup tally equal to Australias...
But let me put the whole rugby thing into perspective for you...
Are you aware Rugby Union is the fourth most popular football code here in OZ?
It trails fourth behind Australian football, Rugby League and Soccer; pretty much in that order.
The game is mostly played in two Eastern States; Queensland and New South Wales.
It has a very minor following in the remaining States.
A survey of these 'other States' Players would show a large contingent of expatriate Queenslanders, 'Welshmen and blow ins from other rugby playing Nations such as your own.
I played in the Western Austalian competition for a time and I doubt there were more than four Australians in any run on team of fifteen players.
The Aussie accent was a rare thing at the games.
In both S.A. and NZ the game of Rugby Union is the National sport; in much the same way as Soccer/Football is to the Brazillians.
Every male child bar none plays the game throughout their School years and a very large percentage continue from there.
I don't think we have a truly National sport in Australia - maybe Cricket and hanging shit on Kiwis...?
It is your sport - everything else comes second to rugby.
In Australia the game of rugby is played in the Private School system; rarely is it played in the public Schools.
The Kiwis will point to their smaller population as one reason for poor World Cup results; indeed OZ and S.A. have large populations compared to NZ.
But again I'll remind S.A. and NZ indoctrinates every male child into the sport; OZ has a sprinkling of players by comparison when we compare per head of male population.
But Australia has two Rugby World Cups; and we won them both playing away from home.
This is twice as many World Cups as the Kiwis; who won their one and only World Cup in their own backyard some twenty years ago when the participating Nations were half the number it is now.
S.A. has finally caught up to the Aussie tally - and NZ will wait another four years to try again...
We taunt the Kiwis mercilessly over this because they agonise over their rugby; as do you 'Yarpies'.
But herein also lies another difference between the Aussies and the Kiwis/Yarpies.
You blokes EXPECT to win the World Cup!
"We will win!" is the response I get from my foreign co-workers - and when you don't it's the most gutting experience.
The Aussies HOPE to win; we think we can and we think we might but we don't proclaim it's ours before the competition kicks off!
Do you see the difference?
That's why our World Cups are special.
But I could bang on for hours about this and we probably will if we get to meet.
The non rugby players on this forum will have changed threads the moment 'rugby' was mentioned, such is the lack of feeling for the game in this Country.
And we're here to chat about VMX.
I'm considering attending the event in Finland but it will come down to costs.
Having bought a second bike and all the riding gear needed for re-starting the sport of MX has drained the account; we'll see.
Our Finn mate Juha Monto probably hasn't a clue what we're on about.
Hey Juha, it's like when the Finns play the Russians at any sport, OK?
Great question Crabman and my response is meant in good spirit.
Despite our differences I've found our Tri Nation similarities to be far greater and I have the utmost respect for the Kiwi and Yarpies I've known.
Now how about some more photos of MX in S.A?
