If the result is painful we can turn to Yogi

By DAVID LEGGAT

It was Yogi Berra, the colourful New York Yankees baseball hero of the 1950s and 60s, who coined the term "it ain't over till it's over".

Berra was a beloved figure, as well as being a fine ball player. But it was his talent for producing verbal jumbles which made him among the most quoted of sporting Americans.

When told by the wife of New York's mayor that he looked quite cool in a new suit, Berra replied: "Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself."

In his own way he was something of a sage - but then again he once claimed: "I didn't really say everything I said."

But that opening line may well be the All Blacks' philosophy as they prepare for tonight's square-off at Eden Park.

Though everything points to the All Blacks regaining the cup after five years watching John Eales or George Gregan holding it aloft, John Mitchell will no doubt drum Yogi's perceptive observation into his players before they run out tonight.

More than once in the intervening years the job has appeared to have been done, only to have it undone by last-gasp acts of rugby derring-do, such as Toutai Kefu's late try in Sydney or Eales' match-clinching penalty in Wellington.

Public expectation of the All Blacks is always high. That comes with the territory. But it's remarkable what a couple of 50-point wins can do. Remember last year and the mumbling and grumbling over what direction Mitchell was heading?

He kept his own counsel, got on with the job and now there is a distinct vibe on this side of the drink that marching on to the World Cup with the Wallabies in their back pocket is a mere formality.

But the Australians are no mugs. Though their spirits may have been dented by this campaign, they are an optimistic bunch by nature. A win tonight and they'll approach their defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in considerably better heart.

A quick history refresher: Who remembers the details of the test in which the All Blacks lost the Bledisloe Cup? Right, here goes: Jade Stadium 1998, Australia won 27-23, scored four tries to two - Cullen and Lomu got ours, chap called Mehrtens kicked the goals, Wallaby lock Tom Bowman sidestepped an All Black wing to score and that was that.

In the late 1970s a bloke called David Rathie turned up at my cricket club in Christchurch for pre-season practice. He'd played 14 games for Queensland as a batsman but his main claim to fame in our eyes was rugby.

When he introduced himself to my mates, one eyed him up and down, then announced: "David Rathie, Woeful Wallabies 1972."

The general mirth which followed had its inevitable conclusion when Rathie, who was a centre among that dismal lot of '72, donned the whites for a rival, less irreverent club.

Colin Meads admitted to my colleague Chris Rattue a few weeks ago that in his day he couldn't recall Wilson Whineray or Brian Lochore ever raising the Bledisloe Cup above their heads. Sometimes the cup wasn't even taken across the Tasman, so sure was the New Zealand Rugby Union of the outcome.

When did that view of Australian rugby all change?

Greg Cornelsen's four tries at Eden Park in 1978 which set up a 30-16 win certainly didn't hurt (fascinating fact: How many tries did the bearded flanker score in his 25 tests? Four.) and from then on the balance of power shifted to a more even, and therefore more fascinating, keel from which it hasn't budged.

Laurie Mains, who knows a thing or two about rugby, said this week a convincing All Black win tonight could effectively bury Australia's World Cup ambitions. Then again, if the Wallabies win "God help us".

Sure, there are bigger fish to fry this year. But this is all about momentum. The All Blacks have it, the Wallabies patently don't. There seems an overwhelming, even casual expectation of All Black success tonight.

But if Mains is on the mark, and if Australia do win, the seeds of dissatisfaction, never far from the surface as far as this country's rugby public are concerned, will flourish.

If Gregan is lifting the trophy around 9.15 tonight, for many of the grizzleguts it will be time to cue Yogi one last time: "The future ain't what it used to be."


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