brisnick

But Seppos deserve it!!!!!

Ceri

Not a septic tank fan myself, but you may want to remember who is protecting this country. Or, do you think Aus can defend itself.

The point I was making, I do think it's bad manners to shout "boo" through any national anthem no matter what country it is ... swings and roundabouts.

And I do not care who I upset here but the Aussies have no respect for others only their own. They are rude and arrogant at sporting events in my experience.. but whoa be tide if you do the same back to them.

I suppose the backpackers are going to jump on my post now with their wealth of a year's (holiday)experience.

cheers

muppetking

In NZ I have the pleasure of reading sports columns entitled '10 reasons for hating the Pommie cheats'. Pathetic but all too common and certainly on the increase during the RWC. Radio sport can be rabid and verging on the ridiculous. It is impossible to shake off the arrogant English snob here despite it being a worn out cliche.

dugongs

The one thing I learned during my time down under is that most aussies are full of it but the sad truth in my opinion is they have no objectivity so almost everything they say is worthless. The other sad thing is they are fed by their shoddy media a view that australia is the centre of the planet and everybody wants to live there and be an australian. Everything australian is right and everybody else is wrong. Given the isolation this feeds the arrogance.

Having sat through meeting after meeting with the aussies and listened to some of the ill informed rubbish they spout its hard to take any of them seriously. Its possibly the isolation that does it.

The good thing is Clive Woodward having lived there understands the ideological hatred a lot of aussies have for normal everyday English people. The way he manages the press is in my view the best way to deal with it. Give them as little as possible unless they have proved their objectivity and do not put nationalistic beliefs before the joy of the sport.

I for one enjoyed the Sunday Times last week which had all australians as number eight in the worst sports losers of all time. The other 9 entries were all individuals but number eight was all australians - very funny.

tennisoz

Pommie-bashing as it is referred to is a fact of life in Australia and in other countries. The reasons are very complex and another thread quoted the Australian professor in London giving his 'take' on it.

I was brought up in sporting terms to support anyone playing England (Samoa qualify!). They were the traditional enemy in test cricket, they sent our ancestors out compulsorily, they were a colonial power, there are complex other issues such as Gallipoli, 'bodyline' cricket etc, etc Result, 'pommie-bashing' -not by all Australians I add because my parents detest it. I'm not proud of it, it's just part of my psyche. I wouldn't whistle or whatever at GSTQ though. It just finds its expression in supporting England's opponent, baiting some Poms on this forum and so on!!

I wonder if the increasing numbers of Asian immigrants pommie-bash. and so many Australians are first and second generation English, surely they don't do it?

I have watched many an England football match (on TV) and the abuse given to the opposing national anthem is quite nasty eg Turkey when they played at Sunderland. Some will say, ah that's football, rugby is a different game. True, and the type of person who goes to a rugby match in Australia tends to be different to the type of person who goes to a rugby match in England (and Wales is different again but it tends to be public schoolboy and very few girl types in Scotland). I've also been to Scotland vs Australia football and rugby matches and witnessed first hand and personally the s**p s*****r comments. I take them in the humourous spirit they were intended and don't take umbrage. Aberdeen supporters get the same chants as do Carlisle in England. It's just you are different. I won't even get onto a Rangers vs Celtic match - the vitriol and violence in the air is palpable. Been once, never again. I also remember a Rangers vs Bayern Munich match - morons doing the Hitler salutes and songs to the Bayern supporters.

Right, that will do for my rant

Personally I think arrogance isn't the right word to describe some Englishmen and women - maybe reserved, more rigid class structure etc might be more appropriate. Anyway, just IMHO

TennisOz

sculkin

I was at the England v SA game - no problem from the South Africans the only ones who "lost" badly were the Australian and New Zealanders in the crowd supporting SA (of course). And arrogant isn't the right word to describe "some" Englishmen and women in fact it isn't the right word to described the majority. I have met far more arrogant Aussies or is it just the chip on their shoulder talking?

Land of Hope and Glory is a fine anthem for England. God Save the Queen is just too short - have you noticed the England anthem is over quicker than everybody elses?

tennisoz

And the cities and towns, mainly in Europe, wrecked by 'sporting' English losers?? One thing about Aussies and NZ'ers is that you tend not to get violence amongst supporters. I can happily stand among the opposition in Australia at any sport. What do they do here - segregate, herd, steward, police etc. Why?

You'll probably say that's football, not rugby, as if it is a different people.

I think you'll also find that you can sit through meetings all over the world and hear ill informed rubbish. Been there done that, got the T-shirt (in UK and Australia).

Anyway, this is just people peddling their prejudices and bias (moi included). Incidentally I was trying to be conciliatory in saying arrogant is the wrong word because it has very emotional connotations. Now where has that Springbok gone to?

For anyone wanting to know what effects the isolation has had on Australia have a read of Geoffrey Blainey's 'The Tyranny of Distance'.

Last posting on this thread!

TennisOz

Badge

The camera man has to bust his gut to get to the end of the line fast enough.

For South Africa, or Ireland, say, the camera man's assistant has time to paint each man!!

Badge

PeteY

I'd definatly agree with that!! LOHAG has some feeling behind it at least.