Meanwhile, across the Pacific

Away from all the noise at the moment, there’s another couple of areas in which Australian rugby is doing really well.

The Brumbies won seven games in a row for the first time in their history to reach the semi-finals of Super Rugby.

They were so impressive this season, despite the way it ended against the Jaguares in Argentina.

They’ve had a good mentality across their campaign and showed the way every player, especially those playing at international level, has to think.

You’ve got to look forward to those moments that are going to test you and you have to have the belief that there’s always room for improvement. I don’t care how good you are, you need that mindset every single day when you’re training or playing.

The other big positive I’m seeing is what we’ve done with the under-20s program.

For the last few years, the Junior Wallabies have been finishing anywhere from fifth to seventh. But last week, in Argentina, after beating the hosts in a really good semi-final, they lost by a point in the final of the World Championship to the defending champions, France. 

That result wasn’t a one-off. The Junior Wallabies beat New Zealand 24-0 in the Oceania Championship. They’re a terrific young team full of exciting talent.

Not everyone who plays in that competition goes on to become a Wallaby or Springbok or an All Black, but rafts of them do, so that’s a really good sign for our future.

It’s funny how things like that get overlooked when there is negativity to take its place.