■Analytical Ability and Organizational Strength

  The Australian National Rugby Union Team is nicknamed the “Wallabies”. Contrary to the image of that small marsupial, the Wallabies are one of the top three rugby superpowers alongside New Zealand and South Africa. This is very evident from their World Cup record: champions in 1991 and 1999, and runner-up in 2003. However, the domestic sports situation in Australia differs greatly from that in New Zealand, where rugby is considered as the national sport.
   In Australia, there are various other forms of football, all very popular: Australian Rules Football (more commonly known as “Aussie Football” in Japan); 13-a-side Australian Rugby League (with different rules from the rugby union rules much better known in Japan); and football, known in some countries as “soccer”. In such a competitive environment, forward-looking theories have been introduced and professional approaches taken to enhance the game of rugby and maintain its popularity. The Wallabies make full use of their analytical abilities and organizational strength as a team to vie with the New Zealanders, known for their speed and great individual skills, and the South Africans, known for their power.

■Stars that Set the World Alight

  Mark Ella, one of the world rugby union greats in the 1980s, and David Campese, one of the greatest-ever wingers who excited rugby fans in the 1980s and early 1990s, are just two of the brilliant Australian players who were celebrated for their entertaining style of play. By fusing their individual skills with brilliant passes, they helped to create a very positive Australian team image to spectators.
   There are many legendary Wallabies, but if we are forced to name one, it would have to be George Gregan (SH).  
The halfback played for his national team more than any other player in the sport’s history—139 test caps in all. He participated in the World Cup four times, starting in 1995, and captained the team to many victories.
In 2006, when he came to Japan as a member of the Australian Prime Minister’s XV Rugby Team, 500 fans queued up for his autograph. In 2008, he joined Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, where he continues to maintain his reputation and popularity as a topnotch player.

■Australians Led by a New Zealander

  The superstars in the current Wallabies team include: Matt Giteau (SO), who is rumored to have received an offer worth $10 million to play club rugby in France; Stirling Mortlock, who is one of the world’s best centres; and George Smith (FL) who is known for his excellent tackling skills and one of the most popular players in Japan. Other next generation superstars that Japanese fans are eager to watch are James O’Conner, capped at the age of 18, and David Pocock, known for his stunning non-stop play.
   The team is led by Robbie Deans, a New Zealander who was appointed as head coach of the Wallabies last spring. He made the difficult decision to move into the position of coaching against the All Blacks after he learned that they would not appoint him as head coach. As a player, Deans represented Canterbury as a fullback. He is currently an advisor to Sanyo Wild Nights, the Japanese team with a close relationship with the Canterbury Rugby Football Union.

■Leading Players

Matt GITEAU
	Position:	Centre, Fly half
	Date of Birth:	September 29, 1982 (Sydney, Australia)
	Height/Weight:	178cm / 85kg
	Team:	Western Force
	Test Caps:	68
	His signing of an AUD1.5 million contract with Perth’s Western Force Super-14 team in the 2007 season was controversial. In addition to agile footwork and rock solid tackles, Matt also excels as a playmaker. He can play at either fly half or inside centre, and is also a brilliant place kicker, with an 85% success rate in test matches in 2008. Matt was earmarked as a talent by 2001 when he represented the Australian Sevens and Under 21s teams, and he joined the Wallabies the following year. In 2008, he went past 400 points, putting him in fourth place on the all-time Wallabies list. At 26 years of age, and with 68 test caps, he is among the Wallabies’ leading players.

James O’CONNOR
	Position:	Utility back, Fullback
	Date of Birth:	July 5, 1990
	Height/Weight:	180cm / 80kg
	Team:	Western Force
	Test Caps:	4
	James represented the Australia Schoolboys, and made his Super 14 debut at the age of 17. The Golden Kid became a Wallaby at just 18 years and 126 days old, making him the second youngest Australian test player in history. He offers the team clever running skills, and is comfortable playing in various positions, including standoff, centre and fullback. Although he was selected to play on the Australian Team for the U20 Junior World Championship Team held in Japan this June, James could not fly to Japan as he was concurrently a member of the Wallabies. The future super star’s nickname is “Rabbit”.

David POCOCK
	Position:	Flanker
	Date of Birth:	April 23, 1988 (Zimbabwe)
	Height/Weight:	181cm / 101kg
	Team:	Western Force
	Test Caps:	5
	David is the successor to the notable Australian openside flankers, George Smith and Phil Waugh. In 2006, he was selected for the Super 14 Western Force’s squad. However, he was still only 17 and the age restriction kept him out of action for some time. Born in Zimbabwe, David emigrated to Australia in 2004. The following year, he represented Australia Schoolboys, and served as captain at the U20 Junior World Championship. David has also previously represented Queensland at the schools level in his other chosen sport, water polo.

George SMITH
	Position:	Flanker
	Date of Birth:	July 14, 1980 (Sydney, Australia)
	Height/Weight:	180cm / 103kg
	Team:	Brumbies
	Test Caps:	99
	Since his test debut in 2000, George has been capped 99 times, making him the most capped flanker in the history of Rugby Union. Barring injury, he will surely become the world’s tenth 100-cap player in 2009. He is regarded as the world’s best hunter, with an uncanny ability to retrieve the ball from rucks. He displayed his leadership quality as captain at the match against Canada at the 2007 World Cup. His dreadlocks were very popular in Japan, but he has recently chopped them off!