Men and women laughing, children skipping, gold scarves worn proudly and goofy winning grins everywhere. None of this existed last year. Fans trudged and kids whined as the Wallabies stumbled through a winless 2023 home season then into a storm in Paris. For Australian rugby fans there was only tunnel at the end of the light.
But the Wallabies’ 25-18 victory over Wales – and the Wallaroos’ 64-5 thrashing of Fijiana in the curtain-raiser – in Sydney on Saturday night has put pep in everyone’s step. The Joe Schmidt and Jo Yapp eras are up and running, a new generation of golden boys and golden girls has been blooded, and an embattled code is climbing off the canvas.
