They didn’t choke. They were choked by a better rugby team with better players, a better strategy, greater discipline and a stronger mindset.

And if it was a choke then it began 2 years ago at Twickenham and the poor blubbering fools took until last Saturday to realise the fanciful rubbish about their improvement and superiority, spoken by their coaches and echoed by a too compliant media, was firmly stuck in their throats.  Australia has almost stood still during that time and anyone who dared to say so (eg. Ella, Campo, Poedevin) was shouted down for being too old and out of touch.

The mindless preoccupation with Wilkinson’s boot ignores that in 2003 and in 2007 he caught the ball, ran, drew defenders, passed, tackled very effectively for a five eighth and also kicked.  He did not continually drop the ball, misdirect the pass, take the wrong option and kick poorly.  He also flattened Mortlock the Mighty, arguably the fiercest, strongest running centre in the world since Mighty Medicare Matt Rogers, arguably the previous fiercest, strongest running …. blah blah – spare me – blah.

The England half gave Gregan a lesson in continuous, swift and accurate service.

England kept gifting possession to us off the boot and, when we showed we did not know how to use it, they gifted us more.  Catt’s a tough nut and Robinson’s a serial pest with his unpredictable running but England were smart enough to pretty much keep the ball away from out there because the back line was, I think, their vulnerable place to Australia’s good defence.

England has a real front row and they each had a mongrel dog's appetite for a scrap.

We have a couple of boofheads who need to be told that the opposition will call them nasty and awful names that might scare them and they should not react because there is this bloke called a referee who penalises the retaliator and it has always been that way.  Oh, we were done like a dinner in the forwards.

We pay another fellow about $250,000 per try to play against NZ and RSA wingers who score at 160 to 200 percent his scoring rate at Super 14 and national level.

And we are repeating the same error with Barnes – naming him an immortal before he has signed up for his apprenticeship.  Progressive and careful development of potential future Wallabies is not something we have done well at all.

At the end they cried like little bubbas because someone had taken their nice shiny cup.  I am sure they still do not realise it was always most unlikely to go their way.  But still, after the poor little petals dry their tears, they can use their saved up travelling allowance at the Marseilles nightclubs with rock stars Lotsa Tequila and Matt the Enforcer ‘cos they are soooooo fun to be with.

And on the weekend Australian players unworthy of Wallaby selection caught, ran, drew defenders, passed in good time to players backing up and went forward, in some wonderful demonstrations of running rugby in the Australian Championship semis.  Hewatt and Norton-Knight played the house down with adventurous and clever running.

On the same weekend some very big, strong, fierce looking rugby players from Fiji and Argentina and France cried as they sang their anthem, as if they really valued their selection, and went out to play with greater passion and greater effectiveness against players who value their fee and their fame more.

On the All Blacks …

I am stunned by what happened and I am still unsure why because of that.  I have much admiration of the All Blacks and of NZ rugby generally and I was certain they had done all they needed to do.  Even the withdrawal of players from Super 14 had the benefit of giving an opportunity to other rising stars, I thought.

Henry’s passing comment about not getting the “rub of the green” was accurate.  A seasoned referee should have been appointed, Luke McAlister’s sin binning was a 50 / 50 decision and there was a monumental failure by the linesman failing to see or advise the forward pass.

On any other day the ABs would have brushed all that aside.  France did play wonderfully well throughout.

I am stunned still!