John Eales skipped a lesson at high school for his first taste of Rugby World Cup inspiration and believes winning the bid for the 2027 tournament is the turbo-charge needed by the code in Australia.
The two-time World Cup winner isn’t advocating nation-wide truancy to watch training and games in 2027 but you get the picture.
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Inspiration. Aspiration. The third biggest sporting event in the world. Grassroots and professional rugby both gaining a huge boost. More than 200,000 tourists. Millions back in rugby’s coffers. Fun and full stadiums. The rugby economy booming.
That’s the tantalising allure of winning hosting rights. Eales stripped it back to its purest form and what a World Cup ignites in young minds.
Before he was the towering lock at the core of so many of the Wallabies’ greatest moments, he was a 17-year-old stripling in Year 12 at Brisbane’s Marist College Ashgrove.
Eales vividly remembers skipping a class with schoolmate Paddy McGrath to watch England’s 1987 World Cup squad train on the school oval.
“It was pretty inspirational for a kid. I can still remember watching (England No.8) Dean Richards with his socks down on the training field and the size of him,” Eales said.
“Paddy had to repeat Year 12 so I hope missing that maths class wasn’t the cause before he became a successful solicitor.
“I remember watching a lot of that first World Cup on TV. There was that epic Australia-France semi-final at Concord Oval. The crowd wasn’t even 20,000 and you could walk up and buy a ticket on the day.
“In 2003, the two semi-finals in Sydney sold out at 82,000-plus. You look at the growth of the World Cup and there’s so much capacity for a major impact on the code here in 2027.
“It’s an aspiration for those who want to play in it and an inspiration for youngsters and fans to be involved.
“I’ve always loved rugby but something as big as a World Cup gives you validation with your mates who see your game on a world stage and offering worldwide opportunities.”
Eales was a beanpole in the school First XV in 1987 and only won selection as a lowly reserve for the TAS Second XV when the representative season arrived.
By 1991, he was holding the Webb Ellis Cup aloft at Twickenham as a World Cup-winning lock. Richards was a member of the beaten England pack.
Strange how things work. That school field that Richards ran around on? It now has the John Eales Grandstand looking over it.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Bid Advisory Board chairman Sir Rod Eddington was a wise and experienced business voice amid Thursday's vibe that Australia just has to get the tournament.
“It’s a competitive process. You can’t take anything for granted,” he said. Twice.
The call on 2027 host will be made in May next year. The 2031 host will also be decided. Just where the USA fits is the mystery element.
It wasn’t just bid heavyweights on the stage at Thursday’s impressive 2027 RWC bid launch at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art. The nervous teenager with the microphone was a 17-year-old lock as Eales once was himself.
Clem Haloholo is a Year 12 lad from Waverley College. Before he was driven back to school for his afternoon classes, he offered “110kg and about 195cm.”
“Geez, I’m glad I wasn’t taking him on as a skinny 85kg when I was in Year 12,” Eales said with a smile.
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Haloholo was bursting with pride. Should Australia win hosting rights for the 2027 World Cup, it will be cool if he is around it somewhere as a player, a selection contender, a club player or a devoted fan with a story to tell.
“The legacy of the 2027 World Cup doesn’t start in 2027. It starts now with being able to involve young people in the bid,” Eales said.
“If the bid is successful, there will be a glow around everything to do with rugby and grassroots amateur clubs will be working out how they will be involved in rugby’s biggest event.”
That’s the snowball that rugby needs to hitch a ride on.
#GAMEON could not be more ideal as a hashtag for the bid.
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