Australians outraged by Waltzing Matilda ban at rugby World Cup

By KATHY MARKS in Sydney

It is a ballad about a sheep thief who drowns in a pond but, to Australians, Waltzing Matilda embodies the national spirit.

Hence the chorus of outrage that greeted news yesterday that the home crowd could be banned from singing it at the rugby World Cup later this year.

The sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), has ruled that only national anthems may be sung before matches during the six-week tournament hosted by Australia.

It is prepared to make an exception for the New Zealand team's "haka" war dance, which it deems culturally significant, but says the same does not apply to Waltzing Matilda.

That has raised hackles in Australia, where the song - based on a poem written by Andrew Barton "Banjo" Patterson in 1895 - has become an unofficial national anthem. It is routinely belted out at major sporting events and players say that it fires them up for battle. The real anthem, Advance Australia Fair, is a stilted, austere song and few people know the words beyond the first verse.

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) said it would appeal to the IRB in the hope of persuading it to reconsider before the World Cups opens on October 10th. John O'Neill, chief executive of the ARU, scoffed at the notion that Waltzing Matilda was not integral to Australian culture.

"That shows breathtaking ignorance," he said. The Prime Minister, John Howard, was similarly affronted. "Nations determine their culture, not other people," he said.

Referring to the ban, he said: "I think it's very silly. I resent it. Waltzing Matilda is deeply evocative of Australian culture. How can you justify trying to ban the singing of it, and allow other presentations which are evocative of the culture of other countries?"

The Australian players, known as the Wallabies, were also horrified. The vice-captain, Toutai Kefu, said: "It gets the crowd in a jovial mood, it creates a positive atmosphere."

Another player, Joe Roff, said: "I think it's worth points to the team during a game, during a hard match."

The fact that the haka is to be permitted has added insult to injury, for the New Zealand All Blacks are the Wallabies' chief rivals. As former Australian team coach, Rod Macqueen, said: "It's not just singing the song. It's the fact of getting parity with the All Blacks."

Waltzing Matilda was sung by soldiers in the trenches during World War One.

John Williamson, a country singer who often leads sporting crowds in a rousing singalong, said: "That song is our number one song. It always has been and always will be."

Some observers suggested the move had been orchestrated by rival teams jealous of the Wallabies' success. Australia won the last two World Cups.

Whether the ban can be enforced is questionable. The IRB has not explained how it will prevent an 80,000-strong crowd from defying it and singing Waltzing Matilda at the top of its lungs.

- INDEPENDENT