Thirtieth birthdays can be both marvellous and depressing affairs; it really depends on a persons individual outlook.Does one reflect on the memories of your 20s and the prospect of whats to come, or instead bemoan the loss of the 20-something years and why its ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE?This Wednesday in Sydney, members of the 1986 Wallabies -- the last Australia team to defeat the All Blacks at Eden Park -- will gather in Sydney to do a bit of both.It will be a 30th birthday of sorts - more so an anniversary -- but as they reflect on memories of that 22-9 triumph under Alan Jones, the topic will almost certainly turn to the future and just exactly where Australian rugby and this current crop of Wallabies are at.On the strength of their 2016 performances, the topic inspires anything but a party mood.With just three wins from nine Tests this season, the Wallabies are enduring one of their worst campaigns of the professional era.And then theres their opposition this weekend: An All Blacks side who havent been beaten since August 2015, when dusted by Australia in Sydney, and for whom an 18th straight win will set a record for consecutive victories by a Tier One team and confirm their place as one of the greatest sides -- if not the greatest -- in the games history.Such has been the quality of the All Blacks rugby in 2016, and the 30-year drought that extends back to 1986, that not even only the most one-eyed Australians can give the Wallabies hope of victory in Auckland on Saturday.In fact, such is the gulf in class and form that bookmakers UBET have installed the All Blacks as $1.07 favourites with the Wallabies friendless at $8.While there is despair at the prospects of an Australian victory, there is opportunity in the forlorn situation the Wallabies find themselves in. They must remind Australia and Australians why theyre relevant.With the AFL and NRL seasons done, the Wallabies have only the A-League in competition for eyeballs this Saturday. But the high-octane start that competition has made this season, particularly Tim Cahills astonishing goal in last Saturdays Melbourne derby, means the Wallabies must deliver a performance that inspires hope for the future.Put simply, Australian rugby cannot afford to drift any further toward the obscurity of irrelevancy.There have been signs of improvement in the Wallabies game since they were completely dominated in twin Bledisloe defeats in August.Wins over South Africa and Argentina in Brisbane and Perth respectively, and a further victory over the Pumas in London, were patchy, but there were periods of positive play that gave hope for a brighter future.So while the Wallabies may be at horrifically long odds to defeat the All Blacks, there is no reason why they cant turn in a performance that tests the two-time reigning world champions and at least increase a few New Zealand pulse rates when considering the prospect of owning the world record outright.If the Wallabies can do that on a weekend when the Australian sporting air is thin, and back it up with further strong performances in Europe -- where victories will be tough to come by but undoubtedly more attainable -- then 2016 may not be totally condemned to the scrapheap.And it might just be enough to set things in the right direction so the 1986 Eden Park Wallabies might have long forgotten the Auckland hoodoo when they meet in 10 years time to mark the 40th anniversary of their win.On, Saturday however, the Wallabies just need to show why theyre relevant. And 30 then, as they say, may just prove to be the new 20 for Australian rugby. Zhaire Smith Jersey . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Cheap Basketball Draft Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.cheapjerseysauthenticnba.us/sviatoslav-mykhailiuk-jersey/ .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Gary Trent Jr. Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Alize Johnson Jersey There are two ways to look at the St. Louis Cardinals offseason.The optimists will say that general manager John Mozeliak aggressively filled his two biggest needs, signing outfielder Dexter Fowler and reliever Brett Cecil to big contracts. And in doing so, he managed to hold onto the top prospects in his farm system, ensuring a bright future.The pessimists will say that he overpaid for both of them, and that could back the Cardinals into a corner when they need the financial flexibility to make other moves next season.Reality is probably somewhere in the middle, but one thing is certain: Mozeliak has boldly acquired two premium free agents that better position St. Louis to deal with the World Series champion Chicago Cubs in the NL Central.Our group worked tirelessly over the past few weeks, especially this past week at the winter meetings, Mozeliak said. There were a lot of things that we were chasing.In truth, the dealing began when the Cardinals fortified their bullpen by signing Cecil to a $30.5 million, four-year contract. The left-hander was the only relief pitcher that really fit their wish list, and should be able to deal with high-leverage situations ahead of closer Seung Hwan Oh. Cecil, who was slowed by a torn lat muscle last season, dominated down the stretch. He threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless ball in the playoffs, confirming everything the Cardinals thought of him.They always have good teams -- good, winning teams, Cecil said of the Cardinals, and like I said, for my family and me, this is where we wanted to come. It was the best fit for us.It turned out that plugging up the bullpen was the easy move. Mozeliak knew that solving his outfield quandary would be more expensive, either in terms of prospects or cash on the free-agent market.Perhaps recognizing that, he sent veteran left-hander Jaime Garcia to the Atlanta Braves. The trade not only saved them the $12 million option the Cardinals exercised on Garcia earlier in the offseason, but it also landed them a pair of pitching prospects and second base prospect LLuke Dykstra.dddddddddddd.There were several options available to fill the Cardinals outfield hole, not to mention address their desire to improve their defense, speed on the base paths and get younger across the board.But their interest in Adam Eaton became moot when the Nationals swooped in with a better package of prospects, luring the 28-year-old outfielder from the White Sox to Washington. And if there was any interest in Ian Desmond, who converted from shortstop to the outfield for Texas last season, it didnt matter after the Rockies doled out $70 million over five years to grab him in free agency.Not surprisingly, the Cardinals turned their focus to Fowler -- assuming it was anywhere else all along -- and reeled him in last week. But it came at a steep price : $82.5 million over five years.Hes expected to take over center field, allowing Randal Richuk to slide to left.A lot has been written -- I dont know if you were questioning what we were trying to do or werent sure we were going to be able to finish, Mozeliak said. We certainly wanted to get this done, were excited we got this done.Fowler gives the Cardinals a top-of-the-order hitter. He gives them speed. He upgrades their defense and gives them more flexibility. And he provides some excitement in the clubhouse.This is a baseball city, said Fowler, who recalled seeing Cardinals shirts in the crowd during the Cubs World Series victory parade. Every time you come here, you see red everywhere. Just being a part of that and their winning culture was a big part of my decision.The moves Mozeliak has made this offseason, he hopes, ensures that the winning culture continues. But he also insisted that he isnt done, even if the big pieces appear to be in place.I think for us its going to be looking more at complementary pieces to what we have, he said. There is no doubt we still have work to do, but making a bolder-type move, I dont envision that. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '