Venture over the other side of the ditch and it's closer to "the sound of silence". Australian rugby crowds have become tragically mute. That must change in a hurry if the Wallabies are going to beat the All Blacks in Brisbane on Saturday night.

In fairness, there hasn't really been a great deal to cheer about of late for fans of the code on these shores. The struggles and decline of the sport have been widely covered, while neither New Zealand players, officials, fans or media really seem to grasp how far rugby has been removed from the local conversation.

Winning papers over all of the cracks, of course. Spectacularly so. Even better if that victory happens to be over the All Blacks, whose enduring excellence means they deserve all the respect in the world from Australian fans.

That shouldn't be confused with affection. A polite golf clap here at the end of the game should more than suffice. During the match, all the pent-up fury of 15 years of Bledisloe misery should be rained down upon their dark, bottomless souls, much the same way tins of XXXX would descend on NSW players from the old concrete bleachers in Milton.

With all the talk about Sydney stadiums and their various failings, it's easy to forget there are plenty of good ones elsewhere. Suncorp fits that bill; when done right, the old Lang Park becomes a raucous, simmering, sneering jar of thunder that can give the home side an extra leg and bury the despised intruders.

When the Maroons run out for an Origin, it quite simply erupts. When the Roar won A-League grand finals, the atmosphere and emotion spilled over from the field and translated into electricity in the stands. When Jeff Horn stunned Manny Pacquiao, the whole suburb fairly rocked.

Alas, rugby doesn't usually sound like any of those, even when the All Blacks arrive. It's not even close. Don't be a hater.... that's the plain truth.

It really shouldn't be a pleasant place to play. When NSW visit for Origin, players often speak of how much they enjoy the challenge. That's exactly how it should be viewed, as an obstacle to be overcome, not a walk in the park with nice dressing rooms, convenient bars and pubs and excellent transport links.

Wallaby fans may not have had endless opportunities for exuberance against New Zealand of late but they have been privy to some relative success in Brisbane, which hosts another dead rubber on Saturday night.

In 2014, the ABs squeaked home 29-28, two years prior it was 18-18 and in 2011, the Wallabies won the Tri Nations final with a 25-20 victory. This weekend, despite the cup being lost across the Tasman once again, the Wallabies are in with more than a fighting chance.

A semi-militant crowd couldn't hurt but, somewhere along the way, Australian rugby fans embraced the perceived gentility of their code a little too much.

Maybe the prevailing demographic feels it undignified to scream themselves senseless for every play, like those AFL fans that look like they are about to have a coronary episode after the first stoppage, or the league fan that demands Paul Gallen be sent off just for bothering to turn up.

Time to leave the self-consciousness at home. Suncorp Stadium has soul in spades. The fans need to bring some of their own.