By Zac Zavos
May 20th 2007 @ 2:56pm
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Let The Roar of the crowd fix up Rugby
At the beginning of the 2004 season Australian rugby was loaded with cash, the Wallabies had almost won the Rugby World Cup, playing numbers, spectator and television viewing numbers were soaring, and the game looked likely to fulfill John O’Neill’s vision of becoming the second largest football code in the country.
Now in 2007, another World Cup year, rugby is at the nadir with falling crowds, poor performances by Australian teams, administrative inertia and grandstanding and the sense that something is wrong inside the Australian rugby commuinity.
There has been a strong discussion of what is going wrong in The Roar over the past few months. What we want to do now is concentrate this discussion. We want readers to tell us the three main problems facing rugby, and three solutions to the problems.
We will collate all the comments and present them to the ARU for a response, and action. Then we will monitor the ARU on how it attempts to get on top of the problems we’ve exposed.
Share this with a friend - and win a copy of Watching The Rugby World Cup.
In order to get the broadest possible view on this issue - we encourage you to send this article to your friends. A winner will be drawn on 1 June and will win a copy of Spiro Zavos’ Watching The Rugby World Cup.
To kick-off our campaign, here are our thoughts on what is wrong and what needs to be done:
PROBLEMS
1. Too many administrators are there for their own self-engrandisement. The interests of the stakeholders, especially supporters, are being neglected and ignored.
2. The presentation of the game is woeful.
3. At all levels of rugby, except the grassroots, there is no accountability and too much secrecy.
SOLUTIONS
1. Bring back John O’Neill. Under O’Neill’s administration rugby flourished at every level. He was forced out of the ARU by incompentents who have created rugby’s most serious crisis in the professional era.
2. Get more high level rugby on to free-to-air television. Also better officiating: better coaching: more skilful play from the professional players: and a quick implementation of the Stellenbosch Laws to simplify the laws and take much of the subjectivity out of refereeing.
3. Create an administrative practice at all levels of rugby that is inclusive, open and accountable.
Let the Roaring begin …
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(38)
Roger said | May 20th 2007 @ 6:50pm | Report comment
Hi Zac,
This could be a really good project.
SUGGESTION, :put a time frame on it , a week maybe ? .Dont print any response
untill all readers have submited ideas.
All ideas will then be ‘original ‘ and not influenced by others. .
When you send the results to ARU, it will be more legit if all ideas are isolated
and not an aamalgamation of everybodies second guesses.
DaniB said | May 20th 2007 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
Wow, this is some project… really appreciate being given the chance to present our thoughts and to see if the ARU will respond.
Hmmm, will have to sleep on it though…
Dave said | May 21st 2007 @ 12:57am | Report comment
Problems
1. ARU board is not representative enough and not accountable enough.
2. The marketing of the game is based on selling tickets to watch test matches.
3. The ‘pathway’ to professional rugby is a ‘closed shop’.
Solutions
1. Exapnd the board. Firstly each S14 province get 3 reps each (NSW to be represented by Premier Clubs, Subbies and NSW Schools * Qld by Qld Country, Premier Clubs and Brisbane Subbies * ACT by ACT clubs, Sthn NSW country clubs and Nthn NSW Country clubs [maybe look at merging ACT and NSW Country together] * WF by WA, Victoria and a rep for SA/NT/TAS); 4 independent directors representing the 4 main financial contributors; Players rep; Refs rep; Women’s rep; ALUMNi rep (representing former Wallaby players and coaches); CEO and president. All the S14 reps should be voted on by club committees (not presidents) - 1 club 1 vote for a term of 3 years (maybe stagnate them so each year only one of the rep positions is changed to enable fresh faces / new ideas to come onto the board). The presidency should be for 4 or 5 years and elected by the members of every rugby club in Australia (1 club 1 vote though). To avoid it becoming a political campaign the ARU can design a 1 small flyer and each candidates name, business and rugby background and their vision for the game can be put on it and distributed to each club.
2. Market the game to grow the player numbers. Back in the early 90s there was the “I want to be a Wallaby” campaign which IMHO was successful. The only time you see an ad for Oz rugby now it is for a test or S14 to get people to go to the games. The game needs to be grown at the grassroots level first.
3. There seems to be no support whatsoever from the ARU or any other provincial rugby unioon (except maybe WA and Vic) to help individual clubs with administration and improving the coaching. Rather than paying out for league players they should start investing in coaching support structures in junior and grassroots rugby. My theory is if you improve the quality of the coaches you will improve the skill of the players. Each Sydney club (and Brisbane for that matter) shoulkd be linked to every Subbies club in its area and charged with helping to develop them and developing local junior club competitions, rather than relying on the tired GPS / CAS system (that system will still produce players). There should be more than one ‘pathway’ to the top. The Western Suburbs of Sydeny is rugby unions largest untapped resource we need to be developing a strong rugby presence there now, Penrith can’t be allowed to flounder any longer.
Peter Laytham said | May 21st 2007 @ 6:59am | Report comment
Great project - I agree with the first post - hold the comments for a week so you get a wide range of thoughts then present them.
For mine, the problems (and solutions) that I see are relatively simple;
Problem 1: ARU and NSRU Administrations too intent on administering, not intent enough on the game or the spectator.
Solution 1. Administrative Key Performance Indicators - place all administrators on KPI based contracts and measure them against them. Sample KPI’s would include things like spectator numbers at games, training sessions attended, team meetings attended. They should also be either trained in basic counseling or have same readily available so if they “don’t like” someone there is a vehicle to address it. In short, focus them on the game rather than their personal or emotional wonts.
Problem 2: Coaching. Since the heady days of 2000 neither the Brumbies nor the Wallabies have really shone, their lights constantly on the wane. Is this mere coincidence or is there a common element. Ah, yes, the coach, McQueen.
Solution 2: Use Rod McQueen to choose coaches, and coach them in coaching. Spend whatever it takes to get him to help with this for the next 4 years, concentrating on the S14 coaches and of course the Wallaby coach. If your can’t get Rod McQueen, throw some cash, houses and cars at Robbie Deans. In short, get hold a successful coach and get them to teach your coaches.
Problem 3: The price of loyalty, especially wrt League players.
Solution 3: Don’t use your funds luring League players to Union. If they WANT to come they won’t WANT the massive cash AND they will likely be more committed and a better return. Instead, use the CASH to develop rugby at grass roots through to A-grade levels - focus on clubs, early identification of promising players, staged introduction to major competition and really get the games foundations in order.
Allan Dodd said | May 21st 2007 @ 10:33am | Report comment
From the angle of the pathway
Some decisions have to be made around the code from under 13 upwards. Currently there is a mish mash of controllers from ARU, NSWRU, Subbies, Zones, Districts, clubs school bodies etc etc
There needs to be a single junior body responsible for the overall strategy. I suggest that this body should be the ARU. In this way clubs and schools, including private schools, are part of the rugby community with two aims in mind. One, deliver the best, most skilled players out of the system, into colts/academy. Two, look after the second tier of children that enjoy just playing the game. This second tier are the junior coaches and administrators of the future.
Currently in Sydney, as an example, certain schools control when the boys can play the game for their clubs. Even semi private schools are now jumping on this band wagon. What has happened is the club teams weaken and eventually fold losing many players from the game. In other words 2 to 3 elite players go on 15 or so others are lost. Again this is just one example of the conflict between the bodies.
If there was an overall strategy all interests could be encouraged and supported.
The ARU have numbers saying the participation of juniors is on the increase. This may well be true for the mini’s etc but I can tell you that from 13 up many clubs are experiencing a dramatic drop in teams and numbers. The recent news of Penrith Colts folding illustrates this issue.
stillmissit said | May 21st 2007 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
Great Idea Zac. The ARU appears to have returned to its roots as a political boys club.
Problem 1. There is a lack of business acumen in just about everything they touch from controlling and using funds, negotiating with players and their managers to marketing, general administration and control. There appears to be no plan or anyone who could drive a plan even if they had one.
Solution 1. Bring in strong business people who have no allegiances to the current politics. Let them focus on driving the business of the ARU in a professional manner and to deal with all the interested parties in a non partisan way. This assumes that John O’Neil will not get a start.
Problem 2. The ARU are not developing enough player, coach or referee talent out of the user base.
Solution 2. Fund a developing players group within the ARU and support it for at least 5 years with annual reviews of performance linked to thier income and measured in terms of ‘talent’ making the APC, S14 and Wallabies.
Problem 3. The ARU seem out of touch with the clubs and schools rugby, where the foundations of their income comes from.
Solution 3. All ARU senior staff including the CEO must meet with all club managers, and coaches and also seperateley meet with all schools at a state level to hear what the ‘customers’ want out of the ARU and hear how they are performing.
FOOTNOTE:
It is interesting that the 2 most successful people in the ARU in the last 20 years were both ‘outsiders’ Rod McQueen, an unpopular choice, according to his memoirs, with the ARU for Australian coach. John O’Neil was also an outsider who treated rugby as a business and got shafted by the small political people. I believe that both these men gave more to Australian rugby than any political insider who could ‘work the numbers’ to get elected.
Zac Zavos said | May 21st 2007 @ 1:29pm | Report comment
Some strong arguments coming out already - good to see.
We’ll run this for 10 days - until 31st May 07. We’ll then collate the responses and try to put them into a meaningful argument (anyone interested in helping out, please contact us). From there, we’ll post back onto The Roar, and then liaise with the ARU to ensure our message is heard.
Cheers,
Zac
PB said | May 21st 2007 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Three problems:
1. The laws are unnecessarily complex
2. Competitions don’t bring in bums on seats week in week out except at the elite level.
3. The pot is not equally shared.
Solutions - Law changes:
1. Adopt the so-called Stellenbosch variations and in addition:
a) No kicking out on the full inside the 22 at all - only from behind the goal line.
b) Offside lines 5m behind last foot for all ruck, maul etc.
c) Change definition of ‘tackler’ to anyone who makes a legal tackle, without the requirement to ‘go to ground’.
d) Change the scrum engagement call at all levels to: Crouch - Touch and hold - Engage (this may happen anyway)
e) Make the Australian U19 law variations compulsary for all countries in U19 games.
f) Lineout ends when ruck or maul forms, not when it crosses the line of touch.
Competitions:
1. Run the S14 no later than the end of May.
2. Leave the Shute Shield as is.
3. Reduce the number of tests per season and the length of the test season to release the test players and make them available to pay for their clubs. Test matches have been totally devalued by the frequency of them.
4. Run the Sydney Premier Rugby and Brisbane competitions from July until end of October WITH ALL THE TEST PLAYERS and with night games. People WILL come and see club rugby with the elite players.
5. Get rid of the proposed new national competition altogether. Sorry ARU, you should have learned from Superleague that you can’t buy loyalty from fans for franchises created without traditional secular loyalties.
Share the wealth
The ARU should take more responsibility for funding the lower levels of the game. A national program to provide all games at all levels with QUALIFIED touch judges would be a start.
Stu said | May 21st 2007 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
Challenge 1. Boring - The game has too many rules that favour the defender - the only exciting tries are scored on the counter attack when the defense is not set. A defensive bias mean the increase of penalty goal - If i wanted to watch soccer i’d watch it
Challenge 2. Skills - the lack of - I went to watch the waratahs vs stormers match and was treated to the most pathetic hamfisted display - The waratahs were absolutley appalling - simple pass and catch - It’s U8s stuff
Challenge 3,. Responsibility and the blame game. I’m so tired and cynical of coaches casting themselves as the victim, this culture started under the jones and has continued to flourish under the current incumbent. BTW i’m also sick of hearing coaches talk up non existent positives.
Solution 1. The rules need to change to favour the attacking team - Maybe make killing the ball in the 22 always a mandatory yellow card offense, maybe remove the rule regarding marks - Take away the rule regarding kicking out on the full in the 22 (i.e. make out on the full always result in a lineout from where the ball was kicked)
Solution 2 is to get the simple things right player need to do less weights and have more skills/sprint training - The public is sick of seeing 225 pound cyborgs with limited hand-eye coordination and no awareness
Solution 3 - I’m not sure what we can do here - O’Neil and MacQueen were part of our golden era - we need more of these sort of characters in team management and administration
PB said | May 21st 2007 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
PS. Totally agree with the Spiro comment to make more free-to-air coverage.
Ben Stevenson said | May 21st 2007 @ 5:26pm | Report comment
Problems:
1. Public is disenfranchised
2. Players accountable for performances
3. Every game counts - not just one game every four years
Solutions:
1. Marketing of rugby in Australia is disgraceful if at all existent. Every game that the Wallabies and ‘A’ teams play should be full. Ticket prices and game location should be addressed - depending on the team playing and the opposition will depend upon the location, time and ticket prices of the game. Real value for families should be taken into account.
e.g. Australia ‘A’ games used as a marketing tool for the game. Grounds like North Sydney oval should be used for games where smaller crowds would be expected. 10,000 to 20,000 spectators at the Football Stadium makes for a poor spectacle. The same crowd in North Sydney oval (and similar) makes for a great buzz and excitement. e.g. of games at North Sydney might be Australia ‘A’ vs Tonga or Samoa. Friday night games is great for peoples leaving the office and having a night out. Saturday or Sunday afternoon games would be great family days so the kids can come along and get the excitement as well.
Where slightly larger crowds maybe expected (e.g. Oz ‘A’ v Junior All Blacks) slightly larger venues may be appropriate - and targeted at drawing a full crowd. Such games maybe slated for family days where kids can get in for reasonable prices and parents don’t feel like they have to finance half of Lote’s salary to have a day at the rugby. “Giving” tickets to school groups also provides for an excellent environment (this could be used at super 14 level as well). Once again this is a marketing tool and need not be purely a revenue raising exercise.
The same should be addressed with international games. A poorly performing Wales test should never have been booked for the Olympic stadium (or whatever it happens to be called at this particular minute). A half full stadium against a poor opposition makes for a poor spectacle. The Wallabies smashing Wales at a half full (if they are lucky) Olympic stadium is a looser and poor for the sport. A packed Football stadium with the crowd baying for Welsh blood makes for a memorable experience.
2. Selections (at state and international level) should be based on performances and not reputations, contracts or friendships. People who can not catch and pass should not be playing at state or international rugby no mater what they have been signed on for. Contracts should be performance based so that players have a financial incentive to play well or earn very little. e.g. If Lote does not get picked for the wallabies he only gets his state salary (plus sponsors). If the Tahs don’t think he’s good enough then he again goes back to a base level.
3. Everytime a player pulls on his state or national jersey he should play with passion and plays like he means it. Ever since the start of the Jones era test players seem to have been allowed to just go through the motions and keep their spots as the team tries to build for some future test goal. The public is sick of seeing of paying to seeing people train. EVERY test counts in terms of not only winning but giving it your all. Players who need to rest or just want to cruise through a game should not be picked. Players who constantly underperform at either certain venues or certain teams should not be picked in those circumstances (e.g. Larkham in South Africa)
Zac Zavos said | May 21st 2007 @ 5:51pm | Report comment
Quick update:
In order to get the broadest possible view on this important issue - we encourage you to send this article to your friends / colleagues. A winner will be drawn on 1 June and will win a copy of Spiro Zavos’ Watching The Rugby World Cup.
Burgs said | May 21st 2007 @ 7:09pm | Report comment
Great initiative fellas.
Problem 1:
There is too much politicking and far too many “players” with agendas at the top end of the Administration tree in the ARU.
Solution 1:
The introduction of Peter Cosgrove and Rod McCall was a good start, especially Cosgrove, however more of this outside blood needs to be introduced.
People who have a fresh vision for the future that will take bold and fearless steps for Australian Rugby rather than the politically correct whim of their home Union.
This is also required at the Administration level, stop looking over your shoulder!
As good as he was, the O’Neill era is now over, history, finished, period.
Dedicate your resources to finding the best of the new breed of CEO coming through the ranks. And once appointed, SUPPORT HIM!!!
Finally this change to outside blood must occur in our Coaching ranks as well.
Robbie Deanes MUST be appointed to the Wallaby role at all costs, there is no better qualified Coach available in World Rugby and any other Australian candidate will be hampered by State bickering and personal baggage.
The time for Australian bred Coaches will come again however, post France the ARU must draw a line in the sand and start with a fresh outlook and a fresh management free from historical bickering, back room deals and bastardry.
Problem 2:
Too many of our best players leave our shores in their prime to seek a few years in the “Superannuation Leagues” of Europe and Japan.
The new ARU Board must be prepared to lead Australia and the Southern Hemisphere into the forefront of Professional Rugby where the best are retained and depth is rewarded and nurtured.
Solution 2:
The new ARU Board must have a vision for the future that attracts far greater sponsorship dollars to be returned to our players. We cannot continue to rely on national pride to retain our best players within Australia.
Our playing wages must be equitable with those found in England and France.
Private sponsorships arrangements for individual players should be pursued.
The ARC must evolve into a fully professional National competition to rival both the AFL and NRL so as to lure Juniors, Corporate dollars and Media away from our rival codes.
I noticed recently Peter Holmes a Court laughed at by League media for stating that (to paraphrase) “when I was in Beef I didn’t see my opposition as the neighbour but as being Chicken”. This is the very approach that the ARU must take to combat the expansionist nature of the NRL and AFL.
In the future, the money must be there for ARC players to be earning what Super 14 players are today and Super 14 players earning what Guinness Premier and Pro 16 players already are getting.
Problem 3:
There needs to be a far greater emphasis on player development and Junior recruiting.
The basic and technical skills of the average Australian player is well below what it should be and urgent actions need to be taken.
Solution 3:
Firstly, the ARU must call a halt to this fixation on recruiting Senior League players to be the “saviours” of our code.
Both effort and trust needs to be placed in developing our own Juniors through the ranks and rewarding those who are dedicated to the Code.
I believe there are some exceptions from League who should be pursued however, I believe and Under 21 policy should be self implemented by the ARU that any player that Union tries to attract must be still under twenty one years of age.
If they have not become an obvious target by that age then there will be inherit flaws in their skills set and they will most likely be approaching a Code switch to inflate their League contract worth rather than having a genuine desire to play Union.
More importantly it is imperative that the ARU provides the opportunities to stop the flow of Union Juniors to League.
To develop the basic and technical skills of our players I propose to urgent measures be implemented.
Firstly; a “Scrum School” must be established for the development of all Age Rep and Senior tight five players. A facility that would allow the ARU to attract the World leaders in Scrummaging and Forward play to tutor our best and future stars.
Secondly; an Australia wide Under 21 Sevens competition must be established to expose and enhance the skills required in Sevens play in our Back Row and Backline players.
The recent Adelaide Sevens highlighted the gap in skills between even the minnows and our average 15 a side player at Super 14 level. Three years of annual exposure at a young age would certainly assist with that development of skills.
Originally the teams could be drawn from the same sources as the ARC format and could be played in the Summer Test Series window. This would allow for a selection process for the Australian Sevens Coaching Panel leading up to the IRB Sevens season.
As it establishes, the opportunity to incorporate teams from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands could well unfold also.
I believe that the status of Australian Sevens selection should be raised to being above Super 14 selection and likewise and Representative Selection (ie Schoolboys, Under 19, Under 21 etc) must have precedence over Super 14 duties. This need only be included in future contracts for it to be clear and not to be an issue.
The Holmes a Courts and Crowe’s of this world must be encouraged to invest their hard earned into our Code, not the coffers of Football, League or even Soccer.
Continued growth in Europe can be assumed, Japan is an ever growing power house and North America is about to unleash its combined financial might into the Pro Rugby ranks.
Argentina continues to look for anyone to want them and the Pacific Islands is an ongoing issue.
The time is ripe for Australia to be a leader in the Southern Hemisphere and with imaginative and courageous leadership build a depth and strength to rival the Home Nations and Europe.
It is no time for internal disputes or ego battles.
It is no time to continue to lose our Senior stars or erode our Junior stocks
It is no time to stand back while our players’ skills continue to dissolve and become technically unsound.
Take action, take a new start, make the changes, be united, be courageous and we will follow.
Kenneth Mortimer said | May 21st 2007 @ 10:57pm | Report comment
Problem: Little depth in Australian rugby as shown by the decimation of Waratahs and Reds through injury.
Solution: Look at provincial structures in New Zealand and South Africa. Create a grassroots provincial competition. Super 14 teams are not provinces they are franchises that should rely on a feeds from provinces, i.e. NSW to be represented by Premier Clubs, Subbies and NSW Schools * Qld by Qld Country, Premier Clubs and Brisbane Subbies * ACT by ACT clubs, Sthn NSW country clubs and Nthn NSW Country clubs [maybe look at merging ACT and NSW Country together] * WF by WA, Victoria and a rep for SA/NT/TAS.
Problem: Dominance by Sydney clubs on ARU decision making.
Solution: Resist this for the good of the wider game. Australia is bigger than Sydney.
Problem: Little depth breeds minimal innovation.
Solution: For 5-7 years allow 2 foreign players on the field for each Super 14 game and for the provincial competition allow up to four foreign players.
ARU: You squandered the golden age of Australian Rugby created by Farr-Jones and Campese through to Eales and Horan, so now get real and create a great rugby tradition based on reality of the global rugby competitive profile.
Will said | May 22nd 2007 @ 1:58am | Report comment
1.Lack of professionalism and accountability on the part of the ARU certainly seems to be a problem. There is a major need for reform and reducing personnel to a more streamlined administration. The standard of personnel probably needs improvement also.
2. It would seem that the selectors are also a problem - continuously selecting players that are not the best, and not seemingly willing to consider other players who should be given a chance. Michael O’Connor’s behaviour in the Tiquri-Hewatt affair was disgraceful.
3. The miserly attitude of the ARU in relation to spending money to develop the game and bring the national side up to the standard required to win tournaments like the Tri Nations and the World Cup. This encompasses a wide range of issues, such as spending more on developing club rugby (though apologies to some of the other posts here subbies rugby is not exactly going to lead anyone through to the Wallabies) , encouraging more schools to focus on rugby rather than other codes, and putting enough money in front of world class sports managers and coaches to ensure we have the key personnel to drive rugby forward again in Australia.
4. The above posts are wrong in relation to rugby league players. We need more rugby league players crossing over, not less. Much of the current Wallabies squad appears mediocre compared to stand-out corresponding players in league. Promising league players such as Matty Bowen, Jarod Hayne, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Mark Gasnier could make an enormous difference to rugby. Inglis for example is a far better winger than any possible wing option currently in Australian rugby.
5. The ideal management team for the ARU: Sepp Blatter, CEO. Rod McQueen, Coach. Ricky Stuart, Assistant Coach. Specialist Backs Coach, David Campese. Specialist Forwards Coach, Andrew Blades and Steve Cutler. Motivational Specialists: Terry Lamb, Sam Scott Young and Chopper Read.
Hugh Dillon said | May 22nd 2007 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
1. The chief problem with rugby as a game is that it is now too much weighted to the defence. To watch a game is like watching the Battle of the Somme: attackers in small numbers trying to break through trench lines of defenders. Space is needed for attackers — this means that there must be incentives in the rules for defenders to commit players to rucks and mauls rather than keeping them in the defensive line. Winning games by goalkicks (eg Bulls v Crusaders) is the logical extension.
2. In Australia skill must be encouraged and rewarded. I suspect that kids and professional players are overcoached in some respects and not coached sufficiently in others. There are too many athletes and not enough ball players. Why is David Campese in South Africa not with the Wallabies or Waratahs or the Force?
3. There ought to be a single, global international rugby season: one of the modern disgraces is that the Europeans send B teams south and we send A- teams north at the end of each season. Test matches aren’t Tests: tours are developmental — but for what?
Cameron St Clair said | May 22nd 2007 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
Three problems.
1. Defence oriented game, rather than offensive.
2. Not doing enough to expand the game where the large population centres of young families are located .i.e. western suburbs of Sydney.
3. Supporting the pacific Island rugby. It was a disgrace that Samoans where not able to play in the 2003 world cup due to European club contracts.
john said | May 23rd 2007 @ 6:22am | Report comment
My post is aimed at the Austalian market.
I reckon the main problem is the win at all costs attitude taken by coaches and administrators (despite the fact that as a strategy for winning it is obviously not working).
Of course winning is important, but more importantly mug punters just want to watch great rugby. If we watch a great match, but lose in the end, losing does not really matter. Imagine if this year NSW and Queensland actually played exciting rugby rather than playing the boring numbers game with a “lose by the least points” mentality. Us punters would have been disappointed but at least we would have bothered to go and watch the game at the stadium (even though this year it wasn’t even worth going to pub to watch the games). And we would not be complaining about the spinelessness of the current crop of coaches and administrators.
As they say in the tropic: “it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”. Evidence of this is in the empty hip pockets of the ARU, NSW and Queensland this year.
On another point, why was O’Connor not sacked? perhaps someone like Cosgrove should be leading from front and asking for some answers.
Roger said | May 23rd 2007 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
I send copies of the site out to a mate of mine.He’s a surgeon . so
has no time to get involved with the roar. Mind you he is a mad
keen rugby buff that never misses either a local or a Reds match.
He sent me this email ,and I think its worth passing on. Its sad really.
I like the roar material and the articles. After the recent revelation of
what I think is a scandalous ‘relaitonship’ between a Wallabies selector
and an overpaid and underperforming ex Legue player I really give up.
And then I read this morning they are close to signing Craig Wing…..
……great message for our young up and comers! They should get their
heads out of their collective arses and get out and look at some of the
higher level school football.
There is a shit load of very good kids running around . 3 kids in my
sons u 15 ( rugby union) team are already chanelled into the league
system via the Broncos and Titans . Somebody should give the clowns
at the top a brief history lesson on the history of Rome and one
emperor Nero.
Roger said | May 23rd 2007 @ 5:26pm | Report comment
I should have mentioned that the school
referred to above is Ashgrove in Brisbane ..
The same Ashgrove John Eales attended.
matta said | May 23rd 2007 @ 9:01pm | Report comment
Market the game as a tough sport for christ sake! thats what made me give away aussie rules to play rugby!
People have been talking up taking the rough stuff out to keeps mothers calm etc but I have never seen a shred of proof that this has helped the image of any of the codes.
Show me big tough guys hitting each other.. little fellas running the big fellas around the park and scoring tries not bloody butterflies etc!
matta said | May 23rd 2007 @ 11:58pm | Report comment
also, not trying to be smart here but how many people on the forum actually still play the game?
I only ask because there is real worry in club land that the new rules are going to change the game too much.
I would rather see a couple of rule changes at a time rather than a whole heap. Again, as someone who loves the sport and is still playing at a decent club level I would like to see the 5 meters from scrum taken on ASAP - it will free up the back lines nicely. I know we want to keep the ball in play more but that will honestly blow most front rowers out of the game. having said that why not allow front rowers to interchange?
PB said | May 24th 2007 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Matta,
No-one is trying to take the toughness out of the game. The compulsary Smart Rugby safety course that match officials, coaches etc do has a theme: Confidence in Contact. It is emphasised that it is still a hard, contact sport, but that participants should be trained so that they have awareness of things like body position, body height etc to enter the contact area (ie, the tackle where 80% of injuries occur) with more safety.
In spite of what you read by sone of the woefully misinformed on these forums, the participation rate among juniors is thriving. Parents see the initiatives taken to make the game safer for little Johnny and respond by letting him play rugby instead of another code.
matta said | May 24th 2007 @ 10:43am | Report comment
PB,
you miss my point. I agree that rugby is a physical game and no one is trying to take that away - but the ARU dont market it like that. They market it with an Ad with the Wallabies and Butterflies or the super 14 players washing their clothes etc.
and yes, you are 100% right. Jnr rugby numbers are at a all time high, even in the non rugby states.
PB said | May 24th 2007 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Yeah, fair comment Matta. I have to confess I don’t pay a lot of attention to the ARU’s marketing. Every time I hear “Qantas Wallabies”, I cringe.
Allan Dodd said | May 24th 2007 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I don’t necessarily agree with matta on junior numbers
I am heavily involved in this area and the numbers are a bit rubbery.
An example….my son plays, school, club and rep level. The ARU count him as 3 people participating in junior rugby
As they say damn lies and statisics……
gregh said | May 24th 2007 @ 9:41pm | Report comment
Hello all, very good idea.
1. game is not visible to the general public.
2.marketing and presentation of the game is inappropriate and uninspired
3. speed up game
solutions
1. rugby needs to strike a deal with newscorp/fox that allows free to air telecast of games ( at least one a week) just as NRL and AFL have….huge mistake to sell of rights of game completely to satellite for S14. also make sure free to air telecast company is actually interested in the game..unlike seven at the moment..they dont event show the non australian games of the tri-nations now!!
2. study how the game is marketed in europe..its booming ..ireland, france and england have lessons for us.. the game is going from strengh to strengh in ireland..an even more sports saturated market.. DONT market the game like american football or NRL.. create an alternatrive niche based around tradition and occasion for test matches..this is australia..not the qantas wallabies!! playing.. its natal vs Queensland..not reds v sharks…
rugby has very unique feautures and these should be marketed..it doesnt need blokey, american style marketinbg with the crappy cheerleaders.
3.
educate refs better..make breakdown rules simpler and faster..protect the side playing positive play..allow better advantage/play on rules..keep the game flowing..
get fake/minor injuries off the field and get the game moving..
hugh campbell said | May 25th 2007 @ 8:20pm | Report comment
1. the administration
2. the lack of skill and tactics
3. player development, retention and recruitment
solution 1. sack the entire current board. its still the ‘old boys club’ and, especially in nsw, dominated by the old gps crew. theres is too much red-tape, bullshit and self-serving. we need more business minded people in charge. look at league, afl, soccer and cricket. they’re all miles ahead of rugby in adminstration stakes and all have businessmen at the helm, not self-serving explayers and private schoolers.
2. employ a national coaching director. we need everyone moving in the same direction. look at the new zealand and south african teams in the super 14 they all played similar games. dominant forwards who can off-load and backs with speed who can catch and pass. they also kept forwards out of the backline. qld under edie jones went back to the tactics which killed the wallabies. the waratahs were just a disgrace with poor skills and no obvious game plan. the western force and brumbies, our team best performed teams played the most attacking, modern style of rugby and we’re correspondingly the most successful. also why not take advantage of andrew and matthew johns as skills coaches. they have both said they are willing to work with rugby and there are no better skill coaches in any code anywhere in the world.
3. firstly stop throwing money and rugbly league players who are unproven in rugby union and realise that tuqiri isn’t that far ahead (or even ahead) of any winger in australia to command that salary. instead direct that money at club and junior rugby. we’ve got a great crop of young rugby players coming through focus on them
Roger said | May 26th 2007 @ 6:33pm | Report comment
When a rugby player runs the ball independent of team support
he can become I SOLATED ,and put his team under pressure if
he looses possession..The ARU has become ISOLATED and has
put both traditional rugby and the longterm commercial viability
of the game under pressure.
.*The successful RWC in Sydney created an air of euphoric self assurance
resulting in the ARU incorrectly assuming that not only could the RWC
success be replicated in Super Rugby throughout Australia, but also
traditional rugby clubs would flourish exponentially.
* The ARU also assumed that if a RWC match could fill a mega stadium and
also attract a huge TV audience,success was a given,even though many
people that attended had little or no knowlege of rugby,but just wanted to
be part of an important event,in much the same way thousands of people
that attend the Melbourne Cup or watch the race on TV have no knowledge
of horse racing..
* The ARU ignored a rugby immutable. A person can only truly understand and
appreciate the all important nuances that is the essence of rugby if they have
either played the game or spent a lifetime watching it. The ability to appreciate
rugby is not a commodity that’s easily transportable,and definitely not one
thats readily marketable to the non rugby sporting masses.
* The ARU recently fast tracked the ARC as a feeder competition for Super 14.
A century of club rugby history,family and irreplaceable rugby ideology,has
been compromised with little more than a ‘best guess blind hope’ the ARC
will eventually support struggling Super 14 teams,thus inturn facilitating
the insatiable financial demands of sponsors and marketing gurus.
* Having ISOLATED itself from both long term rugby followers and the games
traditional CLUB support base,the ARU then encouraged financiers,
marketing gurus,spin doctors,and media junkies alike,to match and promote
the game,not against another CLUB ,but instead against the rugby public,
because the ultimate goal is to fill huge stadiums,and a rugby match
became a means to end, bums on seats.The marketing success that is
State of Origin,depends heavily on a public susceptible to this brand of
sporting propoganda. Similar promotion is wasted in rugby union.
* Super 14 is in a most vulnerable position because the ARU has no
commercial blueprint or seemingly any idea of how to guarantee the
viability of a professional rugby team that does not win most of the time.
They are ‘ teams’ remember not CLUBS.This is not a problem in countries
like New Zealand or South Africa where unlike Australia, rugby is a ‘game
of the streets’ with a large supporter base,that accept Super 14 as a natural
extention of their CLUB rugby because they have not been ISOLATED by their
governing bodies.
* The advent of SUPER rugby saw a paradigm shift in player attitude.The ARU
has not shown leadership , and the transition has been managed. poorly.
(eg Free for all: Western Force)..Since SUPER rugby, vital player loyalty is
no longer to the school,the CLUB,the guernsey,or as more recently played
out in the media,even to the game itself, but instead to the contract.Young
teenage players,now denied mentoring support once the domain of senior
players in local CLUBS,are harmed by this phenomenon.Managers and legal
representatives are now as actively competitive as a players trainer or coach
It’s a corrupting influence.
* The ARU are totally responsible for the flow on effects of the Western Force
saga. Controls are negligible . Super 14 players are mercenaries that will wear
any teams guernsey and promote any sponsors product, so long as the price
is right .But the moment a team starts to loose matches,picky fans stop going
because there is diminished underlying loyalty to a loosing professional team.
Players likewise do not stick with a loosing team. Its a job;they feel no emotion
,so naturally chase the next lucrative contract either here or overseas.When a
Super 14 team looses players ,it looses membership and sponsorship funds
leaving no way of raising money to buy new players.
* In the space of a few years, the ARU managed the relocation of rugby from
suburban CLUB grounds,to the Mega Stadium.Super 14 is a professional
business .Except Super 14 teams are not CLUBS and therefore have virtually
nothing to do with the elements pivotal to a CLUB teams survival;sentiment,
loyalty, mateship and camararderie.Once these elements are removed,there
is little reason other than money for a Super teams existence.Especially if
as the ARU has done, created another rugby agenda that is based on the
quantity not the quality of Test matches.
* The ARU would have supporters believe the relocation of the game from
the local suburban CLUB to full time professional teams playing at huge
stadiums has been an unqualified success ,but supporters can see the
ARU benchmarks for Super 14 success are,
1.Test teams and players,Super teams and players must be
ISOLATED from traditional CLUBS that are the heart and
soul of the game.
2.Regular Dutch auctions are required to raise obscene
amount of money for players much more concerned
with their contract than either the team or the game.
3. Packed stadiums are the main focus, whilst starving
the foundations of the game of funds pivotal to the
long term survival of rugby.
* The ARU cannot justify the relatively small amount of ongoing financial
support made available for grass roots CLUB rugby compared with and
considering the value of players on its books.The commercial value of a
Super 14 team is several million dollars.The ARU control a portfolio of
player assets worth many millions of dollars.Amazingly,the raw player
assets are provided for FREE by the CLUBS and the schools.How many
businesses exist where a constant flow of assets of enormous value
and potential is provided at NO CHARGE.How difficult can it be for the
ARU to genuinely thank ,support and cherish this irreplaceable source
of wealth.
* It is dangerous for the ARU to assume this constant supply of million dollar
assets provided at NO CHARGE by rugby CLUBS throughout Australia will
be there forever.( theres lots competion for young elite athletic talent)
* The ARU is not only wrong but morally irresponsible to SQUANDER the
results of this largesse on League players instead of reinvesting in the
rugby nursery that is the prime source of its wealth.Unless the ARU
plough money back into the system that feeds it ,the game will stagnate.
* It is inconguous the ARU often deny players the right to strip for a local
CLUB team when not on Super 14 or Test duty. The ARU should INSIST
they play for local CLUBS.Give something back
* The razor sharp commercial problem facing Super 14 and Test rugby is
the traditional rugby supporter accounts for maybe half the volume of
ticket sales needed for a game to be profitable when held at a mega
stadium.The other half,the TEFLON group is only prepared to support
teams that are successful,and only then with the added caveat; the
winning team must also play entertaining rugby.They want ‘rugby to go’.
They want ‘McRugby.’And even those families that rarely see a game of
rugby all season will soon weary of ‘the Test match experience often
played on huge ground against B teams,where seating is so far
from play the match must be watched on a huge TV screen. As a
person once said ‘I was so far from play that by the time I heard we had
scored it was a rumour’
* The ARU has a self inflicted dilemna.On the one hand it desperately needs
the totally unreliable TEFLON group to fill a huge stadium,but on the other
hand ,this group crave the quick fix sporting opiate that is the blind worship
of the sensational,and totally fail to either understand or are remotely able
to appreciate two immutable rugby fundamentals
1.That which is obvious is more often than not relatively easy and
2.moves disguised to the point of being almost impossible to detect
from the stands,are usually the most difficult
The unsurprising ‘catch 22′ being, entertaining rugby is not necessarily
winning rugby
SOLUTIONS
Many terrific ideas have already been posted.I am not qualified to discuss
most of them, so my solutions are more emotive
* The ARU ignores emotion and breach of supporter confidence at its peril.
The ARU can introduce new rules,tweak old ones, and rejigg anything
its gurus advise in an attempt to make the game a more marketable
proposition, but in the final analysis,any or all changes will be moot
unless the ARU become emotionally involved with traditional clubs
and genuinely embrace the games nursery.
* The ARU needs to regroup.It must literally take ITSELF back to its rugby
foundations.Both the perception and the reality must be the same,ie,
the ARU has reconnected with its constituency and is once again part
of,TEAM RUGBY,not ISOLATED from it. All successful sports are fan driven
The ARU must listen to the games traditional fans.
* The ARU should consolidate and reclaim rugbys middle ground.As sure
as Campese had a wicked goose step ,if the ARU do not reinvest large
amounts of money back into the games grassroots and CLUBS.then the
kids and their parents will go elsewhere and the game will go backwards.
* Test and Super 14 players must be available to play for a CLUB occasionally
People need to be able to relarte to star players not have to watch them play
for a remote ‘team’ a few times a season at massive stadium
* The 2015 RWC is only ONE HUNDRED months away.It is not a long time.
There are young teenagers playing rugby that could represent Australia
in ONE HUNDRED months time.The ARU must identify and support them
* How many hundreds of thousands of hours, plus money.blood sweat and
tears from coaches and parents alike collectively contribute to producing
just ONE Wallaby.The ARU must recognise the enormous sacrifice parents
and coaches make from all over Australia .Is this too emotive , you bet it is
because the mums and dads out there are the guts of the game.They work
and run Australias little Wallaby farm.
* The ARU must encourage the dream.Its not happening.Kids need to believe
they will one day be a Wallaby.Parents need to share the magic and hope.The
dream is being whiteanted by the ARU. Do Wallaby supporters want a test team
representative of Australian rugby families with players that earned right of
passage through the ranks,or do they want a Wallaby team full of ex League players ; a cheque book team ,because that’s the eventual alternative if the
ARU does not nurture and respect grass roots rugby.
* The ARU should DEMAND more government funding to help promote
junior rugby.This is not a handout.RUGBY DESERVES IT. Why ? Imagine if
you will the hundreds of millions of GST dollars the government collect
as a direct result of rugby.Nothing else, just rugby.Start with the tax on
fuel that parents need to drive kids to training and matches,it must add
up to millions of dollars.Hazard a guess on the GST generated by Test
and Super 14 matches;airline tickets ,transport,advertising,accomodation
,food and drink,clothing,merchandising,plus the tax on extra wages to
support all this.Its endless.Without rugby that GST would not be generated.
AND IT ALL STARTS WITH ? JUNIOR GRASSROOTS RUGBY .
* The ARU should consider scaling back a bit on occasions and hold some
Super 14 or B grade Test matches at grounds commensutate with the
number of traditional supporters eager and willing to regularly attend games
regardless of either a teams supposed entertainment factor or its win
loss ratio
.
* The economic viability of Super 14 should be tailored towards rugbys
traditional heartland that love and support the game,not for what the
ARU fantasises it might be,but more importantly for the irreplaceable
core values rugby once represented.
johns said | May 26th 2007 @ 9:37pm | Report comment
I fully support Roger’s comments (Today @ 6:33 pm (2 hours ago) )
Except, I am not convineced that winning is the key. Obviously winning is important, but I think that entertaining rugby is of the highest priority. The 2000 Bledisloe Cup in Sydney is a fine example of where the entertaining style of rugby was more important that the outcome (although a somewhat rare occurrence).
All this one out running from the ruck/maul gets very boring after the 15th phase, we may as well go watch the league which is also about 20% the price of a S14/Test match. Some coaches might see it as a way of winning, but no TEFLON or traditional supporter wants to see that.
Roger said | May 27th 2007 @ 7:59am | Report comment
hi Johns.
I have no problem with that, none whatsoever.
You are dead right, winning is NOT the key.
The point I was trying to make ( perhaps not too well)
is ,yes we want an entertaining contest that includes
the positive suggestions posted by previous readers,
but for the ARU to succeed ,the final result must be
inclusive of ithe games traditional base
Right now that is not the case,.
DaniE said | May 30th 2007 @ 9:13pm | Report comment
Problem 1:
Accessibility of rugby
It’s strange that rugby in Aust has brought Bill home twice, celebrated Bledisloe Cup wins , and numerous other victories, and yet the sport remains the bastion of select areas. This can only be put down to administrative malaise in disseminating rugby.
Solution:
Negotiate rugby on free-to-air TV. Provide more funds through development officers, resources and competitions to ensure rugby is nurtured in new areas or bed down areas where rugby is nascent. The administrators must take a wholistic approach to build rugby in Aust.
Problem 2:
The distraction of league
For the past few years, it’s seemed as if the ARU were in competition with the ARL, with excessive recruiting of league players and the hyping up of games. Unfortunately, these efforts result in making the ARU look desperate.
Stop channelling so much time, energy and money into recruiting league players. If league players sincerely want to play rugby, then the process of recruitment should be quicker and smoother. The ‘marquee players’ justification is an insult to the intellect of true rugby fans. Stop trying to ape the hype of league games. Get rid of fireworks at the start of every bloody test match, and pull down those stupid puffy blow up people from the sidelines! It’s just so silly.
Solution:
I feel that to improve union in Australia, it’s not necessary to invest so much in competing with league. Look after the game properly, and the rewards will be reaped in time. Let’s not lose our dignity.
Problem 3:
Losing the tradition and the history of the game
The outcome I feared with professionalism seems to have come into being – namely that money and hype have become the convention by which the game is run. It’s gone beyond ensuring players are accordingly paid for their work and to ensure their future, to be a sport where loyalty is purchased by the players and the unions, and where managers manipulate to get the greatest % for themselves.
One of the sad parts is that tours by national sides are rare, or changed. No more the excitement of having national teams visit and play provincial sides. These tours were a great experience for the players and fans, and helped to build interest in the game. Also, while Barbarians games are still played, the high profile players are not participating in the matches.
Rugby crowds also know the national anthem – we don’t need some random pop/opera singer who fancies up the anthem to lead the crowd. It was great when you could hear the crowd sing the anthem with such passion that you could feel the sound. These new actions replacing old traditions just seem to me to commercialise the spirit of the game.
Solution:
Not sure. It’s going to be hard to pull back from a mercenary grab for cash, and from the grip of commercialism and marketing. I just want a bit of a happy medium. Modernise the game and the spectacle, but not lose the tradition. Make sure players are played what they are worth… but still play for the love of the game.
Zac Zavos said | June 5th 2007 @ 6:23pm | Report comment
Guys - this is a fantastic response. Garth Hamilton has written an excellent overview of the problems and solutions the Roar readers have outlined above, which will be posted soon.
This is a great example of collective wisdom in action.
For the record, the winner of Spiro’s book Watching The Rugby World Cup is Tony C.
Question said | June 6th 2007 @ 7:37am | Report comment
Zac,
We look forward to Garth Hamiltons overview
In the meantime ,could we please read the letter by Tony C
Zac Zavos said | June 6th 2007 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Tony didn’t write a letter - the giveaway was open to anyone who sent the article on to a friend via our ‘Invite a friend’ function.
answer said | June 6th 2007 @ 5:28pm | Report comment
Thanks Zac,
when all else fails…………….
the longest three years in my life ,was year 10
Zac Zavos said | July 12th 2007 @ 7:09pm | Report comment
Guys - just alerting you to the good news that a compilation of these comments was presented to John O’Neill yesterday. You can read the article and John’s response here:
The Roar » The Roar tackles rugby’s problems said | September 1st 2007 @ 9:26am | Report comment
[...] weeks of negative comments about the state of Australian rugby, The Roar ran an article titled: Let The Roar of the crowd fix up rugby. In this article, we asked our readers to tell us the three main problems facing rugby, and three [...]