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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May 21st 2007 @ 5:26pm
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)
May 21st 2007 @ 5:51pm
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.
May 21st 2007 @ 7:09pm
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.
May 21st 2007 @ 10:57pm
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.
May 22nd 2007 @ 1:58am
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.
May 22nd 2007 @ 12:23pm
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?
May 22nd 2007 @ 1:42pm
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.
May 23rd 2007 @ 6:22am
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.
May 23rd 2007 @ 2:58pm
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.
May 23rd 2007 @ 5:26pm
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.