Rugby on the canvas, can it climb back up?
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By johnhunt92, 5 Feb 2010 johnhunt92 is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- ELVs, Rugby Union, SANZAR, Super Rugby, wallabies
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Friday week sees the beginning of a new Super 14 season, which is make or break for the Australian Rugby Union. Australia’s number two code at the turn of the century is now fading out of the public’s mind and is now below football.
This was unthinkable back in 2003 after the success of the World Cup.
2009 was terrible for John O’Neil and his team. Only the Wellington Phoenix is below the Super 14 clubs in terms of TV ratings as the boring kicking game in Test matches affected crowds in a year where the Wallabies were woeful and not winning.
Ironically, Super 14 rugby is played under the ELVs.
Off the field, problems also arose.
The ARU’s financial position went south as the squandering of the already shrinking revenues from the 2003 World Cup continued due to tribalism and poor management. Australia won a fifth Super 14 franchise, despite comical antics from the ARU and the Melbourne Rebels that made the dealings in the TV show The Office look more professional.
The ARU also had no luck in pressuring the Northern Unions to adopt ELVs for Test rugby, causing an impasse between SANZAR and the Home Unions.
While 2010 looks bleak, there are some positive signs.
The ARU is forcing referees (the cause of most of the ugly play) to allowing attacking play or face sacking. Despite a bleak home season, the Young Wallabies’ Grand Slam tour showed promise and hope for 2011.
More importantly, the ARU’s loveless deal with Channel Seven expires, allowing them to force Seven to show more coverage or negotiate a better deal with another network.
Still the jury is out on rugby and the Super 14 season will be an indication of the health of the game.
The ACT and NSW should make the finals or be competitive, but the crowds and TV ratings will be a true indication.
Rugby enters a new, exciting decade with fear and trepidation, something a sport cannot afford in modern times
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Mike G said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:03am | Report comment
A little alarmist, but fair enough…As with any sport, teams will usually do through down cycles, but in this case it seems the code (in Aus, at least), has been to the depths of this cycle & is now on the up…I hope
Broggie said | February 9th 2010 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
Anyone living Nth Gold Coast who can tell me which pubs show the Super 14 games? We’re new to the area, don’t have Fox and don’t want to miss our teams matches. NOt had much luck phoning the local bars directly
Dogz R Barkn said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:18am | Report comment
Can I just say one thing.
That series of S14 ads on Fox is quite lame.
Chris said | February 7th 2010 @ 7:00am | Report comment
Couldn’t agree more – how about a reel of tries being scored and big tackles. It’s the same formula rugby league uses every year and they are the only sport that didn’t go backwards in 2009.
sunshine said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:45am | Report comment
I don’t see how we are going to spin the turnstiles and turn our sport into the elite winter code in the coming years.
After all the talk in the off season about returning to expansive, attacking, attractive, running rugby we witnessed a very dour preseason game between the 2 flagship clubs for this year S14′s.
In a trial match we had Phil Waugh electing to take a kick for goal and this was after only last week talking about the ability they have in the backline and how they deserve to see more ball. What better situation 20m out from the line then to attempt a set play that you had been rehearsing over the summer.
In case you didn’t notice the 4000 people were booing, both brumby and tah kin alike.
And then defended it by calling it “winning rugby” please see “ugly rugby”. Some things never change.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:04am | Report comment
At the Tahs v Reds in Lismore the same thing happened when Reds opted for the penalty.
I think fans can’t work out why in a trial the teams aren’t working on their set pieces. Like it’s a bloody trial for cripes sake. No one actually worries about the score board too much do they?
I’d rather see them working their lineouts and scrums, and actually practicing applying pressure. And God forbid learning to aim for bonus points.
formeropenside said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:12am | Report comment
You also need to practice taking kicks at goal under match pressure, I suppose.
Bay35Pablo said | February 7th 2010 @ 6:13pm | Report comment
Also the restart from a missed penalty
King of the Gorganites said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:16am | Report comment
did you watch the actual game- or just read to newspaper story on it?
Campbell Watts said | February 5th 2010 @ 1:55pm | Report comment
The Tahs will be just as boring this year as last. Whats changed? Captain the same, forward pack the same, back line worse if anything (excluding Anesi). When the pressure comes on the same habits will show up – win ugly!
Waugh has to go, as I see him as the main problem here – he’s just too dominant in the team thinking. He was ATROCIOUS in his after-match interviews last year – whinge and whine!
Temba said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:30am | Report comment
“The ACT and NSW should make the finals or be competitive, but the crowds and TV ratings will be a true indication. ”
I am sure the Crusaders, Bulls, Sharks, Hurricanes and Chiefs will have something to say about that.
Maybe one of them but not both. Tough year ahead for the Tahs, they will not get out of their forward based game and the focus will be more on attack from other teams. ACT and Reds have the best chance for one of them to make the semi’s
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:27am | Report comment
I’m gonna do something a little unusual here and stick up for Australian rugby.
SANZAR are about to announce a broadcasting deal which may not cover all expenditure but will at least keep Australian rugby afloat for the next five years. The challenge for the ARU to to increase their revenue from attendance, sponsorship and the rights to their inbound tours, but they’re not about to fall off the face of the earth just because they’re falling from the Great Australian Conscience.
Personally, I think the ARU are hedging too much on winning the World Cup, but that’s not the same as being at death’s door.
katzilla said | February 5th 2010 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
‘I’m gonna do something a little unusual here and stick up for Australian rugby.’
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo OJJJJJJJJJJJ!!!!!!!
Go_the_Wannabe's said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:36am | Report comment
I too was sadly disillusioned after the 2003 RWC……..Wannabe’s were on the up, the coffers were full (and it was promised to be put back into the grass roots), professionalism was in full swing, all the decent mungos were swapping codes (even the good juniors like Blocker Roach’s son…….where is he now????).
Here we go I naively thought……..a golden age for Wannabe rugby……how the Sam Hill did they stuff it up????
Lets hope the tackler-must-roll-away-and-get-to-feet rule encourages attacking rugby and gets rid of that incessant kick-kick-kick-and-hope-for-a-fumble-or-penalty otherwise known as whistle ball has been killed off and buried forever.
End of rant.
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Well, the Golden Age was 1999-2001. Imagine if Australia had hosted the World Cup in 1999 instead of 2003.
Things change quickly in rugby. In 1996-97 rugby was booming in NZ. They got 46,000 to the first Super 12 final at Eden Park. Then in 1998 the wheels fell off spectacularly and I don’t think rugby in NZ has been the same since.
Sam Taulelei said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:53am | Report comment
Hey OJ, exactly how did the wheels fall off?
I have different memories of rugby in NZ at that time or are you referring to the record run of losses the All Blacks suffered that year?
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:02am | Report comment
Yeah, I think that losing streak, the loss in the 1999 semi and the failure to win back the Bledisloe each year were a series of stomach punches that NZ rugby has never fully recovered from, because they were the first signs in the professional era that NZ rugby could be weak.
sheek said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:02am | Report comment
Sam,
On another matter, the good people at ‘scrum.com’ provided me with the info relating to the IRB centenary matches of 1986. So I didn’t need to fork out $22.50 to the NZ rugby museum! Will post the teams in due corse…..
Sam Taulelei said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
Great stuff Sheek ,looking forward to your post.
rugbyfuture said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:45am | Report comment
roach didn’t swap codes, he went to riverview.
Brett McKay said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
and has been with Cronulla now for a season or two, from memory…
Lindommer said | February 6th 2010 @ 7:16am | Report comment
Since leaving Riverview in 2005 Dan Roach has played for Northern Suburbs (and been picked in the Junior Waratahs), Cronulla (where he ran foul of the NRL’s under 20 rules), Northern Suburbs again, Ulster and West Harbour seconds in 2009. He’s currently plying his trade at Monteux, a minor French club.
I don’t think Dan can cut the mustard at the elite level of pro rugby.
Go_the_Wannabe's said | February 5th 2010 @ 4:01pm | Report comment
Didn’t he play rugby there?
rugbyfuture said | February 5th 2010 @ 4:12pm | Report comment
yes, the statement presented itself as to say that the junior roach had swapped codes to rugby union, he didn’t, he went to riverview, so he played rugby union and then switched to league later on. It is the irony of rugby league that they were paid well, so they ended up sending their kids to private schools, and then they ended up playing rugby union.
sheek said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:38am | Report comment
Johnhunt,
My first observation re your post, is that rugby union has got what it deserves. Arrogant, short-sighted administrators pursuing personal, self-interested agendas.
The financial windfall accumulated by John O’Neill on his first watch as ARU supremo, was wasted by Gary Flowers & his cohorts. Then O’Neill, on his return, has tried to go down the same path – ‘top-down’ – as previously, when it’s obvious to those on the ground, the game is bleeding at junior level & in club-land.
A different approach is now required. What worked well 1996-03, is not necessarily relevant to 2008 onwards. I like the new super rugby concept (S15) to begin in 2011. But it won’t mask other problems in our game – low player participation levels; low professional base; nil national comp structure, dysfunctional club premier rugby structure, etc.
Not to mention a game that is struggling for relevancy in the current world climate. This might be the toughest gig of all – trying to sell a a game that is so desperately boring to so many people (apart from the already converted zealots).
I also think you are unduly harsh on the referees. They are merely the voice-piece, the messenger, of the lawmakers. Referees have to protect their livelihood also. It’s the lawmakers who are the culprits of the piece.
The IRB isn’t worth feeding. Professional rugby is now in the entertainment industry, but is struggling for relevancy. The game needs to attract fans, sponsors, media moguls, etc, if it wants to expand & develop. Something that the lawmakers seem unwilling to acknowledge.
‘Improvise, adapt, overcome’. This is the motto of the USMC, but it appears lost on the IRB, who appears determined to keep its head firmly buried somewhere between the 1950s & 60s!
Some Roarers proclaim regularly that rugby union will never overtake NRL or AFL. I would dispute this on the basis of the potential raw product & quality of players.
But they are right when you consider the moronic dogma of rugby administrators & lawmakers.
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:50am | Report comment
Sheek, how is rugby struggling for relevancy in the current world climate? I’m not sure what you mean by that.
sheek said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:18pm | Report comment
OJ,
Perhaps I was too general. I can only go on my perception, & as they say, perception is reality!
In Australia, rugby union is running 4th out of 4 footy codes over a range of indicators. That much is pretty well fact.
Worldwide, the game enjoys varying degrees of popularity. It remains well behind football in the UK however, & may have lost ground in the past 10 years in France. Rugby has failed to significantly make an indentation into the north American & Asian markets.
Yes, I’m sure rugby is better placed in these regions than it was 10, 20, or 50 years ago. But……….
Anyway, I’m happy to be proven wrong, but form where I’m looking the game is moving snail’s pace forward when it could be moving a lot faster. So I guess I’m grumpy about the rate of improvement!!!
Especially here in Oz…..
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 2:35pm | Report comment
Personally, I think rugby is fortunate to have the level of international competition that it enjoys since it’s only a few key areas in each hemisphere holding it together.
It strikes me as unrealistic to expect other countries to be anything other than tier-two or tier-three countries at this point in time. In fact, I don’t think it’s possible for a sport to grow at the rate that people around here would like, which, as far as I can ascertain, is overnight.
Lazza said | February 5th 2010 @ 3:12pm | Report comment
It will grow if you can make those 2nd and 3rd tier nations competitive. Getting belted 100-0 is not going to capture the imagination of the sporting public in those countries.
ohtani's jacket said | February 5th 2010 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
There’s only so much that can be done at the grassroots or developmental level, though. You can’t make those countries competitive without introducing professional competitions and that’s not an easy thing to do in countries where there is no rugby culture.
True Tah said | February 5th 2010 @ 3:25pm | Report comment
I dont think rugby has gone backwards in France over the past few years. Increased attendances and participation rates, the ability to draw players like Carter, Wilkinson, Hernandez and pay them well. The issue for France is to grow the profile of the game in the north moreso.
In England, rugby is always going to be second fiddle to futbol, but despite living in its shadow, a successful and competitive rugby competition can be run and one that is experiencing growing attendances, many clubs are looking at increasing their grounds capacities.
My main gripe with the IRB is that it seems to be focusing on countries like China, at the expense of other nations (Georgia, Madagascar, Moldova). Awarding the 2019 IRB WC to Japan is the perfect example of this…how can Japan ever host the WC before Argentina ever does? Admittedly the $$$ in Argentina are probably not as good, but Japan has contributed bugger in terms of rugby all relative to Argentina.
The Bush said | February 5th 2010 @ 7:48pm | Report comment
I was attempting to write an article about this exact point. Let’s move on from wasted money in markets like America and China where there is already too much sport. Stop chasing the all mighty dollar and lets think about where rugby might actually become popular?
Georgia has seem amazing growth in the last decade, the Moldovan team was recently voted the nations best sporting team (about five years ago), where was the funding for them then? What about Sri Lanka, where there are 100 000+ players? Why aren’t they better, getting more exposure? Madagascar is also a good point, it is practically their national sport, yet I’ve never heard a cent being sent their way…
The IRB should drop this scatter gun approach to trying to grow rugby just in rich countries that will never take it up… why not focus on one country at a time and turn tha into a competitive nation and then move on? Let’s get Georgia up to scratch, then Kenya, then Moldova, then Russia etc… one at a time then in twelve years we’ll have three or four more competative nations.
Sam el Perro said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:10pm | Report comment
Indeed the IRB website proclaims that there is 121,000 registered players in Sri Lanka and 100 clubs. So each club has over 1200 players on average? Since the IRB says that Australia only has 84,450 players, is there anyone here who seriously thinks that rugby is much bigger in Sri Lanka than Australia?
How about China? According to the IRB there is 1 registered club with 4810 players and 55 referees.
IRB stats are, well, rubbery at best.
Siva Samoa said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:14am | Report comment
i coached a year of rugby in sri lanka and it very big. school rugby has crowds of over 10,000 to their games and club rugby is also popular. i think its second only to cricket . the irb playing numbers are right but like japan and america it won’t compete against the top teams.
Sam el Perro said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:26am | Report comment
Siva, after your earlier claims about the Gold Coast tournament which proved utterly false you’ll forgive me if I wait for someone reliable to describe the state of rugby in Sri Lanka.
Siva Samoa said | February 6th 2010 @ 7:01am | Report comment
what was false about my claim about the gold coast sevens ? i claim it was bigger and better than the 2008 tournament and had more international teams in it than the previous years. watch this 1st xv school games from youtube and you notice the players aren’t big enough to compete against tier one countries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns7kh7UBwsM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AxcFo1rwLw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVsp9DKm9Ng&NR=1
Sam el Perro said | February 6th 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Nice work re-wording your false claims about the “very popular” Gold Coast tournament. Nice sidestep of the fact that the IRB figures which claim that Sri Lanka’s playing figures are 150% of Australia’s as well.
With all of this sidestepping you must be a good player, even if you are a poor debater.
The Bush said | February 6th 2010 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Whilst the IRB figures are certainly far from reliable, why would they go to absurd lengths to fib about how many players there are in Sri Lanka, if they won’t do the same for countries where people would probably believe there are more registered players? Surely you’d just lie about both, yet the site seems to at least attempt accuaracy, for example the Australian playing numbers have dropped every year for about three or four years since i’ve been visiting the IRB website, which is probably pretty accuarate.
Whilst I’m sure 121 000 players in Sri Lanka isn’t correct, I don’t see why it would be totally wrong just because they don’t appear to have enough clubs to support this. People play in schools too remember, are they counted? I don’t know nor do I care. What I do know for the point I was making is that rugby is a major sport in Sri Lanka (distantly after cricket). Many countries fervently support a sport that they suck at. It neither provers nor disproves its popularity. And as for whether or not Rugby is bigger in Sri Lanka than in Australia, it may well be, but unfortuantely I don’t ready Sri Lankan sports newspapers daily… but it wouldn’t be hard to be more talked about and noticed than Rugby in Australia.
True Tah said | February 6th 2010 @ 8:43am | Report comment
Sam
the Sri Lankan figure is 100,000 including both CLUBS and SCHOOLS.
At schoolboy level, rugby is booming, but most guys stop after leaving school. Look whenever the Sri Lankan cricket team travel and sometimes they play touch footy, and the ball they use is a Gilbert, not a Sherrin or a Steeden.
PastHisBest said | February 6th 2010 @ 9:20am | Report comment
“Nice sidestep of the fact that the IRB figures which claim that Sri Lanka’s playing figures are 150% of Australia’s as well.”
He said, she said, Sam. Just because you choose to disbelieve it doesn’t make it false.
They have something like 400 schools playing in each of the seven provinces and the SLRU strat plan states that will increase to 1200 in the next two years. Staggering growth.
Justin said | February 6th 2010 @ 9:23am | Report comment
I played against Sri Lanka back in the late 90s in Melbourne. Not to put too fine a point on it, while they were willing we put over 70 points on them. They would be lucky to beat a 2nd grade Melbourne side. So you can imagine how much improvement they need to get anywhere even someone like Singapore.
Siva Samoa said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:57pm | Report comment
sam el perro. i don’t know what your on about but i said what i said and if you don’t like it thats your problem. a few tier 2 playing countries have more rugby playing numbers than australia like japan, sri lanka and usa. just like many small rugby nations have more rugby players than nz rugby league.
Siva Samoa said | February 6th 2010 @ 7:49pm | Report comment
google this ‘Asanga to carry Sri Lanka’s case at next IRB meeting’ and click on the pdf file. it tells you that sri lanka was the number one rugby playing nation in asia in terms of the number of rugby players and afffirmed.
anything else you need sam el perro ?
Sam el Perro said | February 7th 2010 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Siva, why the mention of rugby league? Why the need to turn this in to a code war?
Jay said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
i dont know much about rugby in SL, but it wouldnt suprise me if it was big there.
murali was a promising rugby player before he stuck with cricket.
Siva Samoa said | February 8th 2010 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
rugby is the number one winter sport in sri lanka and the second biggest sport after cricket.
Working Class Rugger said | February 8th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
The Bush
The major issue with Rugby vs League discussion involving international expansion that in many people minds the US in particular is the golden goose of potential growth. I’m as guilty of it as anyone and take an active interest in the development of the game there.
However, your argument that the IRB should take its focus of the Americas and Chinas of this world to greater assist the percieved neglected Unions isn’t quite correct.
First of all, the IRB only invest around $1.5 million USD annually in the States. Most the development there is actually done off their own backs.
Second, in terms of Asia the IRB haven’t put there eggs in just one basket. China is a big growth opportunity but the IRB has for several years now invested heavily in the overall growth of Rugby continent wide. The introduction of the Asian 5 Nations tournament is a highly successful intiative that has lead to very positive growth spread across all the competing Nations in its 5 divisions.
In regards to Africa. The IRB has targeted Unions in the region. On the top of its list is in fact Kenya. Alongside the Kenyan Rugby Football Union and the Kenyan Government the IRB has committed itself to get the game in every school in the country within the next few years.
And finally Europe. While Asia is the games fastest growth region Europe wouldn’t be too far behind. The Russian Rugby Championship is progressing nicely, the German Rugby Bundesliga has expanded to a 10 team Championship, the Georgian Govt has announced plans for a huge Rugby specific facilties in Tbilisi, the Nederlands Rugby Union has not only intiated their LOOT development program but have also established their first Rugby Academy with 3 more on the way, Belgium has seen a significant investment via its Govt, the Ukrainian Rugby Union will see the 1st edition of its new Pro Rugby Championship start on March 13 and the second season of the Superiberica de Rugby will start its second season in August with 2 new ( and most likely Portugese) teams joining the 6 Spanish foundations clubs.
So though there does only ever seem to be interest in the States the IRB has been working hard on spreading the game worldwide. Its just to many the US is the holy grail of sports. And you also have to account for FIRA who have also been doing some great work not only in Europe but North Africa aswell.
Rod said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:45am | Report comment
I don’t remember RU being the second sport in the early 2000s, it was # 1 during the WC and that’s all, it’s back to where it’s always been now, it has it’s niche market in Australia and that’s probably the way it’ll stay.
And please no one come in here and say I’m trolling because quite frankly, I’m not, I’m telling the truth.
RU has it’s highs and it’s lows in Australia, history has a funny habit of repeating itself, we actually punch well above our weight in the union code and you can see this simply by looking at the results over the last 2 decades.
I don’t think the crowds are going to improve at all really seeing as Melbourne is coming in next year and the fact that the S15 comp will be twice as long as it is now thus going head to head more with AFL and the NRL.
mitzter said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
Yes I don’t think RU was ever number 2 – behind what? AFL? RL was always more popular so at best it could be described as third.
I agree with sheek about your attack on referees – sure they make mistakes, some have very little understanding of the scrum, some want the ball released ridiculously fast, some allow tacklers to lie around anywhere etc.
But stifling attack and encouraging ‘ugly play’ i would put the blame squarely on the shoulders of cheating players and unimaginative coaches. We have tried blowing the whistle less and all it leads to is more penalties going on.
Suspend cheating players, slowly but surely we’ll see a return to law
Travis said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
RU “Australia’s number two code at the turn of the century”!!! OMG – what world were you living in johnhunt92?
RU had a good run for 6 weeks when the 2003 RWC was on. Only because there was nothing else being played at the same time!