Rugby on the canvas, can it climb back up?
Roar Guru By johnhunt92, 5 Feb 2010 johnhunt92 is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- ELVs, Rugby Union, SANZAR, Super Rugby, wallabies
178 Have your say
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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- Explore:
- ELVs, Rugby Union, SANZAR, Super Rugby, wallabies
February 5th 2010 @ 12:55pm
Baz35 said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:55pm | Report comment
Yeah, I think others have beaten me to it, but I’ll go anyway….
By what set of metrics was Rugby the number 2 code in Australia at the turn of the century?
-participation?
-attendance?
-TV ratings / revenues?
-general media exposure?
-any other relevant measure?
Now, Rugby may have had soccer covered in some of these measures but a mile off on participation, in particular. I could be wrong but I can’t see how, apart from perhaps during a world cup, that Union was ahead of Rugby League in any of these measures, let-a-lone enough of them to warrant even a fleeting contemplation of it ever being the number 2 code!
Clumsy assertion!
February 5th 2010 @ 3:42pm
katzilla said | February 5th 2010 @ 3:42pm | Report comment
Lol doesnt take much to get the Trolls out from under the bridge.
RAGGEEE!! Rugby wasn’t number two sport! GAHHHH! WIFEPUNCH!
February 5th 2010 @ 7:14pm
Shodan said | February 5th 2010 @ 7:14pm | Report comment
So, hows that bridge been katizilla?
February 5th 2010 @ 4:03pm
Republican said | February 5th 2010 @ 4:03pm | Report comment
When pray tell, was Union ever ‘Australia’s number two code’?
Certainly not in my life time.
February 5th 2010 @ 8:09pm
Katipo said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:09pm | Report comment
Maybe he meant rugby was the number twos of the football codes.
February 5th 2010 @ 9:36pm
Norm said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:36pm | Report comment
Maybe he meant at the beginning of the twentieth century.
February 5th 2010 @ 10:42pm
funmaster said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:42pm | Report comment
Just wondering…..how many sports do you guys watch in australia? In the netherlands its all about hockey, handball and football. (But iam south african born) GO SHARKS!!!
February 5th 2010 @ 10:55pm
rugbyfuture said | February 5th 2010 @ 10:55pm | Report comment
football, Aussie Football, Rugby, League, tennis, swimming, cricket, netball, probs the biguns, maybe golf too
most sports have a decent, but relatively small following
February 6th 2010 @ 1:02pm
Realist said | February 6th 2010 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
The most popular spectator sports in Australia are cricket, Australian rules football and rugby league. Rugby union is a niche sport in Australia.
February 6th 2010 @ 10:23pm
rugbyfuture said | February 6th 2010 @ 10:23pm | Report comment
runher off realist, if its a niche sport is certainly gets a lot of coverage then doesnt it? he asked how many sports we atched in australia, and it seems, although rugby may be a “niche” sport according to some, it is broadcast enough to be considered much more, also you forgot football(soccer) which is quite similar in terms of proffesional coverage, you’re just being idiotic and trying to justify your nature.
February 5th 2010 @ 11:14pm
funmaster said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:14pm | Report comment
You didnt mention hockey rugbyfuture. I was under the impression austalia is quite fierce. But i guesse it doesnt get so much tv audiences.
February 5th 2010 @ 11:26pm
rugbyfuture said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:26pm | Report comment
they do really well at the grassroots and national rep level, not much else
February 6th 2010 @ 5:43am
Crashy said | February 6th 2010 @ 5:43am | Report comment
There was a national survey produed by the ABS that confirmed that Rugby was the most supported code.
This was in about 2003 or so from memory when we were doing well. Not surprising if you think about it where Victorians generally dont watch League and NSWelshman dont watch AFL ( in any great capacity). By default of Rugby being on average most aussie’s second code at the time, it came out that more Australians supported rugby as a whole than any other code. I think that was what is being referred to above.
It was only for a year and I would suggest AFL / soccer has won that one every year since.
Things move in cycles so I wouldnt get too excited about Australian rugby dying on the vine just yet. We simply arent winning games so that has a huge impact.
The Socceroos have just slipped to 25th in the world and I would argue that they have had they time in the sun. Obviously this year’s world cup will give it massive exposure..
February 6th 2010 @ 6:10am
MV Dave said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:10am | Report comment
“The Socceroos have just slipped to 25th in the world and I would argue that they have had they time in the sun. Obviously this year’s world cup will give it massive exposure..” Contradictory statements if ever i’ve read any.
The Socceroos are about to have a massive ‘time in the sun’ with the WC. Their FIFA ratings have fluctuated up and down a little for the past year or two and doesnt make much difference to their popularity. They are by far the most popular of any of the national football teams.
February 6th 2010 @ 1:06pm
Realist said | February 6th 2010 @ 1:06pm | Report comment
Socceroos are the most popular national football team. The Kangaroos are probably ahead of the Wallabies at the moment. Television ratings seem to indicate the Kangaroos are well ahead of the Wallabies.
February 7th 2010 @ 4:06am
Froar said | February 7th 2010 @ 4:06am | Report comment
I think they have had their time in the sun however I do think they will remain popular. They still fail to fill stadiums and the public awareness of most of their matches is usually near zero. Does anybody remember who they had to beat to qualify? This wc is not the same as the last where they befited from the dramatic qualification and the fact that it was the first time in ages we qualified. The public awareness and hype just isn’t there in the same way this time.
February 7th 2010 @ 4:31am
Froar said | February 7th 2010 @ 4:31am | Report comment
I don’t know about by far the most popular. Maybe once every four years. You hardly see loads if people wearing socceroos shirts or even talking about them. Most sports fans couldn’t even tell you the entire side I’d say.
February 7th 2010 @ 4:42am
Polis said | February 7th 2010 @ 4:42am | Report comment
You can’t be the most popular when you can’t fill the SFS or Bruce Stadium.
February 7th 2010 @ 6:48am
MV Dave said | February 7th 2010 @ 6:48am | Report comment
The Socceroos averaged 57,000 for their home qualifying games and didnt play any other country in the top 30 world rankings! Imagine if they were playing European or Sth American teams to qualify the grounds would be full every time.
BTW What were the crowds like for the RU or RL teams qualifying matches for their WCs? The Socceroos did fill the SFS for the only recent game there vs Holland, over 40,000 for a practice match!
February 7th 2010 @ 6:43am
MV Dave said | February 7th 2010 @ 6:43am | Report comment
And tell me which people could name the entire RL or RU national teams except for hard core supporters. In Melb most people still dont understand about the 2 different types of Rugby. Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell are known around the world more so than any player from one of the other codes.
February 7th 2010 @ 7:02am
Siva Samoa said | February 7th 2010 @ 7:02am | Report comment
your right mv dave. the socceroos has come long way and its now the nations number one football national team. the socceroos playing in the world cup and many australians playing in professional teams in europe has given soccer in australia a major boost and profile.
i don’t think you can add rugby league to that mix. they might be popular among league fans in australia but overseas they are nobobys. the wallabies would come second to the socceroo’s with the kangaroo’s a distance third.
February 7th 2010 @ 8:50pm
Froar said | February 7th 2010 @ 8:50pm | Report comment
They were getting similar crowds ten years ago. Didn’t make them number one then. It wasn’t until someone published an article on this site that all the blinkers football supporters found another pretentious bandwagon to jump on. You can go to the local pub in Sydney and the socceroos will lose to the local trivia night hands down.
People still laugh overseas when you mention Australia and football. Some of you need to get out of Australia. Maybe getting out pf Melbourne would be a great start.
February 8th 2010 @ 12:58pm
Jay said | February 8th 2010 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
mate – people couldnt name more than a handful of socceroos. cahill, kewel, schwartzer, emmerton, kennedy… who else is there?
February 7th 2010 @ 6:55am
MV Dave said | February 7th 2010 @ 6:55am | Report comment
” Does anybody remember who they had to beat to qualify? ” Just trying to remember who the RU and RL teams beat to qualify for their last WCs?…Perhaps one of the 75,000 (midweek winter match) that attended the MCG vs Japan or 70,000 at OP in Sydenee vs China may be able to help. l was one of the 50,000 capacity crowd at ES in Melb when they played Qatar so know they beat them.
“They still fail to fill stadiums and the public awareness of most of their matches is usually near zero” Says who? You? Read my post below re attendance at Qualifying games.
February 7th 2010 @ 8:39pm
Polis said | February 7th 2010 @ 8:39pm | Report comment
Still didn’t fill the sfs with a major European football nation. If they were that big a deal why weren’t the grounds full. Furthermore Melbourne is really the exception to the rule. You tell people in the uk about Harry Kewell and they laugh. Tim Cahill not so much but he isn’t the rock star we all think he is. RU still holds the record crowd for Australia and will continue too for a long time.
Let’s face it. They are the bandwagon side. People are happy to know about them during the WC but the rest of the time interest drops. How many people do you really see wearing socceroos shirts on the street? I can tell you it is practically zero in Sydney.
February 7th 2010 @ 9:03pm
Matt said | February 7th 2010 @ 9:03pm | Report comment
I think it probably is the most popular and is very much in vogue. It is helped by the fact that the wallabies have been struggling for form and to entertain in a period of significant change. People in Sydney are very fickle and no sport seems to stay trendy for too long. In my life time basketball, rugby, AFL and football have all had a go at being the vogue side.I have watched socceroos play live and must say I thought the crowd was more interesting than the game which was ok. I think the only thing I really agree with these boys is that hype for this WC is tiny compared to the last where I live in Sydney. Last time there was a real buzz about the place and great expectation. It seems to be more isolated tithe diehards this time but I’m sure they’ll enjoy it in either case. Good luck to them in any case.
February 7th 2010 @ 7:03am
Punter said | February 7th 2010 @ 7:03am | Report comment
I can assure you that the likes of Samoa, Fiji & Tonga are not exactly world sporting powers.
Even Australia’s main rivals New Zealand (pop 3 milllion) or Sth Africa, though a couple of tiers above the pacific island teams are not regarded as world super powers in team sports.
Just because we in Australia do not have a tradition against some of the Asian teams does not demean the effort to beat the teams we did to qualify.
February 6th 2010 @ 6:16am
Lordrahrah said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:16am | Report comment
no i just think their golden period has come and gone. the novelty of a world cup has worn off and we expect results now.
tis all