Australia’s rugby writers can’t see out of their own backyard

 
Crash Ball Roar Rookie

By , 12 Feb 2012 Crash Ball is a Roar Rookie

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I rarely agree with the The Times‘ chief rugby correspondent, Stephen Jones. In particular I argue with his views on the haka, southern hemisphere rugby, and the experimental law variations. Yet I respect him as a rugby writer.

When I don’t agree with his perspective, I appreciate the analysis and understanding he has for the game and its players, even if sometimes I believe it can be misguided.

I like Jones’ style. The way he recounts games is unmatched by rugby scribes in Australia. He recognises talent and eloquently praises it. I remember reading my first Stephen Jones article and was unsure whether he was recounting a game of rugby or describing an artistic masterpiece.

For better or worse, Jones is an influential rugby identity.

Peter Bills is my second favourite writer. He rarely bothers with the quotes of other people, instead preferring his own analysis.

Will Greenwood, Brian Moore, Paul Ackford, Brian Ashton, Stuart Barnes, Hugh Farrelly, Vincent Horgan, Tony Ward and Mick Cleary engage with the issues in the game.

These gentlemen write articles that generate discussion. They criticize and offer solutions.

I cannot say the same about Australian rugby journalists.

Perhaps they are expected to do too much. They write articles on the players during the week, give an overview of sorts on Fridays or Saturdays, recount games on Sundays, and analyze on Mondays.

Give staff writers the midweek stuff so that those considered to be our best can produce quality on Friday, Saturday or Monday. Get rid of the garbage.

My criterion is simple: give me your opinion.

I don’t really care about feature articles, nor quotes dressed up as articles. I want to know who is good or bad and for what reasons. I want to know a team’s strengths and weaknesses, and why. I want to know how we can improve the game.

Spiro Zavos is the best analyst, and my favourite. I regard him as the game’s best writer. His research, analysis, contacts, sources and exclusives are unsurpassed. He engages with the game’s issues and shrewdly assesses them.

I found his recent contributions on the election of the IRB’s new president, and on Manchester City’s approach to John O’Neill, were both original and insightful. I am somewhat biased as I rarely disagree with his opinions, but as a writer I’d give him a 9 out of 10.

Wayne Smith, who now writes on cricket, is or was my second choice. 7.5 out of 10.

I give Mark Ella, David Lord, Bret Harris and John Eales a 7. Ella is happy to be controversial; Lord’s history and statistics are fascinating; Harris engages with a variety of issues; while the similarities between life and rugby are not lost on Eales.

Adam Frier has potential but is too colloquial. Matt Burke, my childhood hero, is too positive and not balanced. This confuses me as I enjoy his radio analysis. For those gentlemen, 6.5 out of 10.

Greg Growden is not enjoyable to read. I don’t care about the politics of the NSWRU. An ‘article’ should not be 80 percent comprised of a quote. That is lazy journalism. His occasional good article bumps him up to a 5.5 out of 10, but those are the exception rather than the norm.

During last year’s World Cup, my major criticism about mainstream rugby writers in Australia was their failure to make readers aware of the key players in northern hemisphere sides. In contrast, the northern writers had been doing exactly this since 2009.

The Australia versus Ireland pool match was always going to be crucial. From the week leading up to their draw at Croke Park in 2009, right up until the day of the pool match at Rugby World Cup 2011, the Irish rugby writers identified key Australian players, strengths and weaknesses.

Analysis on Six Nations games in 2010 and 2011 would include insights into parts of the game that needed to be won in order to build toward the Australia game.

The Irish rugby public went into the pool match educated about the Wallabies. The same did not happen here.

The coaches and players are aware of the opposition, but the public was not. Sean O’Brien, for instance, was the European Player of the Year on the back of his form in Leinster’s 2010-2011 Heineken Cup winning season. He was brilliant against Australia in the World Cup. Yet many fans had never heard of him, largely because the major newspapers writers don’t seem to care about or follow what happens in the north.

Brian O’Driscoll’s age is referred to before Australia versus Ireland tests, implying the Blackrock man is passed his best. But Northern Hemisphere writers do not make the same mistake.

They see him frequently enough with Leinster and Ireland to know he is still devastatingly good. He will sit on the sidelines for the entire 2012 Six Nations, but none have written he will not be seen again.

Former England international Mike ‘the doormat” Catt played in a Rugby World Cup Final at the age of 36. In 2003, at the age of 32, some argue Catt’s performance in the quarterfinal versus Wales saved England the World Cup. Jonny Wilkinson struggled with his kicking that day, and Catt provided the necessary stability.

O’Driscoll just turned 33. Catt isn’t half the player O’Driscoll is. But if Brian O’Driscoll is fit for the next Ireland v Australia test, I’m anticipating Growden’s usual “aging warrior” chat. The subtext: O’Driscoll is past it.

Wrong.

Yet the fans are none the wiser. We expect a chief rugby correspondent to know what he is talking about.

Wrong again.

For me, The Roar is where Australia’s premier rugby analysis is being generated. Whether it’s professional writers or punters, this is where I come for the rich rugby chat I crave.

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