Does anyone recall when rugby was fun?
Roar Guru By Rabbitz, 28 Jun 2012 Rabbitz is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Michael Foley, NSW Waratahs, rugby, Super Rugby
The woeful Waratahs have the Wallabies staring down the barrel (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
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Has the professionalism of rugby and the chase for money killed off the fun and enjoyment of the game?
I don’t believe that I am really so old. I was born in 1964. At school, I played rugby.
I went on to play a few games after school. I wasn’t that good and life sort of took over, so my rugby experience became one from the other side of the chalk lines.
I freely admit that I always believed that rugby was a players’ game and that for a non-player it was a hard game to follow, when compared to open games like AFL and league.
Begrudgingly I accepted many of the changes to the laws and to the “persona” of rugby as being ‘good for the game”.
However it has gone too far. On Wednesday in a SMH article, Georgina Robinson quotes Waratahs’ Coach Michael Foley talking about a Waratahs board meeting he had to address.
The first quote was: “I presented a review paper to the board with an action plan for the 2013 season”.
Wow. Review papers and action plans presented to the board. It really does make you wonder what Foley actually spends his time doing.
When you then see his second quote, “Now all my focus and energy will be directed into preparing us for the last two games of the season,” it reinforces the idea that Foley spends most of his time doing paperwork and writing pointless reports.
Even if this is an exaggeration, it must drag him down. The players and coaching staff look to the coach for inspiration and direction, so if Foley is not having fun and enjoying the job, then could this explain why the Waratahs players look like they are going through the motions, lack commitment and are happy to kick away possession?
Do they just see it as a job? Has the fun and life been sucked out of their rugby experience?
If they aren’t enjoying the game, how are we, the spectators, supposed to enjoy it?
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- Explore:
- Michael Foley, NSW Waratahs, rugby, Super Rugby
June 28th 2012 @ 1:58am
Johnno said | June 28th 2012 @ 1:58am | Report comment
-You can still love what you do and get paid money for it. Just the stakes naturally raise when money is involved, and players incomes and livelihoods are at stake. But that makes it fun too as players will in fact try harder, push there bodies harder than if it is amateur coz losing has no meaningful consequence.
-Rugby’s old quotes for love not money, or rugby the game they play in heaven, may sound nice, but also reflect a stereotype that rugby or rugger is some sort of British upper class sport played by the elites, who can afford to be amateurs, and it is not a sport for the people the middle or working class, they play rugby league or soccer.
-So I am so happy rugby has gone pro and love it more , more hunger from the players than the 1980′s and mid 90′s as money is involved and far better standard and far more global outlook , not just played now by the home unions, france, and a few SH nations.
June 28th 2012 @ 6:34am
mace 22 said | June 28th 2012 @ 6:34am | Report comment
The fun and enjoyment of rugby is still there for both players and fans. Being a Hurrricanes supporter I’m enjoying the game better than this time last year. So of course if your team is doing well then the fun and life is still there.if not you swear at the t.v and threaten to start supporting the wellington pheonex.
June 28th 2012 @ 6:38am
mania said | June 28th 2012 @ 6:38am | Report comment
agree with johnno. i reckon rugby now is cleaner and faster than what it used to be.
professionalism has pushed rugby to a new level of atheticism. players can now concentrate on being better rugby players without having to worry about a day job.
this article tho i reckon pertains solely to aus rugby and specifically the tahs. its obvious that foley isnt enjoying it and maybe thats why he has to justify his results on paper in front of the board. had he been having a successful season then i imagine he wouldnt have to front so often. i imagine when rennie and wayne smith front their board all they have to say is “we’re number 1″
June 28th 2012 @ 9:32am
Riccardo said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:32am | Report comment
At last Berrick can now says he’s enjoying his rugby Mania.
Wonder if he can translate some of the form he has shown in the June Tests into that dysfunctional Tahs environment.
June 28th 2012 @ 9:39am
mania said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:39am | Report comment
i doubt it riccardo. tahs seem to be adhering to a game plan or else barnes loses his brains in the tahs environment. i doubt tahs is good for barnes either way and he wont have his A game till he leaves NSW
June 28th 2012 @ 6:50am
biltongbek said | June 28th 2012 @ 6:50am | Report comment
I am sure professional coaches do their jobs with passion, so doubt the paperwork is that much of an issue.
However even though as a fan I will always love and enjoy rugby, I am concerned with what professionalism is doing to rugby union.
The calendar is now so full of rugby especially with the Super XV that our domestic competition is now just an afterthought.
The Premier division has now been reduced to 6 teams which is really just a replay of the conference with one extra team.
The Conference system, I hate, since when do you have a system that is a supposed round robin but you don’t get to play all the teams?
If SANZAR then want to keep the conference system then allow the teams to play every team,, yes I understand that they want more local derbies, well then let the conferences fight it out and have the top 2 or 3 teams play a full round of matches where everyone plays every one.
The current priority is just to make as much money as possible, it is not only detrimental to player welfare, but also a farce.
June 28th 2012 @ 7:57am
Rabbitz said | June 28th 2012 @ 7:57am | Report comment
I think my headline and Lede may have been a little misleading. In hindsight it may have read better as “Do the Waratahs remember when rugby was fun?”
I agree – and said as much in the article – that rugby has opened up and is more spectator friendly. Some of the changes have improved the spectacle, lifting in the line outs as an example.
The main thrust was to offer thoughts on why the Waratahs seem to just be going through the motions which has resulted in poor attendances and even poorer results.
June 28th 2012 @ 9:34am
B-Rock said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:34am | Report comment
The Tahs certainly arent having much fun this year
The reality is that rugby is a business and everyone is accountable. However IMO the levels of accountability for coaches are too high. Foley is not a good coach – I knew that before the season started – but he is not the only one who should have his job on the line this year. Coaches always shoulder a disproportionate amount of blame in all pro sports – its just more popular for owners/managers to sack the coach rather than the players or themselves.
June 28th 2012 @ 10:43am
Brendon said | June 28th 2012 @ 10:43am | Report comment
in saying that though, the players are playing to the coaches plans or they get dropped. How can they follow orders and still get fired…
June 28th 2012 @ 2:37pm
B-Rock said | June 28th 2012 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
There is no clear cut answer on this unless you are in the organisation and understand the team dynamics
To play devils advocate – the coach cant strap on the boots so if the players dont execute the plan as expected there needs to be some blame there too
June 28th 2012 @ 11:26am
The Other Steve - and All Black fan said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:26am | Report comment
No fun at the Waratahs this year, or last year either I imagine.
The All Blacks have fun, and the NZ S15 sides look like they enjoy playing the game.
June 28th 2012 @ 11:38am
Brendon said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:38am | Report comment
Auckland blues??
June 28th 2012 @ 11:55am
The Other Steve - and All Black fan said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:55am | Report comment
Fair call – I had mentally erased them because they are not in or near the top half of the table.
The Blues look more bewildered than anything.
June 28th 2012 @ 3:32pm
Wal said | June 28th 2012 @ 3:32pm | Report comment
You have to remember they have now lost 11 players for the season as well.
Out for the rest of the year: Anthony Boric, Jerome Kaino, Isaia Toeava, Brad Mika, Benson Stanley, Gareth Anscombe, David Raikuna, Ali Williams, Sean Polwart (WTG), Dan Pryor (WTG), Wayne Ngaluafe (WTG)
There’s some pretty handy cattle there not able to play.
That’s the sort of injury toll the Waratahs had last year.
June 28th 2012 @ 11:57am
RebelRanger said | June 28th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
No not them. I suppose everyone but them. And the Highlanders who usually dip off towards the second half of the season.
June 28th 2012 @ 12:08pm
James said | June 28th 2012 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
They aren’t called the Auckland Blues
June 28th 2012 @ 8:26am
SuckerForRed said | June 28th 2012 @ 8:26am | Report comment
I am sure that some of the Tahs players aren’t enjoying their rugby anymore. But I wonder if the problems at the Tahs run a little deeper then just ‘not enjoying’ it any more. My concern is that this is then going to spill over into the Wallabies. I appreciate that the Wales series has shown us that the boys can dig deep and win the tough matches, but the other side is – are they just doing enough to win?
June 28th 2012 @ 8:38am
RugbyDiehards.com said | June 28th 2012 @ 8:38am | Report comment
I freely admit that I always believed that rugby was a players’ game and that for a non-player it was a hard game to follow,
Nothing wrong with that – it was the view held all the way to the top of the IRB & RFU from the 1880s until the 1980s. Any proposed changes in the game’s laws always came down to what impact it would have for the players, & not how many more people would it draw thru the gate or to the tv.
Professionalism will change the way the game is played & coached, and changes to laws – no secret about that – the game needs to make money, while players & coaches will also make decisions that put results above mere enjoyment (rewards vs risk).
Winning also tends to paper over most complaints about the way a particular team plays.
For mine the key is to ensure that the game’s laws always ensure some semblance of a real contest for possession exists when a player makes an error – that way, players/coaches risk the pass (where the ball may be dropped) rather than hold possession & get tackled, or kick the ball away up field (to play a field position sort of game & hope for a penalty or lost ball).
June 28th 2012 @ 9:05am
WQ said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:05am | Report comment
Got to tell you, as an All Black fan I am enjoying Rugby at the moment!
June 28th 2012 @ 9:29am
Riccardo said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:29am | Report comment
x2 WQ.
The Blues have been a disappointment though considering what the season promised. Nevertheless, at least there’s change afoot and they still have the ability to upset… (sob)…
June 28th 2012 @ 2:32pm
WQ said | June 28th 2012 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
Reds fan myself Riccardo so struggling a bit as well, however enjoying the Chiefs being an ex Kiwi
June 28th 2012 @ 3:11pm
Sprigs said | June 28th 2012 @ 3:11pm | Report comment
But I can’t imagine what it is going to be like when the ABs have a second loss.
The fans could put up with one loss but could they handle two, especially if those losses are close together?
If it is this year and somebody does a Christchurch Irish against them but hangs on to win, and if it happens once more, will there be calls to bring back Ted, hang Hansen, retire Richie and drop Dan?
The good thing about being a Wallabies’ supporter is that sheer experience trains you to accept victories and losses and treat those imposters the same (ah, well not quite the same, but not as a tragedy either.)
June 28th 2012 @ 4:41pm
WQ said | June 28th 2012 @ 4:41pm | Report comment
Tell you what Sprigs, I’ll worry about that when it happens, as it inevitably will.
Fortunately over a very, very, very long time now that has not happened to often!
In the mean time I will enjoy watching them play the wonderful expansive attacking Rugby that makes them the envy of every other Rugby playing nation.
June 29th 2012 @ 5:42am
mania said | June 29th 2012 @ 5:42am | Report comment
sprigs – two losses in a row? all that would happen and more (calls to bring back Ted, hang Hansen, retire Richie and drop Dan). the NZ public are terrible when it comes to critiqueing the AB’s.
this is the bad side of being the AB’s adoring public. people get precious over a game
June 29th 2012 @ 7:29am
stillmatic1 said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:29am | Report comment
yeah mania, i should just not worry about handing over my hard earned coin since the result doesnt matter!!
June 29th 2012 @ 7:30am
mania said | June 29th 2012 @ 7:30am | Report comment
stillmatic1 – just be one of the nice adoring AB public for when they do lose.
June 28th 2012 @ 9:13am
Eearie Park said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Recent Roar articles have been addressing concerns I have had for many years.
Why is it no longer a running game; why don’t the points reflect the effort taken; why don’t they run the ball at 45′ to open up the opposition lines and create opportunities; and, why is the national comp just not that much fun anymore?
As a 40yo female who began a lifelong passion for the game at 4 years old watching Waverley College play I am constantly disappointed by the state of the game. But I still watch it.
June 28th 2012 @ 9:33am
stillmissit said | June 28th 2012 @ 9:33am | Report comment
There is no fun in playing rugby. It is about testing yourself against some other crazy bstards who want to rip your head off. It is like a war where a man can ere but once, some do it every week unfortunately!
The fun starts when the game is over.
June 28th 2012 @ 10:46am
Brendon said | June 28th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
agree… but geez it hurts the next day
June 28th 2012 @ 1:57pm
Rabbitz said | June 28th 2012 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
Although when you look at the Waratahs players and coaches, even after a win, they do not look like there is going to be fun anytime soon.
I sometimes wonder if they are allowed to celebrate a win?
June 28th 2012 @ 3:13pm
Sprigs said | June 28th 2012 @ 3:13pm | Report comment
It makes no sense colliding into monster men for fun.
Yet the blokes who do seem to get off on it.
I like the way they stand around chatting to their opponents after the game.
One good thing about professionalism is that the players seem to see each other as fellow workers toiling at the coal face.
June 28th 2012 @ 5:55pm
Rabbitz said | June 28th 2012 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
For me, rugby has always had this element.
The final whistle blows, you head for the sheds after congratulating your opponents, then invite them into the club for a drink and to swap ‘war stories’.
I think that those times make it worth it.
June 29th 2012 @ 5:45am
mania said | June 29th 2012 @ 5:45am | Report comment
WTF sprigs?!? – i loved playing rugby but not much of a socialising. most of the time i’d head home right after the shower. but the thing about rugby is the collisions and coming out on top. using your brain to dominate a bigger stronger player/ team. using strategies/tactics to outsmart, outlast and triumph.
the spirit of the beer afterwards was good but the main course was is and will always be the game
and yes to your statement “It makes no sense colliding into monster men for fun.” its more fun to collide into them and knock them over. its about dominance. its primal