JON but not forgotten: what now for the ARU?
Columnist By David Lord, 13 Oct 2012 David Lord is a Roar Expert
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- Australian Rugby Union, John ONeill, Rugby Union
Australian rugby union player Ben Robinson, ARU chief executive John O'Neill and SANZAR CEO, Greg Peters. AAP Image/Paul Miller
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Three main things went through my mind as I watched John O’Neill handle his shock resignation as ARU boss yesterday. Firstly, he looked and sounded tired.
As he said, the wear and tear of 14 years with the ARU in two stints, and three years in between as FFA boss, had taken its toll. It was time to pull the pin.
Secondly, what is in Robbie Deans’ immediate future as Wallaby coach now solid supporter O’Neill will step down at the end of the month? Both their contracts fall due in December next year. O’Neill has gone early.
And finally, what’s the future hold for the ARU and Australian rugby without the leadership of John O’Neill? The biggest and most telling question of them all.
Let me make my position crystal clear right now. John O’Neill is one of the finest sporting administrators I’ve ever dealt with in the world over nearly 50 years.
He’s right up there with South African Danie Craven, keeping rugby alive during sporting isolation, ARU president Charles Blunt for the way he handled the disastrous Springbok tour of Australia in 1971, Australian Cricket Board chairman Tim Caldwell in the 70s, and rugby league’s John Quayle and David Gallop who both coped superbly with bad times in their code.
I’m the first to admit O’Neill isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s the price one pays for being the best. The great Australian knocker is alive and well, and none more so in rugby, where egos are rampant.
Picture the corridors of rugby power becoming alive with “would be’s if they could be” jostling for positions. They have none and Buckleys.
The saving grace for rugby at the moment is the man in the ARU chair Michael Hawker. He was a brilliant choice in the first place, but even more so now with O’Neill out of the mix.
He will deal with the problems that will surface soon enough in exactly the same way as he did in the Wallaby midfield during the 80s in his 25 Tests – cool, calm, and collected.
Hawker turned 53 just two days ago. Old enough to hold senior exec banking positions worldwide, and young enough to be on the same page as the current players.
And he will make sure Robbie Deans isn’t railroaded.
But his biggest job will be to find O’Neill’s replacement, vital to the stability and the future of not only Wallaby rugby, but grassroots rugby as well.
Rugby has made the same fatal mistake as cricket with the emphasis on rep games at the expense of the grade competitions.
Remember rugby was amateur until 1995, as was cricket until 1977 when Kerry Packer stepped in with World Series Cricket.
Neither sport has made the transition work.
Rugby should have learned from cricket’s mistakes, and that’s the only criticism I have of John O’Neill.
The rugby grade competition should have remained amateur with players having a job, paying annual subscriptions to their club, training Tuesday and Thursday nights, playing on Saturday, and recovering on Sunday.
That didn’t happen and as a result every club is either financially busted, or knocking on the door.
Club sponsors have no avenue for mileage except the ABC, that can’t advertise. The ARU pays them to cover one Sydney first grade game a week.
Lip service.
The next ARU boss must address that crippling problem, but in the meantime it’s John O’Neill’s time to go.
Barring club rugby, he has done a very difficult job superbly well, as Michel Hawker said yesterday.
I don’t envy his replacement. It’s the hottest seat in Australian sport.
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October 13th 2012 @ 4:21am
Johnno said | October 13th 2012 @ 4:21am | Report comment
What now for the ARU wow what a great Question David as rugby in OZ evolves in 2012
1st) This Governance review if it is made public will be absolutely critical I have a hunch
2) Find the right CEO
3) Top down- Maximum media tv exposure from all Tiers-Wallabies down too schoolboys rugby must get tv deals. The ARU should of mass marketed the schoolboy test vs NZ schoolboys but did not. This is what I mean energy. Energy the key word don’t just wait ARU and expect people to just know things are on, or have talant to fall form the sky. Spend big on grassroots. Attracts sponsors like AIG have done in USA and nZ rugby , . USA rugby with AIG i was reading are going to spend big developing USA rookie rugby program. SO get the sponsors coming in and to do that, you need a fair dinky FTA tv deal for maximum exposure. Pay tv in OZ is expensive compared to most countries for multiple reasons So a fair dinkum FTA tv deal needed.
4)More imports per super rugby team 5 per team. Fans want to see the best like in egnlish soccer and quality, not a mickey mouse competition focused on development. Try and make super rugby the highest quality players form around the world , not a university case study in economic protectionism , or nationalism. Like english soccer, french rugby, spanish soccer,itlaian soccer, very fleiblw with imports. over 200 pacific islander players in Europe. Brad thorn did not harm irish rugby SBW is not harming Joan rugby, Matt Giteau or Luke burgess are not harming French rugby, Gareth Delve is not harming aussy rugby . 5 imports per super rugby team.
5) Set up a mobile scrum or set piece academy . Like the one Topo Rodriguiz wanted to do. But the ARU didn’t back him
6)Get rugby out more into new areas eg west sydney, Adleiade 1.2 million closer than perth, develop gold coast more than just 7evens or occasional test, Newcastle. SO 1 or 2 new super rugby teams in 2016
7) And remodel sydney private school divisions. Have divisions based on school quality not based on school boys networks . So scrap GPS,CAS,ISA, and form 1 division or a few divisions based on school standard as too many teams are clumped in divisions with unequal opponents.
8) Have a CEO it doesn’t matter if he is form the old school rugby establishment, Frank Lowy was President of Hakoah in the old NSL days but had vision for soccer in OZ to go mainstream without he A-league. We must find the next ceo of the ARU, who wants to shed the private school image and grow new markets and expansion to new heartlands, and develop brand awareness.
eg I must myself overtime , if Queenslanders Billy Slater , or joanthan thurston, or Ben barba , or inglis , or ben barba, walked down sydney CBD many would recognise them. But how many would recognise James Horwill Dave Pocock, Will Genia. So brand awareness of wallabies and our star rugby players is often 1 gauge of how much market share you have out there. And our wallabies are not recognised by majority of 22 million aussy population. How many people in west sydney would know the wallaby players, if they walked throughout he shopping mall, or in Adealide or anywhere outside the north shore of sydney, or maybe eastern suburbs of sydney or the GPS private schools.
We have to get rugby more mainstream and more brand awareness. Massivly important for the next ARU cep. And the best way to do that is a good Free to air tv deal, and a 3rd tier and schoolboy rugby, all tiers of rugby on tv . Rugby league with there new tv deal is showing a lot of schoolboy rugby league next year. Aussy rugby needs to do the same, plus super rugby on FTA. Good luck next ARU cep, you have a massive job on your hands like aussy basketball, aussy cricket, and the next cep of aussy rugby league will face, in this fight of the code wars, and fight for critical market share, in a fairly saturated sports market.
Either way aussy rugby is going to have it;s biggest shake up in a long long time. Kidna like rugby league’s super league war, or cricket with world series cricket or soccer in OZ in 2005 with the A-league replacing the old NSL, big things and massive changes are going to happen in aussy rugby in 2013.
October 13th 2012 @ 4:53am
David Lord said | October 13th 2012 @ 4:53am | Report comment
Johnno, that’s a highly impressive post in such a short time, you sure have let it all hang out. I agree with a lot of your ideas, except the five foreign players in the Australian Super sides that are supposed to be breeding grounds for the Wallabies. Five is too many, but there’s enormous potential in most of your suggestions. That’s one of the best and most comprehensive posts I’ve ever read – salute.
October 13th 2012 @ 10:11am
amband said | October 13th 2012 @ 10:11am | Report comment
none at all should be allowed
October 13th 2012 @ 12:54pm
Harry Rainbow said | October 13th 2012 @ 12:54pm | Report comment
How many of the young players who have played for the Wallabies over the last four years would have got their chance at Super Rugby level if each Australian team had the option of five imports? I suspect that most professional coaches would opt for proven imports rather than risk their lively hood blooding untried youngsters?
If anything, professional rugby has exposed a paucity of Australian rugby administrators rather than a lack of player talent.
We also seem to be unable to pick coaches for Super 15 which I think is a huge problem. (I think that Cheika is a good choice as long as the Waratah Board can remain stable enough to support him)
October 13th 2012 @ 10:45am
Blue Blood said | October 13th 2012 @ 10:45am | Report comment
I agree with all your points especially regarding imports. The cream will always rise to the top and teams don’t have to use their imports. Hodgo agrees and he is in a team with real recruitment issues as supported in Pocock’s open letter. The issues are real not theoretical.
October 13th 2012 @ 4:29am
runit said | October 13th 2012 @ 4:29am | Report comment
Excellent article David, people forget that JON’s main job was to keep the ARU solvent, he did that in spite of the perilous financial state the ARU was in on both occasions when he took charge, he is also blamed for not growing the grass roots game, however, the ARU funds the states and it is the states responsibility to grow the game locally. The point that he made about injuries is totally valid “until the ARU can dictate to the states about player management, as they do in NZ, the Wallabies will continue to have an inordinate number of injuries.
October 13th 2012 @ 5:05am
David Lord said | October 13th 2012 @ 5:05am | Report comment
You have nailed it runit, JON has wanted to follow the NZRU format to call the shots on Wallaby player management at Super level, but the egos and territorial beliefs at state and Super admin is exactly the same as the Queensland versus NSW jealousies of the past, such as the 1981 Wallaby tour to the UK. The ARU boss should be in the chair of a committee to supervise player management of the Wallabies, and that committee’s word is law. Something for the new boss to work on, but get used to bashing his head against a brick wall. That’s an Australian lower level admin trait that has to be broken.
October 14th 2012 @ 9:28pm
Gnostic said | October 14th 2012 @ 9:28pm | Report comment
If JON really wanted to take over this aspect of the states he could have done it. The ARU has bailed out and taken financial control of the two largest Unions and those two still hold most votes. JON could have made any bail out fully dependent on compliance with ARU control of the players. If they didn’t want to comply just let them go broke and start again as they wanted to structure it.
The ARU started the Force and granted them the franchise and could have dictated the terms and most recently the Rebels. So I have to ask did JON push these reforms at these new Franchises?
That would only have left the Brumbies to deal with and they would have fallen into line or been voted down by the “new” structure.
Now I do think that wholesale reform is required, but I do not think that the NZRU is necessarily the way to go. I think that JON’s suggestion echoed by many here and elsewhere before and since, of a Independent Commission type arrangement is the best structure.
October 13th 2012 @ 6:43am
Billy Bob said | October 13th 2012 @ 6:43am | Report comment
Mmm, so it seems that Australian rugby is not yet a republic. We are still just a federation of colonial states.
Now that explains a lot.
Now as I said on another post this week ‘ we all have passionate opinions- and all of them are ignorant’
This state based power structure – out of interest – how has that worked for the team from NSW?
John I hope will speak openly after he has gone about what is really going on.
Another point well made above is- why is rugby such a well kept secret in this country?
I read about it every day. After many years of struggle to bars and clubs I now have Fox. I have two boys who play. I coach. Yet I did not know that the schoolboys game was on.
Australian rugby PR is impotent. Or non-existent. Don’t bother telling me that I should have checked what program or that web-site. Rugby is the best kept secret in the Australian sporting landscape and the job of developing and promoting it may require more than one person.
October 14th 2012 @ 10:03am
Mike said | October 14th 2012 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Nor even a monachy, constitutional or otherwise!
Your comparisong with a federation of colonial states is a good one. Take that further to a Confederation – the Confederate states lost the American Civil War in large part because they would not surrender their independence to a central authority whould could direct and co-ordinate the war-effort at all levels.
October 13th 2012 @ 7:29am
nickoldschool said | October 13th 2012 @ 7:29am | Report comment
Interesting really. Agree with David when he says the transition to professionalism didnt work and ‘every club is either financially busted, or knocking on the door.’
Also agree with David : “The rugby grade competition should have remained amateur with players having a job, paying annual subscriptions to their club, training Tuesday and Thursday nights, playing on Saturday, and recovering on Sunday.”.
For decades now, club rugby In Oz (and elsewhere too, like france and probably other nations) has lived well above their means. Money is everywhere but clubs are busted and beg their few local sponsors for a bit more each year. I lived and played amateur rugby in france until 12 years ago, wasnt paid, trained Wedn-Fri with a Sunday arvo game. Most teams merely 1-2 divisions above were paying their players, sometimes salaries (equiv to $1000/month) and per win incentives. You had players coming from SA, Wales, our P.I (wallis and Futuna) to play 3rd division rugby and get paid for that!! How???
I always wondered where did they get the money from? The gates, club house drinks and sandwiches etc? come on. Same here. Until we have a proper ARC comp, i dont see how semi professional club rugby in Oz is viable. Am not much involved in local club rugby but would love to know what sort of money is given to players in club rugby. Instead of having a pro and amateur rugby, we have a semi-propfessional organisation from top to bottom, nothing is clear.
With the news that AIG will now be on ABs jersey, i think that we have to welcome private investors in Oz rugby. have to agree that the Guazzini, Boudjellal, Afflelou etc, all private investors in French rugby in the last decade, have brought some professionalism in french rugby. So has Russell Crowe at Souths. Dunno how much the AIG deal was (read they give Man U around aud 90M between 2006-2010) but i hope the NZRU will use it wisely. I dont think it is a shameful decision to accept a deal as long as the money is used the right way.
October 13th 2012 @ 8:26am
sheek said | October 13th 2012 @ 8:26am | Report comment
Good morning David,
It must be said there were two John O’Neill’s – mk I & mk II.
JON mk I 1996-2003 was truly one of the greatest administrators in any sport. He left the ARU rather acrimoniously (not him, but his ousters) at the end of 2003 with a war-chest of AU$47K & in his own words, a football market share of around 24%.
Neither of those figures have been seen before or since in Australian rugby.
JON mk II 2007-12, it must be said, was less successful. That war chest that O’Neill helped build had all but disappeared. The ARU was in debt & football market share had dipped below 14%.
As JON departs a second time, he has brought the ARU back into the black & lifted football market share back to around 17%. These are JON’s own figures & I take them on trust.
It’s clear JON mk II lacked the drive he had possessed in JON mk I for whatever reasons. Great administrator that he was, there comes a time when change is necessary to revitalise a sport, & I think the time is right for a change of thinking & direction in Australian rugby.
Some of the things that we have been doing for 100 years or even 50 years, are clearly not working efficiently in the professional era. Our domestic structures & pathways need a massive overhaul.
I agree we are lucky to have Mike Hawker as chairman of the ARU. He is an ex-Wallaby & very business savvy. He will make the right decisions going forward. In Hawker we now trust.
October 13th 2012 @ 8:35am
Midfielder said | October 13th 2012 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Sheek
I have no idea how the count was done… but if we assume the 24 & 17 figures …. that RU was ever a quarter of the football market HHHHMMMM maybe in the dying days of the NSL… but at a time when ARU had 3 Super teams…
That RU holds 17% of the football market today.. what with five teams up against the 18 team AFL… 16 team RL … both massive in the media then a 10 team A-League…. love to have those accountants ….
October 13th 2012 @ 4:54pm
Simmo said | October 13th 2012 @ 4:54pm | Report comment
Yes the so called market share figures sound very “political election time” spin to me.
October 13th 2012 @ 11:26am
soapit said | October 13th 2012 @ 11:26am | Report comment
i find it hard to believe we have a greater football market share than we did in 2007 considering the gains of soccer and league and afl are as popular as ever
rugby can’t even get its tests shown live on fta.
October 13th 2012 @ 8:27am
Midfielder said | October 13th 2012 @ 8:27am | Report comment
Whoever replaces JON has two two two key issues, the first also effects the second.
First as you, Sheek and many others have said, what to do about park teams and expanding the player base and supporter base…
Second, AFL 1.2 billion dollars, NRL seemingly after an NZ contract a similar amount, both with extensive FTA coverage, Football looking like a increased media deal with some FTA coverage… how do you maintain market share against three codes all bent on expansion in a crowded market… having an expanding park presence would help…
October 13th 2012 @ 8:50am
sheek said | October 13th 2012 @ 8:50am | Report comment
Hi Midfielder,
From a perception point of view, those market share figures quoted by O’Neill “look” right, even if they were proven to be inflated by 2-5%.
It more or less charts reasonably the high point of Australian rugby in 2003 to a low point circa 2006 back to a mid point 2012.
The challenge for Australian rugby is huge, but the worst thing is to do nothing, or to do very little. When I first got married my wife said to me, “It’s not how much money we have or not, that’s important, but how we manage it.”
Good practical, common sense advice. Apart from one poor investment decision, we’ve otherwise done okay.
With respect to the ARU, it’s not so much a question of how little money they have, but how clever they are in moving forward.
For example, the ARU doesn’t have the financial resources to flood youth growth areas of Australia with development officers as the ARU, NRL & FFA have presumedly done.
But they can pull the players & coaches together of the Wallabies, Waratahs, Brumbies, Reds, Rebels & Force & implore them to go out there on the pitch & play a more compelling brand of rugby to attract potential players, fans, sponsors & media interest.
October 14th 2012 @ 12:29am
Midfielder said | October 14th 2012 @ 12:29am | Report comment
Sheek
Hand on heart not the other thing to say Rugby in 2003 was essentially a quarter or say 20% of the football code market beggars disbelief… for a start in 2003 there was no national domestic football competition as the NSL had gone broke… however both AFL & NRL were huge …
Today 17% or 15% … HMMMMM … based on what …
Registered Player Numbers
Ratings FTA TV
Ratings PayTV
Media deal size
Number of Professional teams, i.e AFL 18, NRL 16, A-L 10, RU 5…
Number of matches played…
Still think the number is way to high…
October 13th 2012 @ 10:25am
Emric said | October 13th 2012 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Midfielder there is no way skyNZ will spend 200 million dollars on Rugby League in New Zealand it doesn’t even spend that on Rugby and guess which brings in the most payers?
October 13th 2012 @ 6:59pm
Crosscoder said | October 13th 2012 @ 6:59pm | Report comment
Not taking into account mobile and internet rights to be added, Emric,
October 13th 2012 @ 7:20pm
Emric said | October 13th 2012 @ 7:20pm | Report comment
true crosscoder
October 13th 2012 @ 8:49am
Worlds biggest said | October 13th 2012 @ 8:49am | Report comment
While I have been critical at times I must congratulate JON on a brilliant career in sports administration. I do feel this is the right time for both parties to move on as it appeared from the outside he lost his appetite and vigour for the job. On the whole he has done an enormous amount for Australian rugby. Who ever replaces him is coming into a sh&t sandwich, a real challenge.
October 13th 2012 @ 9:06am
MA said | October 13th 2012 @ 9:06am | Report comment
There is no Super Rugby on free to air TV. Foxtel subscribers total well less than 2 million. Channel 9 often fail to screen Wallaby matches live.
Grass roots Rugby in Australia is almost non existent. There is daylight between Super Rugby and Local Rugby.
Rugby Fan belief in the structure of Australian Rugby and the Wallabies is at an all time low.
How can JON’s reign be considered a success considering the above? The TV rights were sold where most Australians have no chance of seeing it (Pay TV) and the free to air rights sold to the network who is 100% committed to Rugby’s biggest rival. So at best JON has gone for short term game ($$$) at the long term expense of the development of the game. This followed by the complete failure to develop Australian local rugby to me is a clear case of failing to achieve any success at all.
We have to stop bowing down to these people whilst trying to find something to praise them for and ignoring their many failures. Until we do then we will continue to receive little from them. Personally I think we must demand much much more.
October 13th 2012 @ 9:48am
stillmissit said | October 13th 2012 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Good article David and I wonder where the knockers are now they have to face reality. In Michael Hawker we are lucky to have one of the right thinkers who will not be sidetracked by BS and politics. The new CEO will be very interesting but as Johnno says we need some fundamental restructuring to put the power where the control is.
October 13th 2012 @ 11:08am
amband said | October 13th 2012 @ 11:08am | Report comment
we need an experienced CEO running not for profits in charge, not someone experienced in profit making companies. The ARU is a not for profit
October 13th 2012 @ 5:08pm
Cliff (Bishkek) said | October 13th 2012 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
Oh — you have never knocked JON during second term Stillmissit — dreaning I suppose???
October 14th 2012 @ 3:00pm
stillmissit said | October 14th 2012 @ 3:00pm | Report comment
Hi Cliff – I am not aware of ever posting or writing an article criticising JON as I always felt he was the best available. He made a big gamble that Robbie Deans would take the Wallabies up to a level where they could compete with the AB’s and that has caused the coffers to fill a lot slower than he had hoped and therefore the impacts on other areas like development to not keep up.
I am also a fan of RObbie Deans but I have always criticised his use of the bench and some of his tactics in the RWC. I now believe his days are numbered after the European tour and they will give it to Link which to my mind is an error. Still I think Deans will leave Australia with the team in a better state than when he took it over.
Dreaming? Yeah could be a fair cop as I am always dreaming of the great days under MacQueen. Never thought they would be hard to replicate.
October 13th 2012 @ 10:26am
amband said | October 13th 2012 @ 10:26am | Report comment
Remember, the ARU is a not for profit organization. It requires expertize in running ” NFP “. Did O’Neill have any such expertize before taking on the job?
People seems to think a good business background is enough. Nope! Those used to running companies for profit satisfying shareholders are not the preferred types to run NFP like the ARU. So a good business background maximizing dividends for shareholders is not what we want for our sport
We require a track history in running a NFP. This person knows the benefit of juniors and the welfare of the game’s future is not threatened by profit making corporate interests, or those with that background and mentality
October 14th 2012 @ 5:20pm
Rabbitz said | October 14th 2012 @ 5:20pm | Report comment
Actually the ARU is a registered as an Australian Public Company with ans ACN and ABN so they are certainly NOT a not for profit organisation.
October 14th 2012 @ 10:04pm
ThelmaWrites said | October 14th 2012 @ 10:04pm | Report comment
Hi Rabbitz, the shareholding structure of the ARU intrigues me since your post in an earlier thread. There is paucity of information in web sites, and I’m not in Sydney.
Are the shares held in the names of the member unions? Are the member union delegates constituents of the Board, or is the latter a separate body?
Thanks for the cool voice of reason that you dispense in these threads. Much appreciated.