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Australian rugby looks to be enjoying a purple patch. Three of the five Australian Super Rugby teams are enjoying decent seasons and the Wallabies are improving under Ewen McKenzie.
The Waratahs are assured a bye in the playoffs heading to the semi-finals, the Brumbies need to win their final game to make the playoffs and the Force – dismissed at the start of the season – are in a three-way race for the final playoff spot with the Brumbies and Chiefs.
The Wallabies destroyed a woeful French side and had a successful tour of the northern hemisphere last year, where they won four out of five games. This is allowing McKenzie to prepare for this year’s Rugby Championship and shape his squad for the Rugby World Cup in England next year.
Meanwhile, an excellent Saturday afternoon Test against France at the Sydney Football Stadium brought in a big crowd of 43,188, which no doubt generated strong match day revenue for the ARU.
In addition, the inaugural National Rugby Championship that begins in August will finally help bridge the grassroots gap.
But looking to the future the ARU faces a real problem regarding the player retention of their top performers. The main headache is to do with players being mercilessly targeted by the hulking giant that is the French Top 14.
The Top 14 is awash with cash, especially after signing a lucrative five-year TV deal with French broadcaster Canal Plus, worth overall a reported $515 million.
The competition is in rude health, enjoying consistent big crowds to the point where they can sell out the 81,000 Stade de France, no matter what the fixture. The average capacity in the 2013-14 season was 13,538, an increase of three per cent from the previous season.
Even teams residing in the Basque (Bayonne) or Catalan (Perpignan) regions of France play in big stadiums in order to entice large crowds. Bayonne played in San Sebastian in Spain at the 32,000 capacity Anoeta Stadium – home of Spanish La Liga football club Real Sociedad – while Perpignan (now shockingly relegated from the Top 14) played in Barcelona.
Top 14 and Heineken Cup champions Toulon played their Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster in Marseille at the Stade Velodrome, which is undergoing redevelopment for the 2016 football European Championships.
The big crowds have generated revenue and interest of corporate sponsors, culminating in the big TV deal, which is worth approximately $103 million a year. It has emboldened the Top 14 clubs to start targeting southern hemisphere players – particularly from Australia.
Back rower Ben Mowen has already moved to Top 14 giants Montpelier while the Daily Telegraph back in late March wrote that two Wallaby players “have already made the decision to defect to France post World Cup, though they will not say so publicly”.
Rumours within French publications after the season ended on June 1 have been in overdrive. Midi Olympique wrote how Toulon looked to acquire Israel Folau after the World Cup even though they recently bought Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny.
In addition, big spenders Lyon, recently promoted to the Top 14, have been linked with a host of Wallabies such as Will Genia and even Quade Cooper. Lynchpins of the Wallabies such as Stephen Moore have courted admiring glances as well from the Top 14 clubs.
If these players were to be lured away from Australia the ARU would suffer a near mortal twin loss. The first blow would be the unavailability of these players for Wallaby selection.
Should the exodus happen, no doubt calls will be made to let the ARU allow players outside of Australia to be eligible for the Wallabies, like the South Africans have done. It is likely that won’t happen with the ARU’s chief Bill Pulver quick to pour cold water over it.
“There is a lot of discussion around this but I have to be clear: I have zero appetite to change it,” he said.
When it came to Israel Folau the response from Pulver was direct.
“It’s not a concern. Look, at the end of the day, we only want people to play rugby in Australia who want to play rugby in Australia.
“We’re not about trying to talk anyone into staying if they don’t want to stay. So every individual player will have to form their own view.
“When it comes to that policy, I really do not see it changing and I think the logic’s pretty compelling.”
The money stemming from the Top 14 is certainly a factor that could lure Australia’s top players, with the wages that some of the Top 14’s stars received in 2013-14 are certainly eye watering.
Le Journal du Dimance‘s reported in August that before Jonny Wilkinson retired he was earning €56,000 per month at Toulon while his teammates Matt Giteau and Bryan Habana earned €40,000 and €50,000 a month respectively.
Racing Metro’s fly half Jonathan Sexton pocketed €52,000 a month while Clermont Auvergne’s scrum half Morgan Parra enjoyed a monthly salary of €46,000.
From the top ten earners of the 2013-14 campaign merely three were French – Parra, Toulouse’s star flanker Thierry Dusatoir and Racing Metro’s hooker Dmitri Szarzewski. What makes it impressive was these salaries were before the lucrative TV broadcasting deal was signed.
Already Toulon’s new full back Leigh Halfpenny is rumoured to be earning €40,000 a month – €480,000 a year when the new Top 14 season starts in August.
These wages are something the ARU just cannot compete with, especially when you compare what Australia’s top players earn.
The second blow is the player exodus would exacerbate the ARU’s creaky financial situation. Losing the Wallabies’ dangerous players will hurt their marketing strategy, which is their sole purpose of luring fans to the code in such a competitive sporting nation such as Australia.
Since 2013 it has been Israel Folau who has been the face of Australian rugby ever since his blistering debut in the first Lions Test at Brisbane, where he scored two tries despite losing the game.
He has been amazing since signing for the Waratahs and has been part of the Tahs’ barnstorming season. Folau has already broken records – scoring his 12th try of the season against the Highlanders on Sunday to easily surpass Peter Hewat’s record of 10 tries in a season.
If he was to leave Australia to France or even cross codes to rugby league then it would spell disaster for Australian rugby union. One example of how Israel Folau is important is when Major League Baseball came to Sydney. During a photo opportunity at the SCG they had representatives of Sydney’s sporting teams rub shoulders with players from MLB franchises the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Sydney’s sporting representatives included football in the form of Sydney FC’s Alessandro Del Piero, Aussie Rules was represented by Adam Goodes of the Sydney Swans and the NRL sent out Sonny Bill Williams of the Sydney Roosters. All of the city’s sporting representatives were there but for rugby union’s Waratahs.
The organisers of the photo exercise wanted Israel Folau, but he wasn’t available. The Waratahs offered captain Dave Dennis yet it was either Folau or no one. It was a good PR opportunity missed and goes to show how important Folau is on and off the pitch.
Losing Quade Cooper’s mercurialness would be a blow but McKenzie has the players in Matt Toomua and Bernard Foley to offset the gap created should he go to France. Take away Israel Folau and the Wallabies would lose their sole world class back that can trouble the All Blacks.
If Australian rugby union can keep Folau, as well other top Wallabies after the 2015 World Cup, then Australian rugby can withstand the lean times they are in.
Under Bill Pulver the ARU can then try to continue with their cost-cutting exercise while being able to generate money from Israel Folau’s marketing ability, the success of the Wallabies and weekend afternoon international rugby.
But post 2015 will be the crossroads where Australian rugby shall decide what path they will turn to.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.