The ARU has spent millions of dollars reconnecting rugby union with the community but does the answer lie in a quote left behind one of sport’s greatest legends, Muhammad Ali?
“Love me or hate me, just debate me.”
These words speak an indisputable truth. Listen up Australian Rugby Union, this is free advice that should not be missed.
Eddie Jones has been very vocal since England’s triumph in the Six Nations. He has convinced the humiliated nation to trust and back him and he has grandstanded and used the English press as a vehicle to throw jabs at the Wallabies and the ARU.
And backing up his talk, Jones landed a well-placed haymaker on the Wallabies in Brisbane, knocked their ego to the canvass and took the points in Round 1. Lucky for the Wallabies this is a three-round bout and there is plenty of time to mount a comeback.
What an exciting Cook Cup series we have on our hands, and what I love best is that the mind games and trash talk has not stopped. However, unfortunately, there has been a lot of criticism of the melee between the Australian media and Eddie Jones – perhaps just a small sign that we are sore losers!
The media rhetoric that has canvassed this series suggests the passion and importance of international rugby. I will caveat this comment by concurring with the critics of Stephen Hoile’s crass endeavours at the press conference following the Brisbane Test.
The critics of Jones and the media for going toe to toe during this year’s Cook Cup series has really irked me! Australian rugby fans are fickle and quite frankly hypocritical.
Firstly, we complain that rugby is on the decline because the Wallabies don’t get enough mainstream commercial media spotlight compared to the AFL and NRL. And now the Wallabies are directly in the spotlight, the criticism suggests we are damaging the image and the brand of the Wallabies.
The Wallabies need to be a talking point mid-week when the players are not taking the field. The AFL and NRL have achieved this feat, and this Wallabies series against England is doing the same.
This series celebrates the rivalry between Australia and England and allures the community into a discussion about rugby, and god forbid tune into the match on the weekend – which is ultimately the end goal.
More than ever before, the Cook Cup is now relevant. This is no more evident than the entertainment legend John Cleese’s tweet supporting Eddie Jones’ excellent handling of the Australian media. While John Cleese is proud of Jones, I am proud that this series has captivated prominent international figures like Cleese into a discussion of rugby.
Look beyond the words of Cleese and you’ll see a person with international reach and influence engaging in a conversation about the greatest game in the world.
The way forward for rugby is to engage old school traditions mixed with modern day thinking and innovation. The social media banter is terrific. Like boxing and the UFC, pre-fight promotion and drama is what captivates the community.
The PR and promotions is modern day sport. Period. Look how much the UFC has grown over the last five years – go figure! People who have never boxed in their entire life are engaged in a discussion and immersed in the drama of the pre-fight promotions.
An article by Tyson Otto at news.com.au has also weighed into this point. His article goes on to say that:
“The NBA and NFL’s cultures of transparency through ‘unprecedented and uncensored’ media access to players is a key reason the sports have become increasingly popular in Australia.
“If you follow the NBA you get personalities, storylines, characters, heroes and villains. If you follow the AFL you get cliches, vanilla responses and a view from the outside that barely scratches the surface.”
I can’t comment on the media access and restrictions in place by the ARU, but it would seem the PR and promotion of Australian sport is inferior to other sports around the world. Otto further makes the point that the elements outlined in the above paragraph are one of the significant causes for the disconnection between sport in Australia and the fans.
This is what makes the Cook Cup series in Australia so alluring. This series has all the elements, personalities, storylines and the characters. What is more engaging than the story in front of us?
The hero played by Michael Cheika, an unlikely figure who has installed passion and belief into a Wallabies side that made last year’s World Cup final. Then the villain, a conniving mastermind of Jones who against all odds has turned English rugby back into a mainstream focus point, and a team who must be given the utmost respect.
The storyline has Shakespearean romance. October 2015 the Wallabies knock England out of their own World Cup. Then one of the greatest coaches and former Wallaby coach turns his back on his country and takes the helm of the old enemy.
With a new, well-trained and far more formidable English side from their last encounter, Jones launches a full on assault on Australian home soil. The storyline almost has an Avatar and or Pocahontas premise to it. For my American audience is Jones the modern day Benedict Arnold?
The ARU should be taking this storyline and running with it. Create the hype and create the drama. The modern day fan craves more than the weekend on-field performance. We need our minds engaged seven days a week. We are addicted to opening our Facebook pages, seeing the pre-match conflict between the two sides and the discourse of theatrics that come from it.
Like never before can fans engage and help weigh into the conflict and show their passion for the cause of their team. Eddie Jones versus the Australian media is the greatest asset to the ARU right now and regardless the result the Wallabies are again relevant. Thank you, Eddie Jones, for doing your part.
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.
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