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The Rebels are helping Aussie rugby. Let's not cull them

AD Reidy new author
Roar Rookie
25th March, 2017
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The Rebels are a victim of the ARU's failings. (AAP Image/Joe Castro)
AD Reidy new author
Roar Rookie
25th March, 2017
81
2509 Reads

History is often used as the frame when debating a burning issue.

At the moment, that burning issue is the proposed restructuring of the Super Rugby competition and the seemingly inevitable loss of one of the Australian franchises.

There is a strong undercurrent that the franchise that must go is the Melbourne Rebels and the reasoning is based on the history of the last month, with major losses to New Zealand teams and then Friday night’s loss to the NSW Waratahs.

Also on Friday night, prior to the senior Waratahs and Rebels match, the Under 20s teams from both New South Wales and Victoria played as part the ARU’s development pathways program. Like their senior team buddies, the Rebels Under 20s led for most of the match, only to concede a try in the dying minutes.

This allowed the NSW Generation Blue to earn a spot in the grand final match against Queensland on 2 April. The Rebels U20s team comprised a large proportion of local boys, some of whom have been playing together in the local VRU competition since Under 12s. Within that team were Sione Tuipulotu and Jordan Uelese – local boys now fully signed with the Rebels.

Stepping back in time, when provincial rugby in Australia was mostly centred on Queensland and New South Wales (but with ACT Brumbies emerging), I recall a period of angst when certain schools in the wider Brisbane GPS competition were said to be recruiting new players from Victoria for their final year of school.

While bolstering the playing stocks for these schools, the downside was the relegation of incumbent players who had previously been destined to play in the First XV. Back then, for Victorian players, the only option was to move interstate or overseas to pursue the dream of playing at a higher level.

And further back, Andrew Brown’s book The Kokoda Wallaby talks of the 1930s when rugby in Victoria had a strong presence, Melbourne’s newspapers devoted a whole page to the local rugby competition, and Victorian teams that were filled with local talent such as the great Weary Dunlop and Stan Bisset.

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Between 1933 and 1938, Victoria had strong wins over more favoured NSW teams. From there, the amateur rugby competition lost ground, in contrast to the growth in Australian Rules football.

And so back to the present. The game of rugby is growing across the world. As an example, colleges in the United States are building their teams rosters aided by benefactor-enabled scholarships and an understanding that both Sevens and regular rugby are truly global competitions. Over time, we will witness the United States tap into its strong athletic roots and emerge as true force in the international rugby arena.

Why then would Australia agree to any contraction of the competition in Australia? Not only do the Rebels provide a pathway for local aspirations, but players like Reece Hodge may still be left playing in NSW’s Shute Shield if the opportunity to sign with the Rebels hadn’t presented. And then there is ‘Super’ Sefa Naivalu, coming from Fiji to Melbourne’s Box Hill Rugby Club, and now a Wallaby.

Reece Hodge of the Rebels

No one disagrees that the Super Rugby competition in its current form is confusing and needs repair. However, rather than contracting the competition, SANZAAR should, instead, look at growing the game in the southern hemisphere. This could be done in a number of ways and one option is to build two separate conferences.

An Oceania conference would include an additional New Zealand team, taking account of its on-going strength as a rugby nation, plus a Pacific Island based team. A further conference based around South Africa, could build a player base more widely across the African continent and beyond. There are many alternatives, but surely growing the player base should be a key priority.

The current state of indecision that places Australian rugby teams in in limbo is unacceptable for all those who follow the game. It must also seem both curious and opportunistic for other major sports. Let us hope that the outcome is not contraction, but a new and refreshed competition that is even more inclusive and one that builds on the strengths of a growing game.

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