The Roar
The Roar

Rickety Knees

Roar Guru

Joined March 2009

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Started life of as an Australian Army Officer (11 years) - then worked at Coopers & Lybrand and for the past 30 years been a senior marketing executive in IT. I am both a junior rep and senior rugby coach, and a Level 1 Cricket Coach

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Forwards win matches. It is the backs that determine by how much. Until the forwards start hunting like a pack it will be an exercise of pissing into the wind and getting very wet.

'We're better conditioned': Dave Rennie still confident Wallabies can match Springboks despite Bledisloe loss

Thanks Nufty, you have identified the problem – the antiquated RA board and it’s structure that has presided over the demise of Australian Rugby. The buck stops with those bastards!

CONFIRMED: Peter Wiggs resigns from Rugby Australia board

Wiggs is a no fuss, highly respected, successful, media shy business man who apparently paid out of his own pocket to have the RA books assessed, so that he could figure how to right the RA ship. He wanted Carroll as his man. Dynamic – straight to the point – get the job done. In typical fashion he called a spade a spade and walked.

CONFIRMED: Peter Wiggs resigns from Rugby Australia board

The mess that Rugby finds itself in requires swift action by people in the know who can get the job done. It is a matter of survival but no the dullards raise concerns about due process – “lets take our time to make sure that it appears to all and sundry that we are doing the right thing”. In other words let’s count how many matches are in the packet whilst Rugby burns to the ground.

There are none so blind as those that will not see.

CONFIRMED: Peter Wiggs resigns from Rugby Australia board

Spot on Gatsey. The TMO in both the Wallabies matches were overly officious and disruptive to the flow of the game. I am still shaking me head about the penalty for Kerevi’s carry. The game is killing itself.

World Rugby and the refs are killing the game

One Swallow does not a summer make!

Will revisit this after the Chiefs game.

Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?

The Moot point comment was for TWAS

There’s new life in the old line yet…

A moot point given that test attendances are declining

There’s new life in the old line yet…

Hi Brett,

This is a reflection of the totally muddled way that Rugby is organised, evolving from local fiefdoms across the globe with little thought being given to the strategic direction of the game. The connected myopically gazing at their navels whilst sipping their G&Ts..

The driving revenue force in Rugby comes from TV and showing local derbies in time zones that can be watched live. This is the problem with the Super Rugby competition which is spread from Argentina to NZ (i.e. who in Australia watches South African matches at 3am in the morning!)

Now is the time for a conference competition, one that is rationalised around time zones. It could look like South American Conference, African Conference, Pacific Conference and The Americas Conference. With finals play offs between the four. Whilst revenue would also be rationalised, the major logistic cost of travel would also be reduced. National teams would be selected from the global player pool.

Paul Culley’s clinical financial dissection of the ARU has shown that it has fat catted itself at the expense of who it represents. The risk of rationalising and reducing revenue will not sit well with those that control the game (from their various fiefdoms).

There’s new life in the old line yet…

Agree PK – setting up conferences in time zones and then playing finals is the way to go. Also really like your thoughts on promotion and relegation for Sydney Rugby.

Super Rugby should shelve any grand plans for US expansion

There you go – it is not a level playing field.

Rugby is withering on the vine

Hey Big Dog. I can understand that a KPI was created and not achieved. I am questioning the notion of killing of a club after 4 rounds. What wisdom is there in doing this? Why not give them notice of termination for the end of season and then let them be the master of their own destiny. The collateral damage in the district by this short sighted strategy could not have been greater!

Rugby is withering on the vine

TWAS – so CS calls you on being an apologist for the ARU and your reply questions his intelligence. Who is playing the man now? The hypocrisy is stunning!

Rugby is withering on the vine

Not all TWAS – just curious old mate!

Rugby is withering on the vine

G’day Melon – yeah mate haven’t been around for a while. Just tired of rabbiting on about the cluster f…k rugby has become. Got fired up about this one, as the callousness has now hit an all time low. No matter what is thought about Penrith, they did not deserve to be treated in this manner.

Rugby is withering on the vine

TWAS – from your profile 4 articles and 17,490 comments – you must be employed by one of the unions to be able devote that effort on rugby matters or are you the self appointed rugby truth police with nothing better to do?

Rugby is withering on the vine

Penrith’s unique demographics was never fully comprehended by the Fiefdoms. Located about 35km west of Parramatta in the middle of a working class area with no historical connection to Rugby and next to no private schools playing the game it was always going to be tough. It is an NRL patch that the AFL assaulted and won with the now successful GWS. What have the Fiefdoms done for the Penrith Rugby Club historically – sweet FA. ARU and Waratahs have embraced a top down strategy which – like trickle down economics – does not work. So the club struggled and has now been tossed away without being given the opportunity to be the masters of its own destiny. Life does not get much more callous than this.

Rugby is withering on the vine

Me too. I have known Jim for more than 40 years – a policeman – he is an honourable man

Rugby is withering on the vine

TWAS – the Sydney Uni alumini tentacles pervades all the Fiefdoms!

Rugby is withering on the vine

Why didn’t they let Penrith finish the season and then be masters of their own destiny??????

Rugby is withering on the vine

Then the control of juniors and DO’s back from the ARU has only recently changed. Too late apparently for Penrith

Rugby is withering on the vine

Spot on PK

Rugby is withering on the vine

Great post RTT

Rugby is withering on the vine

I think you will find that all DO’s are employed by the ARU

Rugby is withering on the vine

Thanks Celtic334 – IMHO they are all in this one way or another, hence I have collectively labelled them the Fiefdoms

Rugby is withering on the vine

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