Let The Roar of the crowd fix up Rugby

[...] weeks of negative comments about the state of Australian rugby, The Roar ran an article titled: Let The Roar of the crowd fix up rugby. In this article, we asked our readers to tell us the three main problems facing rugby, and three [...]

Thanks Zac, when all else fails................ the longest three years in my life ,was year 10

Zac, We look forward to Garth Hamiltons overview In the meantime ,could we please read the letter by Tony C

Problem 1: Accessibility of rugby It’s strange that rugby in Aust has brought Bill home twice, celebrated Bledisloe Cup wins , and numerous other victories, and yet the sport remains the bastion of select areas. This can only be put down to administrative malaise in disseminating rugby. Solution: Negotiate rugby on free-to-air TV. Provide more funds through development officers, resources and competitions to ensure rugby is nurtured in new areas or bed down areas where rugby is nascent. The administrators must take a wholistic approach to build rugby in Aust. Problem 2: The distraction of league For the past few years, it’s seemed as if the ARU were in competition with the ARL, with excessive recruiting of league players and the hyping up of games. Unfortunately, these efforts result in making the ARU look desperate. Stop channelling so much time, energy and money into recruiting league players. If league players sincerely want to play rugby, then the process of recruitment should be quicker and smoother. The ‘marquee players’ justification is an insult to the intellect of true rugby fans. Stop trying to ape the hype of league games. Get rid of fireworks at the start of every bloody test match, and pull down those stupid puffy blow up people from the sidelines! It’s just so silly. Solution: I feel that to improve union in Australia, it’s not necessary to invest so much in competing with league. Look after the game properly, and the rewards will be reaped in time. Let’s not lose our dignity. Problem 3: Losing the tradition and the history of the game The outcome I feared with professionalism seems to have come into being – namely that money and hype have become the convention by which the game is run. It’s gone beyond ensuring players are accordingly paid for their work and to ensure their future, to be a sport where loyalty is purchased by the players and the unions, and where managers manipulate to get the greatest % for themselves. One of the sad parts is that tours by national sides are rare, or changed. No more the excitement of having national teams visit and play provincial sides. These tours were a great experience for the players and fans, and helped to build interest in the game. Also, while Barbarians games are still played, the high profile players are not participating in the matches. Rugby crowds also know the national anthem – we don’t need some random pop/opera singer who fancies up the anthem to lead the crowd. It was great when you could hear the crowd sing the anthem with such passion that you could feel the sound. These new actions replacing old traditions just seem to me to commercialise the spirit of the game. Solution: Not sure. It’s going to be hard to pull back from a mercenary grab for cash, and from the grip of commercialism and marketing. I just want a bit of a happy medium. Modernise the game and the spectacle, but not lose the tradition. Make sure players are played what they are worth... but still play for the love of the game.

hi Johns. I have no problem with that, none whatsoever. You are dead right, winning is NOT the key. The point I was trying to make ( perhaps not too well) is ,yes we want an entertaining contest that includes the positive suggestions posted by previous readers, but for the ARU to succeed ,the final result must be inclusive of ithe games traditional base Right now that is not the case,.

I fully support Roger's comments (Today @ 6:33 pm (2 hours ago) ) Except, I am not convineced that winning is the key. Obviously winning is important, but I think that entertaining rugby is of the highest priority. The 2000 Bledisloe Cup in Sydney is a fine example of where the entertaining style of rugby was more important that the outcome (although a somewhat rare occurrence). All this one out running from the ruck/maul gets very boring after the 15th phase, we may as well go watch the league which is also about 20% the price of a S14/Test match. Some coaches might see it as a way of winning, but no TEFLON or traditional supporter wants to see that.

When a rugby player runs the ball independent of team support he can become I SOLATED ,and put his team under pressure if he looses possession..The ARU has become ISOLATED and has put both traditional rugby and the longterm commercial viability of the game under pressure. .*The successful RWC in Sydney created an air of euphoric self assurance resulting in the ARU incorrectly assuming that not only could the RWC success be replicated in Super Rugby throughout Australia, but also traditional rugby clubs would flourish exponentially. * The ARU also assumed that if a RWC match could fill a mega stadium and also attract a huge TV audience,success was a given,even though many people that attended had little or no knowlege of rugby,but just wanted to be part of an important event,in much the same way thousands of people that attend the Melbourne Cup or watch the race on TV have no knowledge of horse racing.. * The ARU ignored a rugby immutable. A person can only truly understand and appreciate the all important nuances that is the essence of rugby if they have either played the game or spent a lifetime watching it. The ability to appreciate rugby is not a commodity that's easily transportable,and definitely not one thats readily marketable to the non rugby sporting masses. * The ARU recently fast tracked the ARC as a feeder competition for Super 14. A century of club rugby history,family and irreplaceable rugby ideology,has been compromised with little more than a 'best guess blind hope' the ARC will eventually support struggling Super 14 teams,thus inturn facilitating the insatiable financial demands of sponsors and marketing gurus. * Having ISOLATED itself from both long term rugby followers and the games traditional CLUB support base,the ARU then encouraged financiers, marketing gurus,spin doctors,and media junkies alike,to match and promote the game,not against another CLUB ,but instead against the rugby public, because the ultimate goal is to fill huge stadiums,and a rugby match became a means to end, bums on seats.The marketing success that is State of Origin,depends heavily on a public susceptible to this brand of sporting propoganda. Similar promotion is wasted in rugby union. * Super 14 is in a most vulnerable position because the ARU has no commercial blueprint or seemingly any idea of how to guarantee the viability of a professional rugby team that does not win most of the time. They are ' teams' remember not CLUBS.This is not a problem in countries like New Zealand or South Africa where unlike Australia, rugby is a 'game of the streets' with a large supporter base,that accept Super 14 as a natural extention of their CLUB rugby because they have not been ISOLATED by their governing bodies. * The advent of SUPER rugby saw a paradigm shift in player attitude.The ARU has not shown leadership , and the transition has been managed. poorly. (eg Free for all: Western Force)..Since SUPER rugby, vital player loyalty is no longer to the school,the CLUB,the guernsey,or as more recently played out in the media,even to the game itself, but instead to the contract.Young teenage players,now denied mentoring support once the domain of senior players in local CLUBS,are harmed by this phenomenon.Managers and legal representatives are now as actively competitive as a players trainer or coach It's a corrupting influence. * The ARU are totally responsible for the flow on effects of the Western Force saga. Controls are negligible . Super 14 players are mercenaries that will wear any teams guernsey and promote any sponsors product, so long as the price is right .But the moment a team starts to loose matches,picky fans stop going because there is diminished underlying loyalty to a loosing professional team. Players likewise do not stick with a loosing team. Its a job;they feel no emotion ,so naturally chase the next lucrative contract either here or overseas.When a Super 14 team looses players ,it looses membership and sponsorship funds leaving no way of raising money to buy new players. * In the space of a few years, the ARU managed the relocation of rugby from suburban CLUB grounds,to the Mega Stadium.Super 14 is a professional business .Except Super 14 teams are not CLUBS and therefore have virtually nothing to do with the elements pivotal to a CLUB teams survival;sentiment, loyalty, mateship and camararderie.Once these elements are removed,there is little reason other than money for a Super teams existence.Especially if as the ARU has done, created another rugby agenda that is based on the quantity not the quality of Test matches. * The ARU would have supporters believe the relocation of the game from the local suburban CLUB to full time professional teams playing at huge stadiums has been an unqualified success ,but supporters can see the ARU benchmarks for Super 14 success are, 1.Test teams and players,Super teams and players must be ISOLATED from traditional CLUBS that are the heart and soul of the game. 2.Regular Dutch auctions are required to raise obscene amount of money for players much more concerned with their contract than either the team or the game. 3. Packed stadiums are the main focus, whilst starving the foundations of the game of funds pivotal to the long term survival of rugby. * The ARU cannot justify the relatively small amount of ongoing financial support made available for grass roots CLUB rugby compared with and considering the value of players on its books.The commercial value of a Super 14 team is several million dollars.The ARU control a portfolio of player assets worth many millions of dollars.Amazingly,the raw player assets are provided for FREE by the CLUBS and the schools.How many businesses exist where a constant flow of assets of enormous value and potential is provided at NO CHARGE.How difficult can it be for the ARU to genuinely thank ,support and cherish this irreplaceable source of wealth. * It is dangerous for the ARU to assume this constant supply of million dollar assets provided at NO CHARGE by rugby CLUBS throughout Australia will be there forever.( theres lots competion for young elite athletic talent) * The ARU is not only wrong but morally irresponsible to SQUANDER the results of this largesse on League players instead of reinvesting in the rugby nursery that is the prime source of its wealth.Unless the ARU plough money back into the system that feeds it ,the game will stagnate. * It is inconguous the ARU often deny players the right to strip for a local CLUB team when not on Super 14 or Test duty. The ARU should INSIST they play for local CLUBS.Give something back * The razor sharp commercial problem facing Super 14 and Test rugby is the traditional rugby supporter accounts for maybe half the volume of ticket sales needed for a game to be profitable when held at a mega stadium.The other half,the TEFLON group is only prepared to support teams that are successful,and only then with the added caveat; the winning team must also play entertaining rugby.They want 'rugby to go'. They want 'McRugby.'And even those families that rarely see a game of rugby all season will soon weary of 'the Test match experience often played on huge ground against B teams,where seating is so far from play the match must be watched on a huge TV screen. As a person once said 'I was so far from play that by the time I heard we had scored it was a rumour' * The ARU has a self inflicted dilemna.On the one hand it desperately needs the totally unreliable TEFLON group to fill a huge stadium,but on the other hand ,this group crave the quick fix sporting opiate that is the blind worship of the sensational,and totally fail to either understand or are remotely able to appreciate two immutable rugby fundamentals 1.That which is obvious is more often than not relatively easy and 2.moves disguised to the point of being almost impossible to detect from the stands,are usually the most difficult The unsurprising 'catch 22' being, entertaining rugby is not necessarily winning rugby SOLUTIONS Many terrific ideas have already been posted.I am not qualified to discuss most of them, so my solutions are more emotive * The ARU ignores emotion and breach of supporter confidence at its peril. The ARU can introduce new rules,tweak old ones, and rejigg anything its gurus advise in an attempt to make the game a more marketable proposition, but in the final analysis,any or all changes will be moot unless the ARU become emotionally involved with traditional clubs and genuinely embrace the games nursery. * The ARU needs to regroup.It must literally take ITSELF back to its rugby foundations.Both the perception and the reality must be the same,ie, the ARU has reconnected with its constituency and is once again part of,TEAM RUGBY,not ISOLATED from it. All successful sports are fan driven The ARU must listen to the games traditional fans. * The ARU should consolidate and reclaim rugbys middle ground.As sure as Campese had a wicked goose step ,if the ARU do not reinvest large amounts of money back into the games grassroots and CLUBS.then the kids and their parents will go elsewhere and the game will go backwards. * Test and Super 14 players must be available to play for a CLUB occasionally People need to be able to relarte to star players not have to watch them play for a remote 'team' a few times a season at massive stadium * The 2015 RWC is only ONE HUNDRED months away.It is not a long time. There are young teenagers playing rugby that could represent Australia in ONE HUNDRED months time.The ARU must identify and support them * How many hundreds of thousands of hours, plus money.blood sweat and tears from coaches and parents alike collectively contribute to producing just ONE Wallaby.The ARU must recognise the enormous sacrifice parents and coaches make from all over Australia .Is this too emotive , you bet it is because the mums and dads out there are the guts of the game.They work and run Australias little Wallaby farm. * The ARU must encourage the dream.Its not happening.Kids need to believe they will one day be a Wallaby.Parents need to share the magic and hope.The dream is being whiteanted by the ARU. Do Wallaby supporters want a test team representative of Australian rugby families with players that earned right of passage through the ranks,or do they want a Wallaby team full of ex League players ; a cheque book team ,because that's the eventual alternative if the ARU does not nurture and respect grass roots rugby. * The ARU should DEMAND more government funding to help promote junior rugby.This is not a handout.RUGBY DESERVES IT. Why ? Imagine if you will the hundreds of millions of GST dollars the government collect as a direct result of rugby.Nothing else, just rugby.Start with the tax on fuel that parents need to drive kids to training and matches,it must add up to millions of dollars.Hazard a guess on the GST generated by Test and Super 14 matches;airline tickets ,transport,advertising,accomodation ,food and drink,clothing,merchandising,plus the tax on extra wages to support all this.Its endless.Without rugby that GST would not be generated. AND IT ALL STARTS WITH ? JUNIOR GRASSROOTS RUGBY . * The ARU should consider scaling back a bit on occasions and hold some Super 14 or B grade Test matches at grounds commensutate with the number of traditional supporters eager and willing to regularly attend games regardless of either a teams supposed entertainment factor or its win loss ratio . * The economic viability of Super 14 should be tailored towards rugbys traditional heartland that love and support the game,not for what the ARU fantasises it might be,but more importantly for the irreplaceable core values rugby once represented.

1. the administration 2. the lack of skill and tactics 3. player development, retention and recruitment solution 1. sack the entire current board. its still the 'old boys club' and, especially in nsw, dominated by the old gps crew. theres is too much red-tape, bullshit and self-serving. we need more business minded people in charge. look at league, afl, soccer and cricket. they're all miles ahead of rugby in adminstration stakes and all have businessmen at the helm, not self-serving explayers and private schoolers. 2. employ a national coaching director. we need everyone moving in the same direction. look at the new zealand and south african teams in the super 14 they all played similar games. dominant forwards who can off-load and backs with speed who can catch and pass. they also kept forwards out of the backline. qld under edie jones went back to the tactics which killed the wallabies. the waratahs were just a disgrace with poor skills and no obvious game plan. the western force and brumbies, our team best performed teams played the most attacking, modern style of rugby and we're correspondingly the most successful. also why not take advantage of andrew and matthew johns as skills coaches. they have both said they are willing to work with rugby and there are no better skill coaches in any code anywhere in the world. 3. firstly stop throwing money and rugbly league players who are unproven in rugby union and realise that tuqiri isn't that far ahead (or even ahead) of any winger in australia to command that salary. instead direct that money at club and junior rugby. we've got a great crop of young rugby players coming through focus on them

Hello all, very good idea. 1. game is not visible to the general public. 2.marketing and presentation of the game is inappropriate and uninspired 3. speed up game solutions 1. rugby needs to strike a deal with newscorp/fox that allows free to air telecast of games ( at least one a week) just as NRL and AFL have....huge mistake to sell of rights of game completely to satellite for S14. also make sure free to air telecast company is actually interested in the game..unlike seven at the moment..they dont event show the non australian games of the tri-nations now!! 2. study how the game is marketed in europe..its booming ..ireland, france and england have lessons for us.. the game is going from strengh to strengh in ireland..an even more sports saturated market.. DONT market the game like american football or NRL.. create an alternatrive niche based around tradition and occasion for test matches..this is australia..not the qantas wallabies!! playing.. its natal vs Queensland..not reds v sharks... rugby has very unique feautures and these should be marketed..it doesnt need blokey, american style marketinbg with the crappy cheerleaders. 3. educate refs better..make breakdown rules simpler and faster..protect the side playing positive play..allow better advantage/play on rules..keep the game flowing.. get fake/minor injuries off the field and get the game moving..

I don't necessarily agree with matta on junior numbers I am heavily involved in this area and the numbers are a bit rubbery. An example....my son plays, school, club and rep level. The ARU count him as 3 people participating in junior rugby As they say damn lies and statisics......

Yeah, fair comment Matta. I have to confess I don't pay a lot of attention to the ARU's marketing. Every time I hear "Qantas Wallabies", I cringe.

PB, you miss my point. I agree that rugby is a physical game and no one is trying to take that away - but the ARU dont market it like that. They market it with an Ad with the Wallabies and Butterflies or the super 14 players washing their clothes etc. and yes, you are 100% right. Jnr rugby numbers are at a all time high, even in the non rugby states.

Matta, No-one is trying to take the toughness out of the game. The compulsary Smart Rugby safety course that match officials, coaches etc do has a theme: Confidence in Contact. It is emphasised that it is still a hard, contact sport, but that participants should be trained so that they have awareness of things like body position, body height etc to enter the contact area (ie, the tackle where 80% of injuries occur) with more safety. In spite of what you read by sone of the woefully misinformed on these forums, the participation rate among juniors is thriving. Parents see the initiatives taken to make the game safer for little Johnny and respond by letting him play rugby instead of another code.

also, not trying to be smart here but how many people on the forum actually still play the game? I only ask because there is real worry in club land that the new rules are going to change the game too much. I would rather see a couple of rule changes at a time rather than a whole heap. Again, as someone who loves the sport and is still playing at a decent club level I would like to see the 5 meters from scrum taken on ASAP - it will free up the back lines nicely. I know we want to keep the ball in play more but that will honestly blow most front rowers out of the game. having said that why not allow front rowers to interchange?

Market the game as a tough sport for christ sake! thats what made me give away aussie rules to play rugby! People have been talking up taking the rough stuff out to keeps mothers calm etc but I have never seen a shred of proof that this has helped the image of any of the codes. Show me big tough guys hitting each other.. little fellas running the big fellas around the park and scoring tries not bloody butterflies etc!

I should have mentioned that the school referred to above is Ashgrove in Brisbane .. The same Ashgrove John Eales attended.

I send copies of the site out to a mate of mine.He's a surgeon . so has no time to get involved with the roar. Mind you he is a mad keen rugby buff that never misses either a local or a Reds match. He sent me this email ,and I think its worth passing on. Its sad really. I like the roar material and the articles. After the recent revelation of what I think is a scandalous 'relaitonship' between a Wallabies selector and an overpaid and underperforming ex Legue player I really give up. And then I read this morning they are close to signing Craig Wing..... ......great message for our young up and comers! They should get their heads out of their collective arses and get out and look at some of the higher level school football. There is a shit load of very good kids running around . 3 kids in my sons u 15 ( rugby union) team are already chanelled into the league system via the Broncos and Titans . Somebody should give the clowns at the top a brief history lesson on the history of Rome and one emperor Nero.