Waratahs’ centre Tom Carter center bottom battles with Stormers’ wing Bryan Habana left and team mate Gio Aplon. AP Photo/Rob Griffith
The resignation of the CEO of NSWRU and NSW Waratahs Rugby, Jim L’Estrange, was inevitable. NSW was, and should always be, the powerhouse of Australian rugby. Under L’Estrange, it has under-performed – on and off the field. And this has had a negative effect on Australian rugby.
The NSWRU media release announcing L’Estrange’s resignation carried a tribute from the chairman of Waratahs rugby Edwin Zemancheff expressing his appreciation of “the great results he (L’Estrange) achieved in running Australia’s oldest and most successful Rugby organisation.”
When someone retires or falls on his sword the way L’Estrange has clearly done, it is customary for colleagues to say kind words about him. But journalists are under no such discretion.
The fact is that in his three years as CEO, NSWRU continued to make losses, the Waratahs failed to win a Super Rugby final, and the huge slide in crowd support over the last five years was barely halted.
I always found L’estrange a pleasant person to deal with.
Not for him the all-too-often recourse by officials of blasting journalists for running stories they don’t want to see in print. And there were plenty of such stories, unfortunately for him, that were run while he was in office.
There is one administrative achievement that he can point to – the separation of the NSWRU and NSW Waratahs Rugby into two entities. The problem, though, is that the problems confronting these entities were allowed to fester in the last three years.
There is a feeling among the premier clubs, for instance, that their voices and needs are not being met or even considered by the NSWRU. The premier clubs have the same vote on the NSWRU Board as the subbies.
My understanding is that there is a move towards resurrecting the former Sydney Rugby Union, which used to run the premiership club competitions.
This might be a good move in restoring the heartland Sydney club competition to its rightful place in NSW and Australian rugby.
Looking on the administration of NSW rugby from the outside, admittedly, it seems to me that the officials and board members have not grasped that professional rugby has changed game at levels above the club grades. Take Zamancheff’s reference to the Waratahs being “Australia’s oldest and most successful Rugby organisation.”
Everything about this comment is wrong.
With the coming of professional rugby, representative rugby at the state level ended. The NSW Waratahs are not like the old Waratahs, a combination of the best talents playing rugby in NSW. The professional Waratahs are a collection of the best talent the franchise can gather from around Australia and the rest of the world.
They are not a representative team in the old meaning of representing their state. So the NSW Waratahs are not Australia’s ‘oldest’ Rugby organisation.
And in the professional era, the NSW Waratahs are not as successful as the ACT Brumbies.
In fact, the Waratahs can be deemed an unsuccessful Rugby organisation in the modern era. They are losing money. The Waratahs have not won a Super Rugby title, although the Brumbies have won two.
And crowd numbers have fallen badly in the past five years.
On the day that L’Estrange resigned, the Waratahs issued a media release recording the highlights of the 2010 season. Among the highlights was the fact that the total crowd average grew by almost 2 per cent to over 24,000 even though the Waratahs did not face any of the top five teams at home.
The 40,271 crowd at the ANZ stadium was the biggest crowd since 2002.
Five years ago the Waratahs averaged around 35,000 supporters for its home matches. That is the context in which the small growth in crowd numbers this season should be placed.
In my view, L’Estrange is the victim of the general malaise in NSW rugby right now. He was not its creator. He has fallen on his sword at a time when others more instrumental than he has been in the failures have stayed on.
The fact is the fortunes of NSW rugby really stand and fall on the performances of the Waratahs on the field.
In recent years, the style of play of the Waratahs has turned off supporters, even when they have been the top-ranked Australian side in the last three years. The Waratahs, too, invariably go into their shell in finals matches giving themselves no chance of winning a Super Rugby trophy.
None of these problems can be attributed to Jim L’Estrange. There are people who are responsible for these problems. I would argue that until these people take the honourable course that L’Estrange has followed, these problems will remain.
DNB 2010
Guest
NSW Rugby is at crossroads at the moment, it is clear that for NSW RU to move forward it needs to show a distinct separation between Waratahs (Professional Rugby Team) and the Rugby Competitions/Development arm of the NSWRU. A quick look at the past decade shows how the NSWRU politics are caught up with the clash between Tah's operations and the Grassroots/Club operations. It is simple for the NSWRU to move forward - disect the Tahs into a private/separate entity (which I think has been done) with its own CEO and operatoinal management, then NSWRU stays as an Operational arm with CEO and staff focused on developing the competitions and grass roots of the game in NSW north of ACT. Once this has been done, the oldest Australian Union can build its grassroots and clubs for the benefit of all.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
stillimissit - you are spot on. There is so much BS at the Waratahs from players, coaches and administration they are living in a dream land. This has been the case since Super Rugby started. They need a hard@ss in there to overhaul the place from top to bottom. This job is not for the faint hearted. However the biggest issue is a faceless Board who appear to have no vision or leadership what so ever. They are the ultimate blazer brigade. Until these muppets are pushed out it will be the same old. The Fish rots from the head.
Manon
Guest
And all doesn't happen in the city without a sporting heart and soul.
jack
Guest
When sydney uni actually produces a player of their own, you can start defending them blindly. All this head in the sand stuff, when its clear that uni does not add to the rugby community in any way, leaves me slightly cynical about anything you say about them. Even when your right!
Edward
Guest
I wish you could teach a few South Africans how to fall on their swords,starting with Zuma and his 25 children
Bruce Ross
Roar Pro
"there is far too much Sydney Uni. influence in the Waratahs ... Dean Mumm as Captain will fix most of the issues." Something of a logical disjunct?
John H
Guest
I agree with Spiro, I was a supporter but have looked elsewhere in recent years disappointed by what is clearly an underperforming unit. There is far too much hype and an impression that a number of the players see themselves as 'gods gift to Rugby' when the old adage is what happens on the field is the real measure of a player and his team. To my mind winning ugly is NOT an option. The Reds became the crowd favourites for playing exciting and open Rugby win or lose. Although I will be decried I would suggest there is far too much Sydney Uni. influence in the Waratahs and Phil Waugh is a major part of the problem, Great player and no one would doubt his commitment but as a captain he calls the plays and its easy to see that once the Waratahs strike any decent opposition they go into their shell especially in the opponents 25. Just watch how many times Waugh calls moves that involve himself rather than spinning the ball wide. Finally with a pedestrian halfback like Burgess who telescopes his every move they have no real chance to play expansive Rugby. The proof is how many times they scored tries from set play . The wingers only scored from deep inside their own territory from broken play where they were counterattacking. A new half back and Dean Mumm as Captain will fix most of the issues. Then I might just come back.
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
no, it was because he got his team the furthest, i didn't agree with it, but it certainly wasn't anything to judge progress on
stuff happens
Guest
I read somewhere that Hickey had won an Australian S14 coach of the year award?! I think by journalists. This alone should tell us that Australian rugby is still going nowhere
whiteline
Guest
Why should NSW always be the powerhouse of Aust Rugby if what you are saying in the article is right? That is, "The professional Waratahs are a collection of the best talent the franchise can gather from around Australia and the rest of the world." What has that got to do with whether they are NSW, ACT or somewhere else?
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Was not surprised that Jim resigned. He will be remembered by me as the guy that saved Southern Districts and Penrith from being booted out of the comp. How stupid that plot seems now. He was also a gentleman swimming in a shark tank with the the white pointers sniping and playing background politics, whilst the Waratahs kept talking themselves up only to fail. The CEO of NSWRU is a job for someone from the outside who doesn't give a shit about any of the so called 'stake holders' like Randwick's current and former personalities. His #1 job was to make the Waratahs successful and he failed at that, I think it will take the next coming of Christ to achieve it. There is so much bullshit around the Waratahs like 'our house' 'win ugly' 'we are UP for this one' and any other 2 bit American cliché they can come up with rather than putting a professional approach to winning and achieving the goals of bringing back the crowds, earning money for their franchise and ensuring that the expectations of their management are achievable and achieved. I am sorry that fundamentally Jim failed but I live in hope that some hard arsed bastard comes in and cleans the joint out, whilst being VERY careful about who's calls he answers.
LeftArmSpinner
Roar Guru
Jim didn't address the pareto principle or 80:20 rule. The logic is this: The team is the core. It is the product that is for sale to the public. it needs to be better. Better coach, better players. At the pro level, the difference is "above the shoulders." The waratahs are still soft. If the pareto principle had been applied, we would now have a mentally hardened, uncompromising team that has the confidence to play expansive rugby and win games against the best and away from home. The rest will follow. But, CEO of the tahs is a job you dont want. Marginal profitability at best. politics of the worst kind, and a culture that is endemically flawed!
Rickety Knees
Roar Guru
As a regional Tah supporter - the NSWRU is like an old ship with old sailors going nowhere trying to give itself a new coat of paint. But in the end it is still the same old tired ship going nowhere. Their problem is that they believe their own marketing hype. Until they can be honest with themselves first (ie no finals win, home crowds down, boring Rugby) and then us - this old tired ship will still contiue to go nowhere no matter how many new coats of paint it gets. I am still stunned that the Tahs had no plan B against the Stormers.