- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The Waratahs have it tough. Being the big brother of Australian Super Rugby means that every other state loves to hate them.
The local derbies always bring a certain amount of animosity, but when it’s against New South Wales it goes to another level.
Usually this unifies the supporter base, but in New South Wales, the people who hate the Waratahs most are the Waratahs’ fans.
The defining moment this season for the star-studded Tahs was the loss at home to the Force. While it was a tough contest they were convincingly beaten up front by a team it was tipped they’d obliterate.
Although they made amends for the loss last Friday, that defeat to the Force brought back something that everyone involved in the Waratahs feared: the boos from their own supporters.
There is an argument that the reaction was justified – that New South Wales played without any heart or flair. It seemed like the Waratahs expected to win just by turning up.
The lack of spark, the disregard for running rugby and the incessant kicking all culminated in the home crowd turning their backs on the Tahs.
Although they’ve gotten back into the winner’s circle there are still rumblings from fans and critics that the Waratahs aren’t playing attractive rugby.
This criticism raises an interesting question: who do the Waratahs play for?
In light of last year’s fan forum, it appears that the Waratahs should be playing all their rugby for their supporters.
This is not an outrageous claim as those are the people who turn up and pay their money, which keeps the club afloat.
If all they aimed to be is entertaining, the Waratahs would be playing non-stop attacking football, never go for the penalty kick and every pass would be a flick pass. But then, they wouldn’t win.
Alternatively, if the Waratahs were playing to keep the club afloat they should be playing for their sponsors, who would want to see a victorious team no matter how the played.
They would play a tight 10-man game that would definitely turn away every fan that hasn’t already left.
The Waratahs shouldn’t play for these two groups. They should be playing for themselves.
The Waratahs, and other teams in the Super Rugby competition, often confuse their role to be only entertainers or profit-makers, and although these are important they should never be their primary focus.
Australian sport is a competitive market and rugby needs to be entertaining and attractive to draw in the crowds. But by only focusing on entertaining, they neglect to play for each other which is essential in any team sport.
The Brumbies are a team playing well together, for the right reasons. Last year the squad crumbled from what appeared to be internal disunity.
This year, however the Brumbies have a self-belief that comes from playing for themselves. The Waratahs and other teams would do well to learn from this.
The crowd reactions at Allianz Stadium occur not because the crowd weren’t entertained but because they knew the Waratahs weren’t a team.
The diehards that still turn out for a Sydney Super Rugby clash expect more, and rightly so.
If the Waratahs remember why they started playing footy – because it was great to go out and win with your mates – and not consider themselves clowns in a circus then they’ll race up the Australian Conference table.
A crowd loves to be entertained but what they love more is seeing their team unified.
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.