The long trip with the Western Force to South Africa found us in a new country, new time zone, and with a different currency.
But one thing in common stands out between our two countries – our love and passion for sport.
Unlike back home, though, South Africa has rugby union everywhere. Just as when we go to New Zealand, it is amazing being in a place where rugby union is so prominent, and the number one sport in the country. Even during the Rugby World Cup, the excitement around rugby in Australia does not come close to a normal day in these nations.
Such dominant countries, along with comments made this year challenging Australia’s ability to provide enough player depth to sustain five Super teams, has me thinking what Australian rugby would be like if it were the dominant national sport.
Imagine, if rugby were the prominent code in Australia, the talent pool that we could call upon. If the top talent from all the football codes had chosen careers in rugby instead of AFL or rugby league.
There are an abundance of athletes in Australia who would have and could still make a huge contribution to rugby union if they chose to lend their time to our sport. Of course, it would be ideal if they were imprinted with rugby from a young age. But with the physical attributes and skills of some athletes, even a few years of core training and practice could see a transformation, similar to what Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt are doing in the AFL.
I can see a number of players bolstering the ranks. Imagine the likes of Aaron Sandilands, at 211cm and 122kg, packing down next to Nathan Sharpe or James Horwill. Sandilands would currently cover more kilometres in a game than any back in rugby, and would easily stand over the like of Andries Bekker.
Imagine a backline that contained our current group of youngsters in Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor, then throw in the Hawthorn great Buddy Franklin. There goes the opposition’s chance of playing high balls, and those three on counter would be a sight to behold.
How would you defend that? I know I would hate to do a video analysis on a team that contained those three.
So there’s the second row and the back three sorted, just by adding AFL players. If we now turn our thoughts to the NRL we could have Cooper Cronk or Johnathan Thurston fill in at 10, or they could form your 10 and 12 combination if you wanted to have two ball-playing types in the midfield.
And if I take this dream further, you can’t forget one of the greatest of all three football codes, Billy Slater.
I can hear the commentators now: “Genia to Thurston, a cut pass that misses O’Connor to find Beale, who has both Slater and Franklin in support.” The crowd would be on their feet and salivating with anticipation of what they were about to see. Anything would be possible with so much talent on the pitch.
Here we have all three contact football codes coming together to create a team that would boast the best of the best. A similar strategy would definitely be able to fill all five Australian Super franchises with international-quality talent.
If rugby union were the premier football code in Australia, then there would be countless flow-on benefits to the game beyond the talent pool. The facilities that would be provided would be world-best, state-of-the-art venues for both the playing and viewing pleasure of all.
Imagine sitting in a rectangular stadium each week filled with 80,000 screaming fans in Subiaco. This alone would create a far greater spectacle, regardless of what was on the field, and crowds like these are one of the reasons that we all love sport.
Media coverage would be comprehensive and all games would screen live with the code’s own channel, like the AFL now has on Fox. It would involve best-of-the-best conditions, and it would produce best-of-the-best rugby.
There are so many players in all three codes who have the natural skill and the athletic ability to have made fine rugby players. Aside from those mentioned above, I would go after Matthew Pavlich, Chris Judd, Gary Ablett, Dean Cox, Nic Natanui, Dallas Johnson, Ryan Hoffman, Corey Parker, Dave Taylor, and Greg Inglis.
I know as a player, a fan and just as a sports-loving Australian, I would love to see what it would look like if rugby union were the number one sporting code in Australia, like it is in the countries of our Southern Hemisphere neighbours.
Matt Hodgson is a current Wallaby, inaugural Western Force Player and contributor to The Roar. Matt is focused on rugby but excited by the next phase of his career in Sports Management, Training and professional endeavours. Check out www.matthodgson.com.au for the latest.
behonest
Guest
I don't think a single current wallaby back would make the team if all the league talent was converted. The same could be said about most of the forwards too.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Titus, And in one fell swoop, you are now qualified to run the NSWRU :)
bemused
Guest
I wonder how good Australia would be at soccer if there was no other football codes and all the money poured into soccer.Would we be in the top 10 in world?
bemused
Guest
you can have tony Williams now..PlEASE
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
"Soccer the biggest sport in South Africa? That’s a laugh. Sure a lot of people play it....." I think you may have answered your own question there, Chris
p.Tah
Guest
:)
Justin2
Guest
Gee and if I say I go to Europe a couple of times a year and see the exact opposite then what happens? Sorry Old Boy but no one is buying what you are selling...
Nicksa
Guest
Guys it is very simple U people are making out like it is a big thing that coloureds play/watch rugby. There are more whites in south africa than coloureds!! Dont Blacks make up nearly 80% of the population so that is the population group that needs to be hit to truly make a difference. I work in the townships so i can tell you now that black people do know who the springboks are but NONE of the youngsters play it and they dont watch it either.
Bear
Guest
A waste of talent? Karmichael is dominating for the Suns. He is one of their better players. It's only his second year of playing AFL. Some might argue he was wasting his talent playing League. As for Folau. What do you expect after 5 games in the AFL.?
Zingar
Guest
I have met a guy from Khayelitsha (Cape Town township) who said he played cricket for a club there. I think it might be more popular than rugby (less linked to apartheid possibly) but still nowhere near soccer.
SA
Guest
I’m slightly confused what are you exactly a realist about? That there are in fact many people of colour that plays rugby in South Africa? Have you been to the western and eastern cape, where rugby has a huge black and coloured following? How in any way can you say that my last post does not warrant a "grown up" discussion!? Your last statement was "“I would imagine that the majority of Stormers/Province fans would be coloureds” You would imagine incorrectly. That is simply not true have you even been to Newlands to watch the stormers play? I can guarantee you that 60% of the supporters there are coloured. Have you also been watching school boy rugby in areas that were “previously disadvantaged,” or the varsity cup who's majority of supporters are people of colour. Rugby is not a game played and supported by only white people, if you honestly believe that then you are the most ignorant person I have ever had the privilege in speaking to.
Photon
Guest
With respect SA, for the record I am a very proud South African. The people who read my comments on this site will tell you so, even the Mods will glady inform you how defensive I am of my country. I am however also a realist, I'm an African who supports Free State, if you know this country you'll know how rare people like me are. When you're ready to have a grown up discussion about South Africa, please revert otherwise, otherwise I'll just ginore your comments and I will ignore yours
Pash of Manly
Guest
You have to realise that the majority of NZ League boys are developed here in OZ. When the million or so Kiwis migrated, they played the game that paid the best, which was league. I would guess there are more NZ league players than there are Aussie Union players.
jeznez
Guest
Spot on Chris and there is actually scope to find some fatties in the NSW and Qld from League - there will be guys the shape of Lazarus, Webcke or Webb out there playing A grade league because they don't have the acceleration and pace to make it in the NRL nor the cardio to make it up and back during repeat sets of six. Props in union can be succesful with more slow twitch muscle and the cardio nature of getting to breakdowns is different. There won't be huge numbers of these guys but definitely enough to make scouring the ranks worthwhile.
Glenn Condell
Guest
'Changing codes isnt that easy. look at Folau and Hunt in the AFL, what a waste of talent!' Yes but I think in terms of 'what if those players had grown up playing rugby rather than AFL or league' so that there was no adjustment. I have always dreamed about this, but as much about the past as the present. All those decades without an All Black or Bok scalp, we could have had the Rapers and Gasniers but not just backs, hard men like Ray Stehr and Kevin Ryan etc, then later the Beetsons and Lazaruses etc. But it would be mainly backs - Lewis, Kenny, Meninga, Miles, Daley, Fittler, Johns etc. Not to mention the AFLers - I imagine Tony Lockett would have been the world's first goal-kicking, line-out winning prop. He'd not have taken too much from the likes of Botha or Loe either. I read a piece once that interviewed the Welsh dual internationals before the 99 Cup - Jon Davies, Scott Gibbs, John Devereux and someone else - and to a man they said the 86 and 90 Kangaroos were the best teams they had played or seen in either code. Davies went so far as to say that if he could he'd back the Kangaroos to win the Cup with the addition of a tight head and a ball winning lock. He carried on about their size, pace, skills and toughness. What might have been...
chris
Guest
Think there should be a Australian/NZ national 7's comp played once a year for charity involving both League/Union and even give an invite to the AFL.
SA
Guest
Where do you get that rugby is an exclusively white sport in South Africa!? There are more players of colour playing rugby in the country and I know many white South Africans who don’t like rugby and many blacks that do. Stop generalising
SA
Guest
Um its safe to say you are not south african! Lets just say for the last 3 years in a row a rugby player has been named sportsman of the year award voted by fans and did you see the send off the springboks got when they left fpr the 2011 rugby world cup???
Blue Blood
Guest
I thinkgetting the vast majority of the readers and those who commented get Matt's idea. Rugby is the predominant sport for all intensive purposes for his rugby stocks argument. Netball and golf may have the participation numbers but I doubt they have the same fans and sponsorship. I also doubt that young men who play golf and netball are depleting the pool of talented footballers for rugby stocks. I'd also question the number of people who play soccer who would have been great rugby players, Matt didnt even include them in his article. I wish people would really think about what the article is actually saying instead of quoting small portions of the content out and being overly negative and critical. Matt that was a great article and most of us were able to understand what you wrote and meant. Please excuse the few who want to knit pick just for the sake of it.
Old Rugby Boy
Guest
Roy Rogers