David Campese has been calling, yet again, for the blood of Robbie Deans. He makes some valid points – the Wallabies try scoring rate is quite atrocious.
No top level international team should have a scoring rate of 12 tries in 12 games, be without a try in two games, and still expect to be top four in the world.
It is true the Wallabies look confused and hesitant with the ball in hand.
Mike Harris is in the team as an NFL style kicker, not for any renowned attacking flair.
Deans has certainly not adapted to the Australian way. Most rugby fans, including myself, and Roar columnists would rather see the team attack the advantage line and use strength, boldness, and intelligence to create gaps, rather than going sideways, waiting for penalties and occasionally trying to force a moment of brilliance.
As Peter Garrett once sang, “It’s better to live on your feet than to die on your knees.”
So while I agree that Deans does need to make way, we also have to realise that it will not instantly fix everything and take us back to the golden era. Other problems are also contributing to a lack of success at the top level.
This article by Roar Guru Atzerodt shows that the rest of the world is catching up to us, participant wise.
We have just over half the amount of participants New Zealand has and a seventh of South African numbers. The United States has caught up to us in playing numbers.
This automatically translates to less depth.
The lack of a third-tier competition, simply out of a lack of numbers and resources, is often telling, as it creates a serious lack of elite level players.
Our Super Rugby teams were serviceable at best last season, terrible at worst. Losing key players didn’t help, but too often the replacements called up are not good enough.
There are always exceptions, but on the whole the outlook is bleak in that area.
This is not news to anyone, however what can be done to rectify the situation?
Short term, Deans has to be shown the door. The new coach needs to be an ex-Wallaby who shows a bit of passion for the gold shirt and attacking rugby.
Perhaps blooding young players with potential instead of middling Super Rugby players might go some way to alleviating the feeling of being a stagnating team. Compare Hooper to Cummins.
Elite pathways need to be improved, but I think at the moment there cannot be a radical change until grassroots numbers improve.
Participant numbers are on the way up, but not enough to justify another 10 teams in a third-tier, which has often been proposed.
To link the two, temporarily at least, there needs to be a Super reserve-style comp, much like the former VFL.
Five teams using the already established resources of Super Rugby franchises will be a lot cheaper than starting from scratch (again).
Making these reserve teams contain a certain number of under 21 and home state-based players, such as in European football, will force development.
This will give developing players the chance to train with, and play against, Super Rugby players. It could potentially give a base to expand into a third-tier league down the track.
Whatever happens, we also need to acknowledge that Australian teams are not automatically world beaters. The lack of numbers needs to be made up with being smarter off the park, at all levels of the game.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
Thanks for the comment rl, you were right about about the oils lyrics, and I may well have been a bit harsh on Cummins...though I'm not conceding just yet.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
I think you are on the right path dasher, we need to start moderately, hence my idea of starting the new comp atteched to the Super franchises as a way to reduce start up costs. Sheek, you are also on the mark, but I pose a question- do you think the market for domestic Rugby is already taken up by the Super franchises? New clubs will be competing for rugby supporters with Super clubs as much as super clubs compete with each other, after all, especially if the competeions overlap or run concurrently. Perhaps the comp, therefore, could run during the international season, but then does that elimintae the pathway for elite players to improve?
sheek
Roar Guru
Hi Dasher, The ARU must have a national comp because they can't afford not to. The mindset is not to put a comp up in opposition to AFL or NRL, but to offer an alternative for sports fans. That said, a national comp need not be in direct competition with AFL or NRL. What are the two main reasons to have a national comp? 1. Provide players with regular, tough competition between each other & for positions. A nursery for the national team. 2. Provide fans with a comp & teams that they can call their very own. It's not about direct competition with AFL or NRL. It's about satisfying our own needs. Playing the comp midweek is certainly an option.
Dasher
Roar Guru
We're on the same page, Sheek. We need a third tier to reverse the fantastic job the ARU are doing of making rugby unpalatable and irrelevant to the general public. Yes all those comps you mentioned exist, but they are different market areas. In my mind, the one a 3rd tier rugby comp will be entering is much higher profile than baseball/hockey/basketball and will therefore demand much more funding. It will enter into direct competition with NRL and AFL, both of which got their beginnings in a single city. RL waited almost 75 years before adding a team outside of NSW. I don't know the specifics of AFL, but it probably was a similar wait. By that logic (even by modern day standards), rugby can't just plonk a national comp and expect no teething problems - just look at the financial nightmare the ARC became. (It probably would have been different had Perth not been a part in the first year, but that's a different discussion.) So all I'm saying is, it should start small(ish) and grow steadily from there. You can throw in the argument that A-League and W-League had truly national comps running in their first year, more or less, but there seems to be a disproportionately huge amount of money behind soccer and people willing to spend it! Or ... maybe rugby enters in on a lower level similar to basketball. Maybe that would work.
sheek
Roar Guru
Dasher, National comps..... The AFL has one; the NRL has one; the A-League, both men & women, has one; the NBL, both the men & women, has one; the ABL has one; the Women's NNL has a Trans-Tasman comp. Cricket has national comps in 3 different formats, plus the women. Even hockey for both men & women, has one. Are we to assume Australian rugby is too far above general society to have a national comp.....? The ARU is doing a good impersonation of imitating a sport into irrelevance.
rl
Guest
I think that should read "better to die on your feet than to live on your knees”, but the point is well made. I'd rather see them lose having a red hot go. But Justin also makes a valid point above - we've always had poor depth as a general rule, yet been able to play some competitive entertaining rugby, win lose or draw. So what's different now? Also a bit harsh on Cummins - Rob Egerton was no superstar either, but made a very fine Wallaby. They can't (and shouldn't) all be superstars.
Dasher
Roar Guru
We're a big, sparsely populated country. I'd love a third tier comp too for the same reasons you've stated, but logistically it's extremely's difficult and expensive to setup, and then run. If we start one, it will have to start in Sydney/Canberra for the first couple of years, before expanding to Brisbane and Melbourne. Whatever happened to that new comp in Balmain talk?
Johnno
Guest
Sheek you have some awesome ideas about domestic structures of aussy rugby and school boy rugby. i urge you to consider sometime sending them to the ARU to look at they might respond back. Some good ideas i sent some info to them and got a reply that they look at my ideas, nothing to lose. and George gregan has a twitter account and is on the ARU board. Sally Loane is not eh Waratahs board and on twitter i sent her some stuff on twitter and she peeled back to me saying she would pass on my stuff, as do RUPA i sent some stuff too. This is not just to you sheek, i encourage all roarers as we are all making some great ideas to send stuff out there or consider too if you ever want to get things done. No one has to say they will or won't here , just more giving some feedback out there roarers how we can make a difference to help aussy rugby. On a side not shut shield or hospitals cup will never work combined comp no chance. To much history and tradiition , and logistically doesn't make sense. For a local suburban comp you don't merge with another city. You form a national comp, and shut shield and hospitals cup should become the 4th tier of aussy rugby. New Zealand still have club rugby as well below ITM cup, and cricket has grade cricket below shield. Would be bad for aussy rugby if shute shield and hospitals cup merge. They have an important role to play in development , just not as a merger.
sheek
Roar Guru
Matt, At the risk of boring you & some other Roarers, I argue constantly that Australian rugby needs to fix its flawed domestic structures. i've offered numerous eamples of where the problems lie, & what alternatives might work. A look at football demonstrates that generally those countries with the best domestic structures & a stong national comp are usually the most successful nations, year-in, year-out. It's extraordinary that Australian rugby doesn't have a national comp like NZ's NPC, SA's Currie Cup, France's T14, England's Aviva Premiership, or even Argentina's Zona Campeonato. Nor is Shute Shield or Hospital's Cup, either sepapately or combined, the answer by themselves. As other countries become more sophisticated & better in their understanding & playing of rugby, this will impact on established countries who have failed to develop strong domestic structures thmselves. Australia is in the firing line. It's a furphy that our historical club structures have served us well. They haven't. Certainly not compare to NZ or SA. While the Wallabies have produced many outstanding individual players, they have produced few great teams. That's a fact & a reality. The Wallabies will continue to exhibit a 'bust-bust-boom-bust-bust-boom' existence whilstever we refuse to change our domestic structures.
patonga
Guest
Deans I think isn't that bad a coach he is too one dimensional,, has no b plan,, he only did well with Crusaders because that team didn't need a coach with so many stars in that side,,, Test Rugby is totally out of his depth and his record shows that now,, we all thought he was the answer at the time but no one else wanted to job..You do have to have performers on the field as well so he can not be the blame of all the wallabies woo s.No one is standing up and having a go out there, that is the problem. We have had 4 different captains in a season and players speaking out and getting fined for it what a joke if the player are no happy they will not perform on the field,, probably the reason we are not scoring any trys,,, can anyone remember the last time you saw a wallaby smiling ???
Justin2
Guest
These problems aren't new, our pathetic and uninspiring play is all deans
Bono
Guest
"We have just over half the amount of participants New Zealand" Most sites would suggest otherwise. Australian numbers are comparable to NZ's.