I write to Bill Pulver, Robbie Deans, and co, as a disgruntled supporter who is fed up with bureaucracy evident in your organisation over the last five years.
While everyone is sick of punters throwing in their two cents regarding every selection and decision making process, I have decided to base this letter on factual evidence I have accumulated over a period of time.
I would like to address a few major issues in the administration of rugby that I feel have not been fairly answered.
Ticket prices
As we all know, the upcoming tour of the British and Irish Lions is a momentous occasion for all involved in Australian Rugby.
My query is why you have priced passionate supporters and families out of attending these Test matches? I am a university student and paid roughly $290 for a ticket to the Brisbane match and $150 for a ticket in Melbourne.
Would you call it justifiable to work roughly 22 hours to watch two hours and 40 minutes of rugby? You have effectively priced all junior and senior players, the overwhelming majority of families and a truck load of life-long supporters out of attending these games.
As a result you are left with a ‘corporate dollar’ crowd who detract from the atmosphere and the enormity of the occasion due to their lack of knowledge about the game.
Is this the type of crowd you want trying to drown out thousands of vocal British and Irish supporters? Will these supporters be there for you in a year’s time when the Wallabies are playing Scotland at Blue Tongue stadium or Argentina at the Gold Coast?
You need to reward the people who support the game with the chance to attend these matches and not sell yourselves out at every given opportunity.
Selections
Should the players bother putting their body on the line week in, week out in the Super Rugby competition?
Quade Cooper has played every minute of this season for a very successful Reds team. While he was quiet for the first few weeks he has built into the season and until last weekend the Reds were unbeaten for eight consecutive weeks dating back to Round 5.
On the flip-side I recently read that Berrick Barnes has played a total of 77 minutes all year, yet he managed to slot straight into the 25 man squad.
After 14 rounds of Super Rugby can Robbie honestly say that Berrick Barnes has outplayed Quade Cooper and Matt Toomua with two cameos off the bench?
Not to mention that if Pat McCabe had not been injured over the weekend he would have been selected, after just one start for the Brumbies in the game they drew to the cellar-dweller Southern Kings. I think I need not continue with this argument!
Let’s look at a few of Robbie Deans’ comments in the media this week justifying his decision making. First, Robbie blamed Quade for Ben Tapuai’s form slump, saying that he should try and do less of the playmaking himself and use Tapuai as a second ball player.
This may be a fair comment, but you only need to look back to the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Test matches where Robbie played Pat McCabe and Anthony Fainga’a in the centres.
While both these players are good defenders, neither of them have any ball playing capabilities, forcing Quade to run the show on his own. For Robbie to now say that Quade should offload some of the responsibility to his 12 is a contradiction of the style of game Robbie has forced Quade to play in the last couple of seasons.
After selecting the squad, Robbie also said that Quade should have been defending in the front line if he wanted to be selected.
I know the majority of his decisions and comments have minimal logic behind them, but wouldn’t this have been useful to say 10 weeks ago rather than giving a player two matches to prove his worth?
The Waratahs
I can’t help but notice the number of Waratahs selected in the Wallabies set up over the last few seasons.
In 2012 the Waratahs finished the Super Rugby in 11th place winning just four out of 18 fixtures. Although they lost to the Reds and Brumbies both at home and away that season, eight Waratahs were selected in the starting XV for the opening Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney.
Considering the Waratahs also lost games to the Force, Highlanders, Chiefs, Crusaders, Bulls, Stormers, Cheetahs, and Hurricanes how could we possibly expect the Wallabies to perform? (I am guessing Robbie used the fact they beat the Rebels twice as criteria to pick them all!)
Fast forward to 2013 – while the Waratahs have moderately improved to eighth place, it was no surprise to see 10 of their players being named in the 25 chosen for the initial Wallaby squad. This was interesting considering the Brumbies and Reds are currently sitting in third and fourth place respectively.
Alarm bells should be ringing – is Australia setting themselves up for ambush against the Lions?
The other comment we keep hearing is the ARU’s priority of ensuring a strong Waratahs team to maintain the support of the Sydney market.
How many years did the Reds get thumped for before they became financially crippled and the ARU woke up and threw some money at them?
The Western Force have struggled to win games since their inception and you never hear the ARU drumming up support for their franchise.
Sport works in cycles and to unfairly favour a team because they play in front of a certain market is ludicrous. To select players from a losing team because they come from a certain place where the ARU’s administration also happens to based is even worse.
Administration
I was interested to see that although the ARU posted an $8.3 million deficit for 2012, John O’Neill was paid $2.1 million in salary and incentives to effectively leave the organisation a year before his contract was up.
Was it really worth the ‘golden handshake’ to replace O’Neill with Bill Pulver? Early evidence suggests not, with Pulver struggling to sign sponsors for what is the most highly anticipated event in Australian rugby since the 2003 World Cup.
I will be interested to see how he goes next year in a regular Test schedule. Is there any chance you could please shed some light to the supporters as to why you have made these decisions and how you can justify paying out O’Neill’s contract leaving the game in the state he did?
So as the Lions series draws closer I am posed with a decision. Do I continue to support the Wallabies as I have done my whole life only for these inherent issues to be swept under the carpet? Or do I back the Lions for a three–zip series domination so we can finally see the back of Robbie and see a few long overdue changes made?
I look forward to your response.
Mark Legh
WallaBumbleBee Supporter
Guest
Cooper is a "TOXIC" individual in my humble opinion. A good player but not great and he's an egg too...lol
GWS
Guest
Tahs couldn't find parramatta on their gps. ..
optimistic
Guest
I tend to be just as pessimistic as most, but the Tahs under Cheika have given me some hope. Perhaps it's time we celebrate our successes instead of focusing on failures - let's face it, it doesn't take a forensic analyst to find the failures... For instance, while the circumstances by which The Tahs acquired Izzy and the QRU retained Quade are obviously less than transparent, I've thoroughly enjoyed watching every minute each of them have played this season. So, well done, whoever was responsible - let's try to shoot for a little more of the good stuff and a little less of the garbage going forward. in your actions and our rants!
Matthew Skellett
Guest
The General Theme of the article strikes a chord with almost everybody- the Emperor has no clothes -the Lions is only offering a lionskin rug as a short-term loan- due to expire Dec 31 -Mr Pulver faces a rock and a hard place with reforming Australian Rugby -an animal that has in the past not seen the need to do so despite commercial reality offering a cut-price funeral plot-right now Murdoch Press are busy undermining the credibility of the ARU and the authority of Mr Deans (maybe manufacturing a reason to downgrade their investment/coverage of Rugby )-the next 4 months will reveal the future and the quality of hope that the Australian Public can feel confident buying into
Jiggles
Roar Guru
Yeah what about the other past 5 years?
Ili Tabua
Guest
Good players that have continued to fail to step up to the plate at either state or international level...
Blue Blood
Guest
Well said on many points. I completely agree on the point about the preferential support for the Tahs while the Force continue to be the forgotten team low on the ARU priority list.
Max
Guest
There is more to a team than good players mate. There is a culture that needs to be developed. I have no doubt that the Tahs players are good, but theyve had a losing mentaility in the past and that directly transferred to the Wallabies.
Tony
Guest
They are in 8th place...... 5 behind the Brumbies and 4 behind the reds?
jeznez
Roar Guru
absolutely, there is a reason the Wanderer's play there. 20,000 would have had it pertty much at capacity and it would have rocked.
Johnno
Guest
Jeznez with the Lion's fan's there it will sound like Woodstock lol. Or maybe the modern one's a big day out , and what's that one Glastonbury . I reckon last week's Tah's VS Brumbie's game if they wanted to win the west, should of had it at Parra stadium. Parramaata stadium, has night life surrounding it, Is by a train-station, and is very close to the action. Would of been an awesome atmosphere in front of 20,000 at Parramatta stadium.
jeznez
Roar Guru
hog, I think that crowd had a huge amount to do with the venue. Sydney's rugby supporters are almost overwhelmingly in the North and East and while they will happily travel to the SFS they really dislike travelling to Homebush. I have to agree with the majority (although living off-shore I was neither a Northener nor an Eastie when I was in my home town). Homebush is a pain to get to for the majority of fans, has zero atmosphere (for Rugby that is regardless of being full or not - the Bledisloe last year was diabolical from players and fans) and it has no nightlife around it to enjoy. The whole theory of taking games there is flawed except for blockbuster Wallaby matches against the AB's or the Lions - they are pretty much the only sides who will sell the venue out, if the Tahs are only going to get 20,000 they may as well stay at the SFS where they would probably get closer to 30,000. If the aim is to take the game to West and start converting non-Union fans then take them to smaller, venues, make the tickets cheap and start getting the punters in. Don't take it to that souless white elephant. Anyway, I clearly haven't learnt - I'm flying back again this year for the third test. At least with the B&I supporters in there it will sound less like a morgue.
Red Kev
Guest
So the Wallabies are just good players poorly coached at international level?
Johnno
Guest
True Hog, people have moved on many of the die-hard's have moved on. But the Lion's series there are fans out there willing to pay the ridiculous proce for a ticket. And the fans who don't one will still watch on TV. The ARU know this, so can get away with this. I can't afford a Lion's test match ticket , i'd love to go to the Sydney match but can't afford and can't get a ticket sold out. But I will be back watching super rugby, and test matches. I have lost interest in turning up to the Tah's , for the ticket's are getting a bit much too, and the style of rugby has been negative until this year. it may win me back we will see. But at a super rugby level many old supporters have moved on, and have been treated with contempt. David Lord's good old day's have a long way to go.
hog
Guest
Sorry Johnno, have to disagree a lot of people have moved on you only have to look back at last Saturday, Brumbies vs Waratahs 20,000 that was a disgace. I'm amazed that not more has been made of this, people like David Lord were predicting a return to the good old days, the problem is a lot of those old supporters are just not their any more.
hog
Guest
Totally agree regards O'neill getting $2million dollar handshake and leaving the place totally stuffed. Pulver is having trouble signing sponsors and has come out and said this is due to difficult financial times (afl/nrl appear to be doing okay), he did not mention that from the sponsors view point rugby union isn't as attractive as a few years ago due to the inept administration of the ARU. And i to am struggling regards supporting the Wallabies this year, the problem being if they do manage to win the series, this will somehow enable the ARU to sweep the issus under the carpet, something they have been doing for about 15 years now.
Johnno
Guest
The thing with selling yourself out for the big games, is the loyal core heartland fan base, have fast forgetful memories. And will all be back again next year, and want the craving of rugby enough, that they will all watch on TV anyway, so the ARU can get away with it. If the die-hard's get annoyed by this the best way to how your frustration's is boycott's. Don't purchase expansive over the top price ticket's but you did, don't watch watch matches on TV, don't buy merchandise, but you don't do you? You love rugby and the wallabies enough to keep on watching . The ARU know this, the ARU have you by the b""lls.
p.Tah
Guest
'I can’t help but notice the number of Waratahs selected in the Wallabies set up over the last few seasons."... because they are good players they were just coached poorly at Super Rugby level. Look at how they've performed with a decent coach this year.
Max
Guest
Better than not saying anything...
crusader fan
Guest
Hey Mark, If I were you I would send this letter to Santa. You have more chance of getting what you want instead of ARU...just saying.