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It is hard to believe Super Rugby starts in a couple of weeks when it’s still only February and most of us are still packing the car for the beach.
There is a lot of hope this year that things may change for the better, with the Wallabies improving and a new domestic competition around the corner.
But why will this year be any different to the last 10?
Rugby union’s struggles in the modern era are related to its position in Australian society; rugby union has never been able (or really tried) to build from its private school and expatriate base.
When rugby went professional it aligned itself with Super Rugby to support the game financially, but in hindsight for Australia this has been the code’s greatest drawback.
Super Rugby may produce a quality product and suit the New Zealand and South Africa setups but has always been a step to far for Australia.
Its backers say it has supported a level of professional rugby in this country which has enabled the Wallabies to remain competitive, however it has never been able to grow the game in Australia.
This has led to a situation where the Wallabies may be competitive, but due to Super Rugby’s failings the relevance of the Wallabies is slowly diminishing each year as the code continues to decline in popularity; in reality it is self-defeating.
It may have introduced teams from Western Australia and Victoria but it can be argued this would have happened under any setup.
And financially all they have ended up with is a bill for Victoria and a Waratahs team a couple of wet nights away from bankruptcy.
Super Rugby simply has no attraction to a free-to-air broadcaster – 70% of its product is based overseas and it lacks the club (city) based rivalry the other three codes all base their game on.
What rugby union has failed to do in Australia is grow the game outside of its traditional strengths. While its private school and expatriate base has supported the code, it has in reality never really been able to embrace mainstream Australia.
As such Super Rugby, an exclusive pay-TV product, only enhances people’s perception of an elitist game that does not connect with enough people outside of its core supporters to enable the game to grow.
To the average Aussie, rugby union often appears as a mish-mash of games stretching from February to November. They struggle to identify with it, let alone understand it.
Compare this to the simplicity presented to them with the AFL/NRL.
David Gallop summed it up when he confidently predicted football will be the number one code in this country only weeks after the Socceroos had suffered two of their biggest ever defeats 6-0 to Brazil and France.
That is because he knew the growth in the game will come 99% from the domestic market.
Western Sydney is an example of union’s dilemma. It’s considered a prime battlefield for the four main footy codes, a place where the AFL are happy to commit $25 million to ensure the growth of their game, and yet rugby union continues its invisible code trick.
The ARU waxed lyrical to Israel Folau about playing around the world as opposed to being stuck in Parramatta, but it is the ARU who would probably need a GPS to get to western Sydney – an area in rugby union’s traditional home state and less than 20km from ARU headquarters.
The new NRC competition is due to start in August, and this is the greatest indicator to whether the code has a genuine chance of challenging the other codes in the future.
If it’s just a feeder competition to support the Super teams then it will invariably struggle with costs and the code will continue its decline.
However if the make-up of these teams have the potential to form a genuine national domestic competition replacing Super Rugby, there is hope for the future.
Only when rugby union in Australia presents a product people want to discuss around the water cooler on Mondays in the office will the game have a chance to grow.
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.