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.
michael gardiner
Guest
Westie ,pay tv will not show RU games on their channels because people won't watch a sport that is locked into a 19th century format that is BORING, this is the 21st century it must change with the times or die! michael g
a
Guest
Sounds like you've convinced yourself, well done.
a
Guest
Touch Rugby League is booming though.
a
Guest
Leeching off Rugby League. Now I've heard it all haha.
a
Guest
Keep staring at the trees in front of you..
Wallace
Guest
Rugger But the NRL are to receive something like $1.3 billion (over 5 years) from the TV networks. The aggregate TV audience for RL in Australia 130 million. I don't know what it is for RU in Australia but I heard (the Super 15 Pay TV component) is somewhere between 5 & 7 million.
Wallace
Guest
I think a good way to test out the number of actual participants is to see how much the $200 a team levy raises. Pulver says he hopes to raise $800,000. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/australian-rugbys-plea-for-help/story-e6frg7o6-1226814327351 Well, 800,000 divided by 200 is 4,000. 4000 teams with say 20players including reserves is 80,000. That's a long way short of what they say they have. BTW the RFU playing numbers are grossly inflated also. if they had a million then one in 50 is a RU player. Take out most of the female population & the male population under 10 & over say 32 the number of the rest playing would be what? -one in 3??.
hog
Guest
But of such a low support base that it hardly matters.
duecer
Guest
Overall interest in Union in NSW and QLD may be no contest when compared to RL, but in the other states RU would be at least equal to and usually superior to League.
sheek
Roar Guru
That's actually precisely how I feel...
Rugger
Guest
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Gave me a Laugh.
Guest
You do like those Cherries, don't you ;)
Gave me a Laugh.
Guest
"Given we had better crowds last year than NRL" Average, maybe. Overall Attendance, Union a distant second. Then with the the TV ratings and over all interest in Union in Australia means its absolutly no contest when compared to League. But feel free to cherry pick more stats if this fact offends you. "The real issue is the ‘old boy network’ in the Australian media who put rugby league first and every other sport on the scrap heap." Is it April fools, or are you really serious? So I guess AFL and Cricket don't exsist. Stop making excusses and face up to the real problems with you code like others that have commented here.
sheek
Roar Guru
BTW Al/Rugger, I forgot to mention this is a blogsite, which means it's opinion-based. I express strong views & clearly some people are uncomfortable with this. Also, having passed 50 years of age I've seen a lot & learnt plenty along the way. And I continue to learn & change my views as I learn more. The best way to beat me is with superior argument. And in the past I have conceded to a better point of view than mine. But I'm not interested in popularity contests.
sheek
Roar Guru
Justin, This is a tired old line you trott out as your key reposte. I watch enough rugby to form an opinion. Or have the rules changed? You must now watch 77.61% of all rugby. Or is it 56.82%? Or maybe 69.70%?
sheek
Roar Guru
Rugger, With all due respect, your response here is a bit scrambled. There's a tendency for some people to throw the 'negativity' line as if it explains all. It explains nothing. And as a counter argument, it's totally useless. BTW, I noted your options tabled in an earlier post. It's not much different from what I've hammered on about for ages, except I don't believe Super Rugby can be all things to all men across the Pacific, Indian & Atlantic oceans. Even SR is finite. But I'm sure we'll be rehashing these things again soon, I just don't feel like it right now. As for the Georgina Robinson article in the SMH, good luck to the ARU/NRC if her info is correct, & I'm sure it is. The BBL shows you don't have to pay any particular attention to history, tradition, team nicknames or team colours. Just have plenty of cash, advertising & the allusion of entertainment. This is the modern world, you can mix a pig's ear with a goat's bladder & voila, out comes a golden goblet. ;-)
sheek
Roar Guru
xxxxx
hog
Guest
And now we have some Rookie telling us the Sky will fall. I take that is not sarcasm
Jackster
Guest
I agree with al and rees. Enjoy our game guys and girls! Go to the matches, talk about it with your friends and workmates but keep it positive or we risk scaring new comers off! Nobodys saying ignore the issue. As fans of our game we all know what the issues are so lets end this thread and start a new one that offers solutions. As a Blues fan a huge well done tahs fans if those attendance numbers are correct! Thats the sort of stat we should be celebrating. I can say the interest amongst blues fans this year is at an all time high with benji now in our game. Thank god summers coming to an end cos that means rugbys back!!
Rugger
Guest
Sheek and Hog You sarcasm is duly noted. If Rugby was loosing SBW, Benji Marshall, Israel Folau, Sam Burgess and who ever else what would be your take in everything Rugby. I can image. We do not hear from NRL scribes that sky is falling even though it does not have platform to showcase talent as Rugby does. Last but not the least write on Aussies No rules if that is your fancy. Instead Daily Telegraph has list of player who will replace Burgess, one of whom is Fifta who himself wants to play for Wallabies and will make decent No.8. And we do not hear from NRL scribes that most of the NRL team do not turn over profit and that Sharks are broke as is Titans. Collectively A-league teams post $10m + loss annually. Do we hear about that. No only that soccer will be number on sports in oz. Why do you think Gallop is throwing that line - its PR spin and that is what you do. Example of being constructive from Gergina Robinson of SMH. http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/national-rugby-championship-ambitious-plans-begin-to-take-shape-20140206-324ht.html This compares with you rhetoric do it this way or you will fail. There is more than one way to do most things - no one right way mate.