Australian rugby can’t afford matches like Saturday night. Despite the Wallabies victory, it was a match to turn off all but the most loyal of rugby tragics.
A game like Saturday’s makes it clear that winning is less important for the Wallabies than playing in an entertaining fashion. An entertaining loss would do more for Australian rugby than a win like that.
Like it or not, professional sport is in the entertainment business. The livelihood of Australian rugby players, coaches and administrators depend on fans wanting to watch and support them. And Australian fans have a lot of alternatives.
If the fortunes of Australian rugby wasn’t so dependent on the Wallabies it might not matter so much. But as things are, the Wallabies need to play attractive rugby every single time they play, win or lose, and especially on home soil.
As a general rule, Australian fans want to see the Wallabies have a go with the ball in hand. We want to see lots of running, ball movement, counterattack from turnovers and risk taking.
We don’t want to see our team kick away the ball every time we have it in our own half. The slow play and aimless kicking in perfect conditions on Saturday night was a disgrace, and an insult to everyone watching at the ground and on TV.
There have been suggestions that the Wallabies game plan in the second Test was used to practice their ‘plan B’ for when the running game isn’t working or conditions don’t allow it. If this is the case, then in future they should notify fans in advance of such tactics so that we can make other plans.
In the Australian sporting market the Wallabies need to realise they have no choice. They need to play a high tempo, high skilled running game every time. Winning by playing in their half and turning pressure into points is a loss for the sport.
Weary Tah
Guest
"Success without honour is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good." Joe Paterno
Hertryk
Guest
For what my very humble opinion is worth . . I TOTALLY agree with jiggles!...Try being on the side of many LOSSES by 3 points or less and you would appreciate the win more maybe!
Hertryk
Guest
A win is a win! For goodness sake! They can't play just to please the Fairweather fans!
Koalabyte
With so many competing codes, it is imperative that the Wallabies play in an entertaining manner. After the second test I doubt any new youngsters will be tying on rugby boots and emulating Nic White, as my brother and I did when following the Ella brothers. Playing Jakeball is a pyrrhic victory, sure you win the test, but you would kill Aussie rugby in the long run. We have the talent to play smart entertaining rugby. It's a matter of playing it as our default setting. Winning becomes a habit. Sure kicking has its time and place, bad weather, closing out a game, but that is why I mentioned 'smart' rugby.
redbull
Guest
Biltong, as you say we all see things differently. I can't agree that Sport is more than entertainment, but I can agree that Wallabies fans overreact on a regular basis. The game may or may not have been bad, I don't think it was that bad, but I will still tune in for the next instalment, as I have for the past 15-20 years.
Redbull, I suppose we all see this in a different light. Every match be it a running try fest or a mudfest provides where teams can learn something, you were spoilt the previous weekend by the running the Wallabies did and now there is wide spread criticism, the point is one match as a wrestle does not depict how Australia will play. The French rocked up and it meant there wasn't as much space and Australia struggled to adapt. Were they to play in that negative manner every weekend there would be cause for concern, but I have seen over the past two years how easy Australian sporting fans jump the gun. One weekend they are the next best thing and there is an evolution beyond anything ever seen, the week there after there is an over reaction that now they play Jake ball, and everything is going to the dogs. This is again one of those over reactions. One on my favourite actors is Bruce Willis, but recently he has made a few poor movies, that doesn't stop me from watching his next movie, If he were to continue making poor movies I would stop watching his movies. And no, I disagree that a movie or book can waken emotions of Pride as there is no vested interest in the movie. You are merely being entertained. Sport is more than that.
redbull
Guest
Biltong, Movies can and do, and so do books. Just to clear this up. I have no issue with the quality of the game on Saturday. Sometimes it just happens that way. I was certainly more satisfied than with the ending of "Now You See Me", which I watched the following evening. Sport is a matter of pride passion and honour, if you are actually playing, whether it be for school, club, province or country. But I struggle with people who attach their emotional well-being to a game in which they have no impact on the outcome. If the wallabies win, I am happy, if they lose, I am happy. Because either way I was amused for 2 hours and ran through a series of emotions in that time, whatever they may be. Now I take my entertainment seriously. I know more than most observers the players, the franchises (yes, even the SA and French ones) and the current dramas surrounding the scenes.
Bunratty
Guest
An interesting viewpoint that I think is closest to the truth re Australian rugby. I agree that "Australian fans like to see it played in an attacking style". it is my view that strong offensive game plans should be the norm for any Australian rugby teams all the way up to the Wallabies. If coaches focus on attack, the Wallabies will probably win a majority of their matches. If the focus is on defense, as was coached/played last Saturday, I believe they will lose most matches. Eddard, you have hit the nail on the head when you state "a commitment to an Australian philosophy of playing. The Australian way should be practiced and idealised at all levels of the game. We should get so good at it that most other teams can’t live with us." Comments above about taking an ugly 6-0 win should note that France almost won this match in the dying moments. The coaching staff and the unchanging pre-match game plan are to blame in this instance. The wonderful attacking focus in the first test should be the norm. Even if France were stronger with their ten changes, the Wallabies offensive ineptness was the difference between the two matches.
Eddard
Roar Guru
But the reason they have a vested interest is because they've found the sport entertaining or fun enough in the past to invest their time, money and emotion in it. And there are less of these bolted on, loyal supporters than there are more casual fans who want to be entertained first and foremost. Also, the matches against France are largely meaningless to Australian fans. No one cares about whatever trophy they're playing for. Thus the primary interest of most people is to be entertained. If people don't find the sport entertaining then the only times people will have a vested interest is in a big global event like the olympics, or in rugby's case, the world cup - where winning is rare and a big deal that brings genuine national pride.
Eddard, an individual has a vested interest in a particular sporting code, the value gained from watching that particular sport goes far beyond entertainment.
Eddard
Roar Guru
BB, yes a movie can take a viewer through all sorts of emotions. That's why people watch them. Professional sport is in the entertainment industry because it relies on paying spectators and viewers to survive. If people don't find the product entertaining they'll stop watching and stop attending. This is what has happened to the Wallabies over the last 10 years. If it was all just about watching your country win at sport then different sports wouldn't have different levels of support. Australia play water polo every year as well, but not many people watch it outside of the Olympics.
Can a movie take your emotions from utter frustration, to complete elation, to highly stressed, to being relieved to proud as hell? No mate, sport is a matter of pride passion and honour, entertainment doesn't provide you those emotions.
RobC
Roar Guru
The rough patch was the prolonged ping pong match in latter part of 1st half. The rest was a tough arm wrestle Was disappointed WBs didnt have a game plan for the French brick wall. Im expecting they will, for the next game. The French will have their own plans too...
Richie Walton
Roar Guru
The prices are ridiculous. Sydney is $130 for a platinum seat.. And all the seats are behind the 22. Despite being a Tahs member I couldn't find a ticket anywhere better, regardless of the cost. The result is a half empty stadium with no atmosphere. Those that do get good seats are corporates with little passion for the game. The 2 bonuses for this weekend however are the afternoon kickoff time (3pm) which is far better for families.. And the location (Allianz) which is far more convenient for many rugby followers in Sydney and closer to food/transport etc. post-game. I'd suggest they halve the ticket costs and fill the stadiums. The atmosphere amplifies and you'll increase the experience for each fan plus the likelihood of them returning for another match. I don't think you can plug in the figures and say we will make $xxx if we charge Y. There has to be a longer term focus on growing and nurturing the fan base. Few Sydney fans are going to shell out $130 this week and then $180 for the bled isle in a months time. Once is enough for most peoples budget and time. The ARU needs to review this model big time.
Bobbo7
Guest
Getting the Super 15 on free to air would gets good start for rugby here. The match was not great, but I do like to watch a contest over a cricket score
Dean
Guest
I agree 1000% Eddard! The sporting equivalent of swinging voters are the ones rugby needs to win over. The only ones happy with "winning ugly" are the small number of hardcore party members. I would actually sum up the style that most Australians want to see as "try scoring intent - opportunistic about goals". This is as opposed to the English/SA style of "goal scoring intent - opportunistic about tries".
Tane Mahuta
Guest
Are you suggesting that the Wallabies didnt dig in to win games when they wernt playing well under Deans? Turn it up.
Squirrel
Guest
Ticket prices are outrageous Pulvers like ONeil aim it at only the corporate types. They have effectively killed club rugby in Sydney and hence the grass roots won't exist much longer. Pulvers is so worried about the Folaus he has forgotten about the punter. Of you lose people at the clubs those people don't think about rugby or contemplate going to the games.
Eddard
Roar Guru
Sailosi, that's just evidently not true in Australia. Think of the huge increase in popularity rugby union had in Australia in the late 90's/early 00's and the steady decline it's had ever since. 10 years ago the Waratahs used to regularly get over 30,000 people to games. Then after years of boring 'win ugly' game plans lost half of them. It's only now they're playing a consistently good style of rugby that they seem to be at the beginning of a turnaround. There have been thousands of fans converted to Australian rugby and then lost. And if you want other examples you only have to look at the UFC. Mixed martial arts was not a commercial sport before it came along in the early 90's. Now it has many millions of fans.
Eddard
Roar Guru
Boz, rugby can be played in many different ways. But in general Australian fans like to see it played in an attacking style. For the health of the sport in Australia the Wallabies should be playing that way every single time, and never like we saw on Saturday night, especially in perfect conditions. There are also many different ways to play an attacking style (eg structured vs unstructured) so it's not like we always have to use the exact same game plan. But we should always be committed to the running game, creative attack and risk taking. In soccer, many clubs and national teams have a philosophy of play that they've kept for decades. Barcelona for example. They always play their way, and it's part of what the fans love about them. It's a very successful way of playing and it's taught through all their junior teams right through to the senior squad. It's a philosophy that all their players know, are brought up playing and can execute extremely well. It doesn't always win, but it does most of the time. Just as importantly, it's what the fans love. Australian rugby needs to take a lesson from this and put in place a commitment to an Australian philosophy of playing. The Australian way should be practiced and idealised at all levels of the game. We should get so good at it that most other teams can't live with us. When we lose, we should go down with a fight, playing our way and giving the fans - the people that make professional rugby possible, what they want to see.