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I’ll put my cards firmly on the table. I’m a league man, always have been, always will be.
I didn’t attend a private school and I don’t go to The Oaks at Neutral Bay wearing Country Road gear and R.M. Williams boots, so I couldn’t blend in with the rah rah crowd even if I tried.
I’m a blow-in, a fair weather supporter of the Waratahs and Wallabies. When they’re doing well, I’m their biggest fan, cheering as hard as I can from the couch, pub or ground.
I have been a member of the media for the past 20 years, primarily as a newsreader, sports reporter and producer. I’ve also worked for a couple of corporate bookmakers in my time, so there’s definitely a professional tie to my interest in the game of rugby.
It also should be noted my partner is a Kiwi, so having rugby conversations with my future father-in-law is a fairly regular occurrence when either of us cross the ditch.
Having said all of that, in recent years my interest levels in the game they play in heaven has dropped significantly. I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t name you the current starting XV for the Wallabies. I’d probably be able to name just over half a dozen players and that’d see me out.
Is it because there seems to be more and more Test matches these days and the turnover of players is so high? Is it because Australia now has five provinces in the Super Rugby competition and therefore it’s harder to keep up with the influx of players year on year?
Or is it that the ARU is good at promoting just to rugby people, and not trying hard enough to nab the casual observer like myself?
Obviously the Wallabies aren’t winning as regularly as they used to but media access to players has been reduced over the years, therefore it nullifies the ability to get to know the stars. In this day and age of content generation and social media you’d think the opposite would be true.
And to call a spade a spade, rugby has become a very boring sport to watch.
Rugby union has always been bogged down by the number of rules and infringements, even the most hardened supporter would agree it can be a frustrating game to take in. My father has always said rugby was a better game to play and league was better to watch. I tend to agree. I just can’t get excited by penalty goal shoot-outs from 45 metres out.
My interest was sparked by the Wallabies’ 1991 World Cup win. There was a couple of rugby nuts at school who urged me to watch and being a sports mad-kid anything Australia was doing on the world stage was a big deal. I was captivated by the skills shown in that tournament by the already established star David Campese, and the emergence of young talent like Tim Horan, Jason Little and John Eales.
Post that tournament rugby really enjoyed a surge of popularity in Australia that lassoed the fringe fans like me in. It kept us there during the transition to professionalism in the mid-90s and through the success of the early 2000s, but I’m sad to say that lustre has now gone for me.
Will it take another World Cup win to breed a new generation of Wallabies fans? Better marketing of players? A rejigging of the old ‘Wannabe a Wallaby’ commercial? Some rule changes to make the sport more visually attractive?
Whatever it is please let me know when rugby gets its mojo back, I’ll be the first bloke on the bandwagon.
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.