Will Genia and the Wallabies victims of a slack World Rugby

More Genia's fault than anyone's, except maybe Cheika for getting the ARU to introduce the "Giteau Rule". Prior to that, everyone involved, including Genia, knew that he had basically retired from international rugby when he decided to chase the cash and sign with Stade Francais.

unfortunately steve merrick types are a bit like hayley's comet..

Why blame the ARU? These players signed up with overseas clubs knowing they were finished as Wallabies. It was always that way until the stupid GIteau rule. Let's keep it simple. Chuck out the GIteau nonsense & the window won't matter.

How about we just sort out this test window nonsense with a "World Test Championship" where the top teams play each other each year. For example... top 10 sides play 9 tests per annum in a round robin. Any rugby championship or 6 nations fixtures would count. At the end of the round robin we have a winner and a 10th ranked side that is instantly relegated to the second 10 teams. New Zealand's Mitre 10 cup is doing something similar today. Traditional rivalries can continue irrespective of rankings. But everyone has something to play for and fans get to see the top sides in regular competition.

Thanks Calf...why don't they advertise it?

Clearly I wasn't watching the same Wallabies v ABs game. The one I watched Phipps was appalling...the best bit was the unbelievable slow delivery to the winger/centre who got charged down. BTW way wasn't he kicking off his left foot? Might have seen Perenara coming then!

Every now and then this site throws up some comedy gold

@ RUCK "A classic example of this is the NZ 7’s team. They brought in all the “stars” for the first Wellington 7’s and lost. They did it again for the Olympics and we all know how that went." NAH , ur way off target there dude. NZ lost during the world series becoz of injuries. NZ lost at Olympics by showing faith in their old guard + injuries. best example was Curry rhe skipper - who did not play in a single match after getting injured in Dubai (first of 10 legs) and then came into the team for Olympics , only to get injured within the first day. they also lost Sonny Bill ( replaced by Wakka i think). there were several who were out due to injuries. Lam was out for a long time Teddy Stannaway got injured in Olympics warm up in USA. it is an insult to the team and the coach to say the "stars " lost 7S for NZ or it caused "dissatisfaction". whoever got in , got in on talent , skill and form alone. Dont forget Messam could not get in - despite being a former 7S player and a medal winner. dont forget Savea quit to concentrate on XVs.

likewise , no one forced auzzy to play extra matches. :) its mind-boggling how grown ups with responsibilities are talking like kindergarten children !!! administrators are paid to read the laws / rules / processes / SOPs , etc and then recommend actions and make decisions. this is so silly....

" Maybe you didn’t read the article. Lord is not blaming the clubs. " true he is blaming World rugby for allowing clubs to dictate terms. but the whole argument is baseless ; he is talking about "time' (the period to play tests) but the rules talk in "numbers" ( number of test matches). there is space to play 12 tests per year during certain months of the year. it is not as if people running the game in each and every country had no idea about it. surely they know players will not be available when they schedule additional number of matches? or do u mean to say they ( the country unions) did not read the rules or read it but did not understand it?

If we didn't have a policy of selecting overseas based players we wouldn't have kept the best halfback in the World engaged in Australian rugby for our most important test matches of the year and probably up to the next World Cup. That is probably what people of some other nationalities don't like about that policy.

"Unless you play them, you won’t know if you have another Gregan or Farr-Jones" If they aren't looking like Farr-Jones in Super Rugby or even in the NRC, you can be fairly certain they won't suddenly become one at Test level.

It needs to be pointed out that had it not been for the ARU agreeing to introduce Giteau's Law at the request of Michael Cheika, the Wallabies wouldn't have had Genia for any games this year. The ARU appear to have done what they can but they are just one of multiple stakeholders. The outcome of Giteau's Law has been that Genia has not been lost to the Wallabies, perhaps permenantly, which is potentially a World Cup winning coup. Sometimes I think we could afford to look at the glass as being half full.

"Australia cannot afford to get in bidding wars for our own players" Exactly, that is why the Wallaby jersey should be sacrosanct and only available to those playing in Australia. The fact these players have reached this level of Rugby shows they have a desire for the game. The pinnacle for the should be representing their country. When they have completed that, they can go to Europe for their pension. "The key for me in order to avoid division is to pick on merit" And exactly what was Genia selected? Last years performance. That is another reason not to select overseas players. Because you don't know how they are performing.

He will be back soon. QC is back and Wil will follow. The old team will be back together and the Reds will win the Super Rugby. It will be like Groundhog Day.

The problem is Kane, as the current crop of SR players get disillusioned at missing out on international rugby to overseas players who aren't doing a thing for Australian rugby, or even proving themselves week in and week out, more and more will take up contracts offshore. Nek minute, you have the 60+ test veterans retiring and no new blood to fill their spaces because they've all sodded off overeseas in the full knowledge that staying in Australia isn't doing anything for their international careers. On top of that, as more and more players go offshore, your already very bad SR teams will become a joke. Fans will stop going. Subscriptions to Foxtel will dry up and the sponsors will flee. Dan Carter played for the All Blacks for 10 years. Now he's earning massive sums in Europe because he has no international obligations which would otherwise bring his price down as he will be available for the full season (barring injury). What's more, he's gone with the NZ rugby fans blessing unlike Carl Hayman who chased the filthy lucre rather than support NZ rugby. Genia has served Australia well. He should either play in Australia which would raise the bar for your other half backs, allow chemistry to grow between his #8 and 1/5 and inspire other halves to challenge him for his spot. Or, he should retire from international rugby and go with Australia's blessing. As it is, he is selected on past form. Nothing riles a player who works his guts out to prove himself only to have someone else selected based on last years form who isn't even playing in the local comp.

Basically from now on the ARU's life would be much easier if it could just bring Genia back to Australia. The other players don't matter. Then there would be no particular problems and the G rule couldbe scrapped.

I don't think NZ examples are relevant to us. You are comparing an almost sporting monoculture where most boys aspire to an All Black jersey, with a country where the jumper boys aspire to can change from one suburb of a city to the next. The Wallabies jumper has prestige, just not every Australian kid aspires to the same thing. It would also be easy for us to replace talent if say 40 of our 48 football clubs were rugby clubs. But they're not. We are losing talent, and it's no longer players cashing in at the end of their careers. I saw yesterday Leicester have signed a boy out of Brisbane State High School. In today's rugby, 7 years probably is a reflection of loyalty. 60 tests a reflection of talent. I think this benchmark, once they learn how to use it at the Wallabies selection table, is good. It's realistic about the next ten years and how our players will consider offers from overseas at a younger age than the 1999 team would have. Australia cannot afford to get in bidding wars for our own players. The cost to keep Beale here would have been far more decisive than letting him go but telling his new club we are going to take him back for 6 games every year. Actually taking them back may keep the offers in check as well. The key for me in order to avoid division is to pick on merit always, and try not to pick d'heads. Sometimes, such as with your example of Nonu, you have to accept the personality and hope your leadership can manage it. While he performed like he did, the question of merit never came into, so perhaps that alone should be the sole criteria.

I disagree, the GL only allows people who have played 60 tests so a minimum of 5 years in the Wallabies and also being contracted for 7 years. For a profession with such a short life that is a hell of a lot of loyalty. The old saying rings true, Don't get bitter get better.

And BTW, what's 10 points going to do for you? We gave you a 10 point head start in the last Bledisloe and what did that do for you?