Now don’t get me wrong, there is a lot wrong with Australian rugby at present, mainly in skill set and coaching. But according to the scribes, Australian rugby is on the verge of extinction.
Why do Australians see their team as failures for coming second or, worst case, top five in the world? Do you want world rights to self-flagellation, is this your rugby DNA?
Perhaps the fault is with New Zealand. What if you only played New Zealand one time per year and had no Bledisloe Cup. Would you then not feel so bad about your lot, losing only once per year to the All Blacks?
We can top that by dissolving Super Rugby and only having the NRC, then you only have local teams to lose to – none of those meaningless overseas teams.
If you don’t see them then you won’t know how good your rugby is compared to others, which would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?
Or maybe, just maybe, things are not that bad. Shouldn’t rugby be celebrated?
After all, Australia won the 2015 Rugby Championship, came second at the 2015 World Cup, and are the Olympic women’s world sevens champions.
Regionally, two Aussie teams made the 2016 Super Rugby semi-finals, and Perth – a team that had no rugby pedigree – won the 2016 NRC.
Doesn’t that point to growth?
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As for financial issues, I have looked at statements for 2014 and 2015 for four countries.
Australia’s total revenue and operating expenses are not the best, but not dismal.
Australia 2014 revenue was $AUD103 million, with operating expenses of $AUD105 million
Corporate expenses were $AUD21 million (20% of revenue)Australia 2015 revenue was $AUD85 million, with operating expenses of $AUD88 million
Corporate expenses were $AUD17 million (21% of revenue)Compare that to:
New Zealand corporate expenses at seven per cent of revenue ($AUD8 million)
Wales corporate expenses at 11 per cent of revenue ($AUD13 million)
Ireland corporate expenses at eight per cent of revenue ($AUD12 million)
The question which must be asked is, who’s taking the ARU to task on their corporate expenses, which are double other comparable unions? If brought into line, there are savings of $10 million to be made, which is the difference between loss and profit for the ARU.
Sydney Potae
Roar Rookie
Well said so well i have nothing to add
This is serious Mumm
Guest
Azerbaijan is shaping up pretty well Republican, beatable but will put up a fight. Perhaps a tri-nations with Azerbaijan and Zimbabwe would suffice. The Wobblies would usually end up on top and Aussies could take pride in their national team. On a more serious note, to me it is disturbing that the ARU media is so incompetent it can't even get content on our national broadcaster. The WBs play a test match and it doesn't even make the ABC 7pm news. They never miss the footy, soccer or RL though.
Republican
Guest
........the Bledisloe is bad for Australian morale. Lets find a substitute, while NZ should look to shifting their focus to games v Saffa who are far more competitive.
Republican
Guest
....no I do not need to re assess Jacko. I stand by my opinions based on my many observations and experiences that formed these, re Nzers. Your sanctimony is testament to this......
Joel Shambrook
Guest
I feel bad writing this as I am someone who doesn't have a chance to watch the games live so I fast forward through the scrum resets...but...watching one guy run straight into 3 guys waiting to tackle him with little regard to ball security and little opportunity for an offload appears pretty boring for me. As a Melbourne resident I'd watch AFL anyday over NRL. I think the reason we are so hard on ourselves in relation to the All Blacks is not the fact that we have not been able to beat them it's that we miss what used to be such a great contest between the two. It used to get my pulse racing and I would enjoy the game win or lose. These days it's usually over in the first 20min. It was, for me anyway, one of the great sporting rivalries in sport and there was such a great leadup with Super Rugby.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
An article that isn't saying the sky is falling on our heads! Blafemous, off with his head! Agree DK, AU rugby fans are in desperate need of lightening up. After the second place in the RWC, it felt almost as if we had been eliminated in the first round, not England. I've been in Oz for almost a decade now, and it's always doom and gloom. I actually wonder if this isn't RL paying media consultants to be in rugby discussions sharing bad thoughts. I do agree with someone's comment, though, on atmosphere in the stadiums. I go to Tahs and Wallabies games when they are in Sydney, they are always so sombre and quiet (no matter the result). Going to the Stoop to watch the Harlequins or to Twickenham to watch any international was loud and passionate (and less than in Wales or Ireland). The Tahs final against the Crusaders felt closest to electric, but still no match. Finally, also agree with many that have spoken about the grass roots. The performance at the top level is only a reflection of what's coming up. If the ARU wants Oz rugby to be strong, they need to invest in the kids.
concerned supporter
Guest
Don't you know who D.Pocock is?He is the bloke not playing in Australia in 2017.but is being paid AUD $750K by our ARU. Mismanagement?Arn't the ARU crying poor mouth?
Henry Honey Balls
Guest
I have never been to a rugby game in Australia but I was at a South Africa cricket test match in the SCG. The crowd was boisterous but a lot of the atmosphere revolved around making a big snake out of beer cups and wearing fancy dress rather than as a result of anything happening on the field. Maybe I just didn't get it but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in a friendly environment. Atmosphere at Ireland games for example comes from the fact that there is a long history of rivalry in the six nations. I brought my 7 year old son to the Ireland v England game recently and he loved it. Unprompted, both Ireland and England fans sung all throughout the game and spirits were high even in terrible conditions. I'm not a fan of creating fake atmosphere. The best way of raising fan interest is through long term solutions. The reason I go to Ireland games year on year is because when I was my sons age my dad brought me to Ireland games and I have a lot of memories knocking around my head that keep me coming back for more. From the heart break of Ireland losing to Australia in the last minute in 1991 to Bob Dywer giving me his wallaby badge after the NZ v Australia world cup semi final in 1991. I still have it. If you want lots of die hard fans open up the matches to more kids and schoolboys and school girls etc. through heavily discounted tickets for the less glamorous games etc.
Lesterlike
Guest
As someone who has lost complete interest in Australian Rugby, but not the game itself, I can tell you that not beating NZ has utterly nothing to do with it. If anything the game could do with cutting it's obsession with beating NZ and realise that we shouldn't be defined by how we play them. The extra bledisloe game is totally overkill.
Machooka
Roar Guru
1. You! Ummm... 2. Like bugger... that's all. Frankly. Yep.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Hello Ray The last 25 years I am pretty sure the Wallabies has the most victories on AB's (and that it what we are talking about). I am well aware of that far from everything is perfect in Australian rugby, but way too many fans and journos are much to critical and seems to have no connection at all with the outside world. As mentioned before by several posters, it seems the Australia's problem is in some parts psychological and the root of it is that you compare yourself to NZ (and totally neglect that NZ probably are right in the middle of their most golden period ever).
Boomeranga
Guest
Thing is Ray, the Sydney clubs had sooooo many years to build something but they haven't. No one impeded them for 100 years but they came out the other end of that nothing more than big amateur country clubs. It really isn't the ARU or the rest of Australia's fault. Randwick had a famous team and a licensed club. In Coogee. And they went bust. They couldn't figure out how to make a profit selling beer in one of Australia's biggest social hubs. That isn't the ARUs fault. If Australian rugby is to survive I think everyone including the Sydney and Brisbane clubs needs to stop thinking 'what's in it for me' and think about how to do it best. I don't know what that looks like, but all the interstate animosity and the club barrow pushing is going to kill it dead because too many will just walk away in frustration. If we want to sort it out we have to stop being big frauds about it all. It isn't all the ARU
Harry Jones
Expert
List the things you take seriously
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Watch the career of Cane mate.Mcaw all over again
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Thats a lame put out
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Good work fullas
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Nailed It
Tipene Roar
Roar Rookie
Haha neutral refs upto and including 1995 world cup would change that.
AndyS
Guest
The ARU didn't neglect the clubs, they killed them with kindness. They encouraged them to believe they could be something they never should have been, and we are all now paying the price for the unsustainability of that illusion. Both sides had many opportunities to step back and put a more rational structure in place, but even now they don't want to hear it.
Ray1973
Guest
Your right on a few levels except for the beating the ABs and a couple of other small but important points . South Africa hold that mantle of highest win percentage against the ABs . The fact is rugby is in serious decline in Sydney . Clubs in the Shute shield who are foundation clubs are selling there fields to create revenue for there club . Eastwood and a few others are either going to die or will have to merge with other clubs . So from Sweden all is not rosy for the ARU , they neglected the clubs at there own peril and stalwarts like Bob Dwyer and a fair few former Wallabies are trying there best to get something back . The famous Coogee Oval sold , its a famous place if you know Aussie rugby but again its been sold off . The fact is its not rugby league that will kill off rugby in Aussie , its the AFL and the A-League those 2 sports alone are taking all the fallout from both the rugby codes killing there brand . Dont get me started on the perils of kicking the Force out . Because that will kill the Pindan in WA . Believe it or not I write this as a kiwi who has played rugby in both states and have started to see how badly the code has been mismanaged since 2003 . So from Sweden the ARU might have some minor victory lately and it is minor but the sport in general is not being cared for by the ARU and that is a fact . When guys like Pulver ignore people like Farr-Jones , Papworth , Poidevan and many other WC winning Wallabies and former administrators then the game is screwed .