Australian rugby has fallen in such grace since the 2015 World Cup, one would almost think it an anomaly they ever progressed passed the ‘pool of death’ in the first place.
Let’s just pause for a second and truly try to understand the scope of the embarrassment that has become the game of rugby in this country, both on and off the field.
Of course, and this is only my opinion, but some of the problems that the ARU can’t control has to do with the constant temptations big name players are offered from overseas markets. Often seeing them leave for a number of years to earn the big bucks while they’re still somewhat in their prime.
However, I think the vast majority of responsibility for this mess lies with the administrators running the game on a day to day basis.
Originally, a few weeks ago I had already written this article in a much more long-winded and brutal manner, but I think the best approach is to keep it short and sharp.
The failures of rugby in this country comes down to the fact that the old-boys image of private schooling and academy rugby isn’t working anymore as the best developmental approach to the game in this country.
Kids are not interested in rugby because the product has become bland, void of big names and the constant under-performance of both Super Rugby and the Wallabies.
For starters, the National Rugby Championship is a great initiative that should be helping establish future players with the fundamental playing skills and knowledge for the game.
Instead, we have a competition with a mix of teams that are horribly unbalanced and law variations that take away much of the game’s established rules for the crowds ‘entertainment’ value.
While I’m certainly not against variations to the laws of the game in small doses, the NRC is simply a mashed up version of union and league in an attempt to build interest in the competition.
The basic fundamentals of the game aren’t being refined and it clearly shows with the on-field performances.
One big argument is that we simply don’t have the depth for five teams to be competitive in the current format of the competition, hence this is why we are seeing such a fall-out effect now.
I do believe in part for this to be true, not because we don’t have the player interest or numbers with the skills to grow the game, more so that the ARU has been so poor in developing and communicating at the grass-roots level for so long now, meaning it will forever be seen as the elitist academy model.
This may have worked when there were only three Australian teams the administrators of the game had to invest in, but over the last 10-12 years, the clear and complete disconnect between the game’s power brokers, developmental players and supporter base has become ever more alarming and evident.
As it stands now, Australian Super Rugby franchises are 1-16 this year for wins and losses against international opposition. On an even more alarming note, Australian sides are also now 0-10 against New Zealand opposition.
Is it any wonder that reports are brewing that we will only see four Australian sides competing in the competition next year.
People can argue back and forth all day over which sides will be inevitably cut before the start of 2018, but at the end of the day, it should never have come to this in the first place.
The current format for the Southern Hemisphere’s premier competition has been terrible from the start.
In seeking to ensure financial gain by exploitation of ‘quantity’, the ARU signed itself up for something that has since drained the quality of our teams considerably, and the clear lack of depth at the Super Rugby and Wallabies level is painstakingly clear to supporters.
Attendances and viewership is down across the board, but the ARU only have themselves to blame for their own lack of vision.
Whichever team is ultimately shafted in yet another revamped Super Rugby format will come as a devastating loss for the clubs players, sponsors and support staff. But to me, the shareholder that suffers most of all is always the fans.
For too long we have had to put up with political agendas, mismanagement and corporate greed in this code.
While the ARU is certainly not the only sporting body in Australia guilty of this issue, they are certainly the ones who can ill-afford these internal problems the least, in a country with such a competitive sporting market.
The rise of the re-branded A-League from a similar problem plaguing their structures and the newly introduced Big Bash League has made the issues of the player drain and fan exodus all the more alarming.
The players, however, this year in Super Rugby across all teams, look completely disengaged with the attacking formations and clueless to the game-plans their coaches are trying to implement.
The Waratahs-Brumbies local derby was one of poorest excuses for a showcase rugby event I have ever seen in this country in many many years.
Another alarming point is the clear skill and pace at which New Zealand teams, certain South African teams (Lions and Stormers), plus the Jaguares, are playing the game at the moment when compared to the Australian sides.
Having even said this, the ill-fated set-up of the current competition guarantees one Australian side a home final, even though they’ll be most likely well below their opponents on the ladder.
This in itself is ridiculous, Highlander fans will understand what I mean.
Nothing is ever totally doom and gloom, though. There may still be hope for the Reds to finally ‘rebuild’ this year after three awful seasons of misguidance.
They have a very talented back-line of players and, if properly coached and mentored, they could truly, in my opinion, become genuine title contenders in the next few years again.
Make no mistake though, this is edging on rock bottom for the code in this country.
The system is struggling with flawed development pathways, disconnect with fans and a lack of vision among the games management.
With 45 total matches against international opposition in the current Super Rugby format, Australian franchises will be lucky to scrape together 12 total wins from these fixtures in my view.
As the saying goes, “Somethings gotta give” and I think this year will be a true low for Australia in Super Rugby before we can properly start to rebuild, whatever the future holds.
MitchO
Guest
Thanks TWAS. We don't get that game in Perth. The only free games I get are the super replay at 8 am Sunday morning, the highlights package during the week and of course some Wallabies test matches. I do believe that a way must be found to get more games of rugby on free TV. Without that it will be tough to get converts. Not saying it'll be easy or that several people amongst the powers that be have not already thought of it.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Mate there's a Sydney first grade game on TV every week. Has been for years in fact.
MitchO
Guest
I do think that the administration particularly in Qld and NSW and/or their influence on the game is the biggest problem but in terms growing the fan base: An AFL fan who likes all sports and who gave super ruby supporting a go eventually gave up saying "rugby is too complicated and league is too simple". I have to admit that one of my great short comings as a spectator is that penalties often seem a lottery to me but at least I used to play. Try to get a non-fan into the game, how are they going to know what the penalty was about. They can see the important shift in field position but not know the reason. I reckon that alienates people. The (part) solution is not so much to dumb down the rules - although I think second phase play used to work a bit better when there was proper rucking and certainly scrums work better when you leave it up to the front rowers - but to get more games on free to air TV so non-fans can get used to the rhythm. They don't need to be super or NRC games. The Sydney or Brisbane first grade (at least finals series) will be a good start. Has to be relatively cheap TV. I reckon a few of us would like to watch a national school boys championship tournament or an an under 20s. If only an extended highlights package or a documentary. A bit of marketing effort is required and I am not talking about Israel Folau flashing his smile. On that matter, one of the great (potential) modern promotional "tools" of the game to non rugby people was the Honey Badger. But he got less than no support from the ARU marketing team and had to leave the country to make enough money to support his family. There'll always be an Israel Folau but people like the Honey Badger transcend sports. This is not about the Honey Badger, it is just an example of very poor marketing.
Val
Guest
If you look at the skill sets of Australian players they are poor. Forget attacking game plans and defensive systems the basic skills need to be improved. It amazes me why a professional player ie a hooker cannot throw a ball into the lineout correctly - a static situation. Why are our place kickers not as good as the NZ and UK kickers - again a basic static skill. This is before we move on to the lack of ability to pass a football in front of a player so that they can run onto it! Or even why our super star Israel Folau can barely pass a football and certainly not left to right! As they are professional with nothing else to do, coached by (apparently) the best Australian coaches why aren't these basic faults being fixed? It may improve the football that is played. If anyone has an answer please let us all know!!
ukkiwi
Guest
I think 2015 was an aberration, how close were Aus to being knocked out in the 1/4 final of the world cup. Look at the win/loss ratio in the years 2013,2014 & 2016.
Republican
Guest
........concur completely. Brumbies are still odds on to be sent to the knackery.........
Republican
Guest
.........no, more like a NZ C team me thinks.......
concerned supporter
Guest
Dear Author, Would you have written this same article in November 2015? I doubt it. Australia 2nd in Rugby World Cup, NSW Waratahs win Super Rugby in 2014. That was less than 18 months ago, 18 months is a very short period of time. Sure Australian Super Rugby Teams have had a bad run, no doubt, but it happens to everybody. ARU administration of all things rugby , not concentrating solely on the Wallabies,is a bigger current worry than Super Rugby.
Jock Cornet
Guest
Union will continue to flourish worldwide but will cease to exist in Oz. Why cause the ARU don't invest into a domestic comp. We need a revolution before the ARU succeed in their goal to destroy rugby in this nation. I agree losing a super team is the least of our worries
Nobrain
Roar Guru
The Club comp is pretty good but amateur. In the Top 12, which is the most important in terms of quality alongside the Nacional de clubes has an average 2000 espectators per game , and two games on tv.( you need cable or sat, no air tv for this) one live and the other is not. Then you have at the end of the year a tournament wiht the top players of the provinces and also another with the selections of the unions. The top 12 is a round robin home and away with the top six to a playoff. The Ncaional the clubes is played by the top 7 from the top 12 plus 9 teams from the different unions divided in four groups of 4 and the best two of each group advances to a playoff. There is a big " war" between the organizers of the top 12 which is ran by URBA ( the most powerfull union) and the Nacional de Clubes that is managed by UAR. Both entities do not get along because UAR rans the pro comp of Jaguares , Argentina XV, sevens,and Pumas, while URBA the most powerfull clubs in the nation. For example , as a player if you are paid by UAR you cannot play in the URBA competition . So is a big problem because if you get selected by the national team you cannot come back to play for your club if you are under a contract. It goes deeper than that, if you get suspended in the Nacional de clubes you can still play in the Top 12. Very confusing I know. This is the reason that I do not understand the people in Aaustralia that want to go back to this type of rugby while at the same time there are other countries that are fighting to get out and start play pro rugby.
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
No wuks :)
James Pettifer
Guest
This is the fundamental problem behind the "depth" issue. It isn't a depth problem for 5 teams. The problem is that players are leaving to go to Europe as they get better salaries. There are at least 30 Australian players overseas who, if they came back, would be starting for one of the Super Rugby teams.
Boomeranga
Guest
Sorry mate. I like positivity. Didn't mean to bury it.
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
Ok ur right I was just trying to maintain a semblance of positivity....
Boomeranga
Guest
The Kiwis have the benefit of most going through our system even if they turn out for their team.
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
"This is something people within Australian rugby fail to grasp – the international attraction of rugby union is meaningless if the ARU & to a lesser extent SANZAAR, fail to get the domestic product right. Australian football only has the domestic product to worry about. But they nail this right almost 100%. Rugby league has a very small international profile, but they also nail their domestic product nearly 100% right." Yes x 3
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
Yes we're a NZ B team atm. BUT that doesn't mean we can't be competitive. The NZ league team is the mirror opposite, at most a couple of them would make the Roos, but they are competitive and win often.
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
"Our participation rates will soon outstrip league in this country" Not in your lifetime.
Dave_S
Roar Rookie
Plus this doesn't make sense. The definition of support is what exactly? Blind unquestioning faith? Maybe we should tithe 10% of our private school fees? "One of the biggest issues in Australian rugby is the support base which doesn’t have the cajones to support its own sport"
Spencer Kassimir
Roar Pro
Australian rugby union "falls from grace" each time the Wallabies almost but don't win a world cup. The game is not being promoted with a proper connection to the club sides in the SR and NRC. It's all about the national side or nothing and, concurrently, the audience is currently limited by the strength of the AFL and NRL in comparison. Winning a World Cup would only be a band-aid for a much bigger problem not much different for US Olympic athletes in non-mainstream sports. You're loved or hated once every four years and are otherwise ignored by the majority of people with certain exceptions. That needs to change first.