TELL US: What needs to be done about Australian rugby?

Thanks for the cast guys 1. What should ARU do? implement the strategy they set out. The issue is not strategy, its EXECUTION btw Blockers comment is typical journo hack analysis: - One of the most affluent codes in the world NFL is full of dead air - What goes in its place? - WORLD-CLASS analysis Cant believe how continuously lazy and ignorant Aussie Rugby coverage and sports journalism The problem is NOT the sport. Its how you cover it <- this part of ARU's responsibility also

I said most. Not all.

........concise indeed hog, I could not have put it better myself.

Indeed. I've misread.

In England and France nobody refers to "league" unless it's to compare and contrast it with "union" - there's no such sport as "league."

Rucking that was mistaken for stomping?

Very few countries call it Rugby Union

Rugby doesn't need another league player especially a 34 year old

I think he was referring AFL.

I'm not sure how many kids in state schools want to play rugby but giving them the option would be a start.

They're expensive if you want to go by yourself too.

I doubt NZ fans would want that. They have the same issues with time conflicts with SA as us. Also how would Kiwis feel at all good about themselves unless they were beating Aussies in sport?

And there lies the problem, they have no exposure to the game or get an opportunity to be play rugby union, so how are they ever going to be interested? My kids at a public state school have participated in NRL and AFL after school training camps offered at their school, even my daughters got involved. How are kids going to be exposed if rugby union can't be bothered promoting the game to public schools too? If rugby union continues with its GPS blinkers it's always going to narrow down the vision and reach of the sport.

And still one of the best players in the league?

Have a good look at the product - ask why crowd numbers are falling everywhere. Fix the laws of the game and remember that Rugby was a player's game.

My suggestion - 1. Keep super rugby at 18 teams 2. After this season, top 9 teams become division a and bottom 9 division b 3. Next season, each plays each other home and away (16 games) 4. Promotion / relegation between division a and b This would give all teams something to aim for and closer matches - just a thought

TWAAS, I think those suggestions would be a great first step to see if we can get things to improve.

I question your mate in SA. They don't get 30,000 to Super Rugby games right now.

I watched the under 20s GF – Reds vs Waratahs – Brad Thorn has been coaching the Reds for 2 years and they have been undefeated for 2 years. When I watched this GF (score was 49 – 19) the Waratahs played like the Waratahs – knock ons, dropped balls, missed tackles with the ref threatening yellow cards for scrum penalties and late tackles. Meanwhile, the reds played like the Crusaders – organised patient, very good defence , backing up etc. My Point is, while there probably isn’t that much difference in playing personal, it is all about coaching and team culture. I really think that the great strides forward Australian Rugby made under Dick Marks (yes, I am going back to the 70s), who organised coaching seminars at various levels dependent on your skill set should not have been killed off by the ARU. Marks wrote a detailed coaching manual which was used, to my knowledge, fairly extensively. Anyway, since the ARU took over, (what have they done by the way) the quality of coaching in Australia has become abysmal. Take the young Force coach – full of potential – what is backing him up to become a better and more highly skilled coach. What about the Rebels coach – no one at the ARU to tell him to come up to scratch or piss him off. Would you see such a poor standard of coaching in NZ – no way , they control the franchises and wouldn’t let them suffer a coach as bad as McGahan for any significant time period – they would not let him coach there in the first instance. No doubt about it, O’Neil’s proposed structure of the ARU , along the same lines as NZ was correct. No wonder we are where we are today. Have the ARU got together with someone like Mick the kick to produce a manual for junior and school Rugby -about how to pass/catch how to line your man for a correct tackle etc along with the rest of the basic skills. Coaching clinics for coaches - we must develop high standards of basics as the NZers have done. If Michael Cheika gets knocked over in some sort of accident - that's the end of the wallabies, who is going to have the knowledge and experience for such a job - and don't tell me Steve Larkham - I am a huge fan of his but not as a coach - assistant yes. If you watched all the NZ Super games, one thing stands out are their basic skills and ability to offload. This game is not rocket science. .

If we lose a Super Rugby team then the NRC team becomes nonviable as all professional quality players and coaches from the region will depart. The most important part of the Force and the Rebels for their NRC teams is that people live there and have accommodation and lives there.