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We sat down with former Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones to discuss changes he’d like to see made in rugby to combat the disillusionment he believes is brewing at the community level.
Farr-Jones strongly believes that there needs to be more of a focus on the community game and urged players to make more public appearances.
“The first thing I’d be saying if I took over rugby, is that guys, a part of your contract is going to be…I want you to make 20 or 30 appearances supporting community rugby,” he said.
Farr-Jones thinks that in addition to helping others, players have the ability to improve their futures by being more involved in their communities.
“Prepare yourself for life after. Speaking, going to these things, meeting people, will prepare you for life after rugby and sport. It’ll give you confidence,” he said.
On a positive note, he states that female players are already putting in great effort in this area.
“The girls who won the gold medal, they’re fantastic, they’ll put their hand up straight away because they haven’t been disillusioned about the professional sport,” he added.
It’s not just the players that need to change, either. Farr-Jones feels that some player agents are a big part of the issue.
“Player agents who are parasitic, saying in our contract, we only have to turn up six times. Get rid of those player agents,” he said.
He knows that the changes he wants to see will not come easily, but should be treated as a high-priority issue.
“It’s going to be blood, sweat and tears. It’s going to be a long way back. You can’t set goals that are unrealistic. So let’s forget about winning the next rugby World Cup. Let’s forget about that. Let’s work out a whole bunch of short, sort of longer-term objectives we can work towards,” he said.
Check out the segment in the viewer above, or watch the interview in full over here.
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.