Discussion among the rugby faithful last week is really only intensifying the pressure on Rugby Australia to make some tough decisions around the Wallabies coaching set-up.
But the handling of the whole Jake White phone hook-up last week also showed that RA has a few more debacles up its sleeve yet.
That White got in touch with Rugby Australia and flagged his interest in returning to international coaching via the Wallabies should have surprised no-one. That news of RA’s interest in speaking with White and scheduling a phone call last week leaked to the media shouldn’t have surprised anyone either.
But RA then cancelling the chat because the news found its way to the media made absolutely no sense at all.
I initially thought that word of the White call leaking might have originated from RA themselves, even thinking that maybe this was their way of very publicly telling Michael Cheika that his roadmap ahead to the Rugby World Cup was going to have to be not just bloody good, but also very well presented to the board on December 10.
“There are potentially other options out there, Michael, and we’re going to make a few enquiries.”
RA hanging up on White before they even dialled his number makes me now think the leak came from White himself, though. And that wouldn’t surprise me; he’s as good a media player as his little mate, Eddie Jones.
But regardless of where it came from, why RA would willingly close the door on White for such a seemingly trivial matter has bewildered just about everyone.
Even if they spoke to White and worked out very early on in the discussion that he wasn’t going to be the right fit for the Wallabies and Australian rugby more broadly, what harm would the call itself have actually caused?
If anything, it might have moved a few other potential candidates around the rugby world to get in touch, too.
It kind of begs the question, “Why?”
But then, the answer would quickly come back, “this is Australian rugby”.
And just as I’ve long argued that Australian politics has nothing on Australian rugby politics, it remains true that no other professional sport in this country can shoot itself in the foot quite like rugby. Cricket is having a good crack at this title currently, and even football has its moments, but both trail rugby in the self-wounding stakes.
ACT Brumbies’ coach Jake White (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
As the discontent around the Wallabies results grows louder, even former ARU CEO John O’Neill has emerged to have his say.
“They have to act in the best interests of Australian rugby and the reality is the statistics don’t lie and a radical overhaul is an option that must be considered seriously,” O’Neill told Fairfax Media over the weekend.
“The health and wellbeing of Australian rugby relies inevitably and conclusively on the success of the Wallabies. The current state of the Wallabies’ performance, and therefore Australian rugby, needs urgent repair on and off the field,” he said.
I couldn’t help but wonder what the health and wellbeing of Australian rugby might have been like had O’Neill not so quickly killed off the Australian Rugby Championship after one season in 2007, at the behest of the Sydney clubs.
‘Rest’ is going to be a keyword and fresh battleground in 2019, with Cheika and RA High Performance Manager Ben Whittaker having discussions around resting key Wallabies during next year’s Super Rugby season, a move that’s been in vogue for the last couple of Rugby World Cup years.
But even a move like this, a move that makes a decent amount of sense on the surface, ‘best interests of Australian rugby’ and all, is obviously not going to be so simple to find a consensus.
Long-term Roarer Rhys Bosley argued over the weekend that resting Wallabies next year will “…sacrifice Australian rugby’s chances of rebuilding the sport in Australia through Super Rugby improvement,” while also very correctly pointing out that “…Cheika has had opportunities to practice what he preaches on managing player workload management but flogs his best players during the international season by playing them constantly.”
But while I agree with ‘Boz’ to a degree, this plan for 2019 is exactly the sort of thing that needs to be established early among all parties, and executed so that it doesn’t impact the Super Rugby sides in an unbalanced way.
Surely, it has to be an ‘everyone rests or no-one rests’ policy if Australian derby games are earmarked, for example, remembering that one of the Brumbies’ beefs with Cheika’s request to rest players from a Sunday game ahead of the June Tests was that the Waratahs were able to use their full contingent on the Friday night.
As long as a balanced, equitable, and staggered approach to resting players can be found – and that the resting is done early in the season, not on the eve of finals – then the greater good needs to be put before self-interest.
That in itself will be an achievement. Self-interest has long ruled supreme in Australian rugby, and that was all-too evident in many of the comments on Sunday. “I’m just focussing on [insert Australian Super Rugby team] in 2019” was a common sentiment expressed.
Forgettable seasons will do that. No clear plan or way forward for the game does lead to confusion, which in turn forces people to literally look after their own patch. That’s precisely why the concept of the Australian Rugby Clubs Association has come to be.
The clubs in Sydney feel unloved by their state body, and so feel the only way forward is push for a voice on the board of the national body.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika (Photo by Jason O’Brien/Getty Images)
Yet for all this agitation, and for all this evident desire for not just tweaks, but proper generational change at all levels of rugby governance, the key powerbrokers of New South Wales and Queensland remain silent.
They could call an extraordinary general meeting and overthrow the Rugby Australia board and Chairman Cameron Clyne tomorrow if they wanted to. They are the ones who could lead the way in overhauling the game nationally at every level, if they wanted to.
So why haven’t they? Because that would also remove their power. The ones with the power to enact change for the good of the game in Australia don’t dare use that power for what it would mean for their own patch.
Jones himself hit on this topic at Twickenham last week, saying in defence of Cheika, “…you have to look at the system and if I was involved in Australian rugby, and I am not, you cannot have two of your biggest provinces bankrupt and still having all the control in the game,” after England’s win over the Wallabies to end the Spring Tour.
December 10 will come and go, and as I said last week, I’ll be pleasantly surprised if there is any great change at the helm of the Wallabies.
And Australian rugby will continue to stumble in a direction we’ll convince ourselves is forward, only not shooting ourselves in the foot when forced to stop and reload.
Jibba Jabba
Roar Guru
Correct me if i am wrong but at the time the axe fell the Force were second or third best performing Super team from oz and improving.. on far less money from RA than the others especially the rebels 30 million...
Jibba Jabba
Roar Guru
Bit like the UN Security Council and the veto power of the 5 major players (from memory i think is China, Russia, USA, England & France) preventing the organisation from being anywhere near useful....
andrewM
Roar Rookie
One thing you missed thought TWAS.. Without wanting to over inflate their importance in the scheme of things but Rugby Australia needs RugbyWA and GRR onside more than they need them.
andrewM
Roar Rookie
Huh? If we weren't interested in Australian Rugby as a whole, why do we have the best NRC crowds? Why would next year's test at Optus be a sell out? It wouldn't be that hard. All the ARU needs to do is 1. Admit that the process to remove an Australian team was corrupt 2. Return all of the Force intellectual property to RugbyWA..for a $1 3. In line with other states having a professional Rugby team, grant the Force voting rights in the ARU 4. Have Clyne resign Simples!
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Again you’ve missed the point. NRL and AFL only have one because there was something to promote. They were not created from scratch.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
No. You’re rambling because it’s nothing to do with the conversation.
BennO
Roar Rookie
Wow, you have indeed missed the point. It's not failed to promote, it's failed to create. And they have first failed to create anything, decades and decades ago. No one else is responsible for the game being dependent on the success of the wallabies but the ARU/RA. That's because no one else is ultimately responsible for the game and they made a decision to embrace that "reality" rather than trying to change it. The denial of that fact is the acceptance of the status quo and sets the tone for everything that is wrong with the game in Australia. Sorry mate, live in denial all you like and play games on the roar all you like but the game is doomed to stagnate (and possibly fail) unless the powers that be finally accept that they can do something different, drop the approach of relying on the wallabies and try to create something from the ground up. But again, you haven't answered the question.
BennO
Guest
Yep you missed the point. It's not failed to promote, it's failed to create. And they have first failed to create anything, decades and decades ago. No one else is responsible for the game being dependent on the success of the wallabies but the ARU/RA. That's because no one else is ultimately responsible for the game and they made a decision to embrace that "reality" rather than trying to change it. The denial of that fact is the acceptance of the status quo and sets the tone for everything that is wrong with the game in Australia. Sorry mate, live in denial all you like and play games on the roar all you like but the game is doomed to stagnate (and possibly fail) unless the powers that be finally accept that they can do something different, drop the approach of relying on the wallabies and try to create something from the ground up. But again, you haven't answered the question.
Concerned supporter
Guest
TWAS, Rambling you say, I have cut & pasted $$$ from NSW Annual Reports, do you dispute them? Your big end of towners at RA have consistently made errors of judgement in business practice and rugby. TWAS you are now part of the blazer brigade.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Sorry, why would premier clubs receive that funding? AFL is funding professional teams to increase their TV footprint. They are funding GC and GWS now, so kids born today are fans in 20 years. How will funding premier clubs achieve that for rugby?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
What was the viable rugby national TV product that RA missed to promote?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
So the VFL became the AFL? And the NSWRL became the NRL?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Can you explain to all of us how any of this changes my point. NRL and AFL have more opportunities for their franchises to earn revenue, because they play more games. To make franchises more financially sustainable they need to play more games. You're just diverting the conversation and rambling.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Most importantly he offers a change in style which I think we need too.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
1 vote Reds for being a Super Rugby franchise 1 vote QRU for being a state union 1 vote QRU for having greater than X amount of participants So essentially 3 votes QRU as the Reds are run by the QRU. NSW is the same. Every other state has 2 votes (Vic and ACT) or 1 for states without a franchise, as they have less than X amount of participants.
DNZ
Guest
New blood, what is that? Cheika and co aren't interested in new blood or merit - this is about ensuring that the good old chaps with the right sort of education are rewarded for their commitment to Australia's most prestigious "Public" schools.
andrewM
Roar Rookie
bit of irony there Mitch - Force averaged 15,127 for the WSR matches.. Yes the tickets were cheaper across the board (I payed $40-$50 for my WSR game tickets) but the number of giveaways and el cheapos was no more than what the Rebels attempted from what I can gather.
concened supporter
Guest
TWAS, Put it another way, GWS Giants received a grant of AUD 21 million from the AFL, one miserable club, Gold Coast Suns received more AUD 25 million. If the 12 Premier Clubs in Sydney received in total AUD 21 million, same with Brisbane Clubs then Rugby Union in Australia would be a Power House sport. TV revenue is King.
concerned supporter
Guest
TWAS, TV Revenue is king. Below s listed 2017, 2016 NSW Waratah's Gross Incomes ''Sponsorship income 3,866,018 4,389,414 Corporate hospitality 214,691 401,133 Matchday membership and ticketing proceeds 2,542,862 3,615,022 Stadium rebates 2,491,424 2,757,949 Membership subscriptions 320,735 269,655 Licensing revenue 164,732 231,655 ARU funding 5,677,499 6,037,199 Total revenue from continuing operations 15,277,961 17,702,027 ARU Funding ( which includes Broadcast Revenue is double Matchday membership, in fact, Stadium Rebates is nearly equal to Match Day Revenue. Sponsorship Income is also much greater than Match Day Income. Without AUD 2.5 Million Stadium Rebates NSWRU would be bankrupt, insolvent. Let us hope that NSWRU has done a deal with the Liberal Government to retain these rebates, this cost would be added on to the total project cost I guess. Peter Fitzsimmons will be pleased.
AllyOz
Roar Rookie
I am sure the GPS schools in Brisbane have excellent spotters but I also think that there is the odd kid playing for a state school or a catholic/independent school in Ipswich or Logan or Dirranbandi or Longreach or Townsville who would be good enough to break into a Qld Rep team if given the opportunity. When i played at school in the 1980s we were all involved in the Commonwealth Bank Cup for Rugby League and the equivalent Waratah Shield comp for Rugby. We played for the first couple of rounds until we came up against some of the better schools but it gave us an opportunity to play the game and, for someone like me, a lanky second rower who was more suited to union than league, it gave me the experience of another game. I still played league for another couple of years but then played 18 years of rugby. We need a depth of players as well as the quality. The blokes like me who fall in love with the game and then are involved in clubs with coaching or running the line or flipping steaks. Rebuilding that rugby community will also facilitate a return to quality players. The bigger the base the bigger the apex (but the reverse isn't necessarily true).