People around the world enjoy the game of rugby union, from the under-sixes to the international competition people watch in joy for the wins and losses that come with a competitive game.
However, in Australia, the joy of watching is diminishing. Not because we are losing interest in the game, but because the Australian rugby union team has been under-performing since their win at the 1999 World Cup against France.
There have been 21 years of players, coaches and administrators who have been a part of the fall of Australian rugby. I’m not waiting to shift blame onto someone or a group, because there have been some amazing wins against very strong teams and some world-leading players that people would watch just to see what they would do.
These wins and players kept the Australian rugby population intrigued, hoping they can return to the former glory. Over these rough years, grassroots rugby has suffered because of this, with numbers and funding disappearing at an alarming rate.
As a player, referee and supporter of this great game I feel the need to point out the main issues holding back the game in Australia. Once grassroots rugby is fixed, then the international team will be performing better as we will have a larger and better stock to choose from.
(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Participation
Over the years, people’s interest in rugby has dwindled. Therefore the participation of players, volunteers and referees have also dwindled. The total participation has been reduced by 7.6 per cent in 2016 and has continued to drop from then. That’s essentially 7000 club players per year going to other sports.
After the devastating loss in the quarter-finals in the 2019 World Cup against the English, it still looks like it is getting worse. However, there is a positive that has come in the last few years, with the rise in the international sevens and the number of female participants, which has exploded. This is almost entirely because of the resounding success from the Australian women’s team, being number one in the world since they were introduced to the scene.
With people running grassroots rugby who have no idea what they are doing, the game is running headfirst into Jonah Lomu, which let’s face, isn’t good.
Funding
Grassroots rugby has been holding on for dear life just to keep the club alive. With everything done by volunteers, any money coming into the club is fought for between other neighbouring clubs and even other sports. They do this because the main source of income for the clubs are the players and spectators and local business sponsoring the club.
Every once in a while a club may be gifted a grant from NSW Rugby, which takes many hours of work from the volunteers and a long, drawn-out process, which normally ends in not getting the grant. Even with every player having to pay a registration fee, the clubs see very little of that as NSW Rugby and Rugby Australia take cuts of it.
This causes clubs to either break even or lose money after a season. This leaves clubs little choice but to either lose money or raise the registration fee, which causes people to leave the clubs further to other clubs.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Solution
The solution I’ve thought of is a simple fix. The solution is to get people in the big seats who enjoy the game and understand the nuances of the game. This will cause a resurgence of players as the clubs will have money to use, so the registration is lower.
With this happening, the next step is to fix the mid-level game, giving more incentive to play union instead of leaving for other codes. After a few years, this will then a make the international squad better, which will then cause more players to start in the lower levels once we start to perform better in the World Cup against the likes of New Zealand, England and South Africa.
But in order for this to happen, we need to reform the entire board from the CEO to the state boards and give those positions to people who love and understand the game, like old players. This will be difficult as it will take a long time and a lot of commotion will be caused.
With the great game of rugby being under threat in Australia, I don’t know all the answers and I don’t pretend to. But something needs to be done before this great game is gone.
Grassroots rugby is the start of the rugby journey to the national and international scenes.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Despite what you may be told, neither code of rugby is a major part of the culture here in WA. My own initial experience was watching the wallabies on TV as a kid. Union has a typical culture of a few catholic (& maybe others) private schools, and like I alluded to before, why aren't these potential talents funded i.e. schoolboy tours, scholarships to NSW, Qld clubs, etc? Now Perth is flooded with kiwis, saffas, poms etc. Pommy migrants basically all gravitate towards soccer and NOT the rugby codes (from my personal experience), kiwis & saffas remain patriotic all blacks & springboks supporters despite the fact they desire to live in Australia, and rarely return to their native lands. This national allegiance is also heavily geared towards supporting a SA/NZ SR team and NOT the Force, Rebels etc. So you have a double whammy of locals not caring, and presumed migrant supporters (NZ,SA etc) not buying in and supporting the local team. For example, the kiwi "Paulo" on here has lived in Melbourne for like a decade or more, raising his kids here too (possibly were even born here!), yet refuses to support the rebels ever. I even asked what's the point of the rebels (along with the presumed massive costs running it!) when a local Melbourne rugby fan won't buy in and support their local team?! These are a few of the major issues about why the SR comp is a failure, and was doomed to be one from the start, especially with ill advised expansion in a sport that is way down the pecking order here in Australia, but is still paying unrealistic huge remuneration as part of some silly philosophy that they need to compete with England/France/Japan, instead of letting a natural global rugby market/economy evolve like soccer, basketball etc. Plus the archaic rules from the amateur era that nations like Australia & NZ enforce about national team players needing to be domestically based still existing. The Giteau Law was a step in the right direction with a logical pragmatic approach, but it still isn't far enough really.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Micko: you are one up on me I thought the Force would be successful.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Well it's an unsustainable competition Jacko. It's has effectively started a war in Australia between the grassroots and administrators which is seeing the sport going broke with unrealistic remuneration for both Australia & NZ pro rugby players. It's a war that can't be won by rugby union in Australia & NZ with the current philosophy. International windows for tournaments and tours should be mandated by the global governing body. Archaic rules from the amateur days like forcing players to play domestically for national representation need to go.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Since the only local bloke I met who played the sport learnt it playing for a catholic private school (which seems to be the Australian culture) I think the best thing would be have schoolboy tours and recruit/give scholarships to talented Perth/WA kids to participate in eastern state amateur/semi pro SS etc. I never thought building big expensive plastic franchises like Force/Rebels etc would ever be successful or financially sustainable.
Tooly
Roar Rookie
Grass roots clubs will have to step up and save the game. RA and all that sail in her are finished.
Jacko
Guest
Micko the NRL and AFL are hardly paying big $$ compared to the Union clubs in the UK and thats who RA is competing with
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Micko: It is also about building something sustainable and that was the idea and I don't think anyone thought there would be a lack of interest in union in WA where there are many SA's and Pom's. To move that to Melbourne where there is even less interest was a very bold move that I disagreed with. If teams can't be financially self-sufficient in 3 years then you are flogging a dead horse whilst throwing money at it. BTW I assume that Melbourne is still a $$$ hole.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Rob9, not sure that your format will be what it becomes but I agree the current SR format is a dying beast with few eyeballs watching games that are outside of watchers time zone. I occasionally record a South African game or an Aussie/NZ side playing there but like most of us in Australia, we watch the 5.30 NZ game as the quality is high, then watch local game at 7.30 and that is it. Hardly a dream for FOX or whoever takes it over. Internationals are something else. I am starting to think contact sport is in trouble due to god knows what? Rugby as the minor contact sport here is the canary in the coal mine.
Micko
Roar Rookie
NSW & Qld are literally where the sport is played though! There's nothing wrong with this. I never supported the Force as the sport really isn't played here in WA, and never been a part of the culture, so naturally a franchise was going to emerge with basically expat NSW & Qld players. You have to acknowledge the limits of what you can do sometimes.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The alternative is to send the sport broke jeznez...as is currently happening! Rugby Union in Australia just can't compete with AFL & NRL, so paying these players AFL & NRL type salaries is ridiculous and unsustainable!
Micko
Roar Rookie
This ridiculous notion that the best Aussie players have to play here to avoid an exodus to Europe & Japan, so excessive remuneration is paid out to SR players, is sending the code broke in Australia...and even NZ is suffering! It's no coincidence that Aussies & kiwis seem to be the main ones screaming out for a new international format, as rugby union in Australia & NZ is desperate for a large cash grab as Super Rugby, NRC etc are essentially white elephants with seemingly an ever decreasing amount of public support. There needs to be a reality check that this is just financially unsustainable. The same way we accept the A League will never have Australia's top soccer players in their prime, but we won't send the sport broke paying these players ridiculous salaries to ensure they play domestically. There needs to be a reset here, with a domestic comp and salaries that are financially sustainable.
Jacko
Guest
Don thanks for pointing all those stats out as my experience with rugby at a junior level is that its definately on the up. This year was the largest junior registration numbers for the club my grandchildren are part of. Its easy to deal in doom and gloom all the time but I like facts and yours are very welcome.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The point Rob was making KCOL that's flown over your head is that the tribalism rugby union has rejected is what makes the NRL & AFL successful, and should be the way forward for rugby union. Imagine my shock KCOL when I found out not one, but two national football codes held their grand finals in Perth last year: the A League GF with over 56,000 @ Optus Stadium, plus the white elephant NRC had a GF played in front of about a thousand or two down at the UWA ground. How will that comp be successful when it doesn't engage it's major hub of grassroots supporters? Super Rugby itself has lost major support with it's grassroots rugby fans.
jeznez
Roar Guru
CH, big part of the disconnect between club and pro in Sydney is that as soon as a player starts going well for his local club. There are two Super sides looking to pick him off and he heads off to play in John Dent or Dewar instead. Something you Force fans will be well aware of seeing guys like Welborn back in the day and this season Deegan, McDonald and Tizzano moving for their next step.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Rugby in WA has largely recovered from the decimation caused by Rugby (East Coast) Australia attempt to destroy it. We have a fourteen club FMG Premier Grade. There is not the great disconnect between the professional players and the clubs that appears to be the case in NSW. Western Force Players are all required to contribute to their local clubs and to make themselves available for selection in Premier Grade if not required for the Force that weekend. All are required to gain a Level 2 Coach accreditation. The town was abuzz with the start of Global Rapid Rugby which unfortunately only played one round before the shutdown.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
The current RA Board: Cameron Clyne - Ex Club Rugby Player and Westpac CEO Brett Robinson - Ex Brumbies & Wallabies Raelene Castle - Career sports administrator Pip Marlow - Former Microsoft Aus MD, Saleforce CEO Paul McLean - Ex Reds & Wallabies. Savills CEO Hayden Rorke - Ex Gordon President & South Pacific Paper MD Phil Waugh - Ex Waratahs & Wallabies John Wilson - ARF Chairman. Also other business history Tim Gavin - Ex Waratahs & Wallabies The RA board is dominated with ex players it seems. Only Marlow and Castle have no experience in rugby in some capacity prior. John Wilson was with the Australian Rugby Foundation prior to RA. The biggest thing it is light on is experienced sports administrators.
jeznez
Roar Guru
The new NSW CEO is Paul Doorn, by all reports a good man from St Pat’s in Sydney Subbies. Does he qualify? Or should it have been Phil Kearns?
jeznez
Roar Guru
Apologies JD, you did say this is the solution, although I also note you do say you don’t have all the answers. I’m just not sure how what you have proposed is any different from what we have today. Regardless
jeznez
Roar Guru
Definitely tough times but I do sit back and think what is the worst case for rugby in Oz. We'd no longer be able to participate in Super, our strongest players would further move off-shore and we'd likely progress towards a Football model. National competition, best players leaving for big clubs overseas and a complete removal of the Gits Law. The Wallabies would should be able to maintain or better their current world ranking. They'd have upside of being able to select their strongest players, countered by downside of having them for less time.
JD994
Roar Rookie
I agree, but who will lead the way for this? and who will build the culture that Australia needs as New Zealand did?