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Some positives from COVID
gatesy
Roar Guru
27th August, 2020
13
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gatesy
Roar Guru
27th August, 2020
13

I am loving this season, not the least for the fact that we are all theorising.

Nobody knows what is going to happen next – there is no trans-Tasman rugby – that is proving to be a positive, as far as I can tell. I did write at the start of this season that we should put everything on the table for discussion and I think we have done that, and the outcomes have been great.

When or if it (normality) ever resumes is anyone’s guess, but, for now, we are seeing some very positive footy being played on both sides of the ditch (yeah, Kiwi cuz, we know you miss us, just admit it) – better the devil and all that jazz, and all of a sudden we have all these young guys from last year’s under-20s.

Let’s not forget, it was France that we lost to in the final, not New Zealand – who is talking those blokes up? Any names popping up, yet?

The whole of Australian rugby has been revitalised in a few short months, though some of us have been bashing on about this for a while.

The beauty of this season is that the lads are living in a bubble and they don’t have to be continually jumping on aeroplanes and travelling halfway around the world for a game – they are getting good preparation time, and they don’t have far to travel. It has to help, and yes we feel sorry for the Force and the Rebels who can’t play in front of their home crowds, but let’s face it, with restricted crowds, there is probably not much detriment there, and being on a tour does tend to cement relationships in squads, in any event.

We have five teams, which means five head coaches who don’t have to cope with different cultural issues, the challenges of getting their teams ready – with travel in the mix – then short preparation and turn around times, different time zones and even atmospheric challenges, playing at altitudes that they have to quickly acclimatise to.

I don’t know about you, but I have absolutely enjoyed this season more than many others. Club footy is back and is very interesting. You can now live stream and watch footy in most states every Saturday – NSW Rugby is on a major network – RA is working on the next TV deal – I have confidence that they will get a good, or at least, reasonable deal to send our way for the foreseeable future.

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Tom Banks chases the ball

(Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)

COVID-19 has been described as a “Black Swan event” – economists define this as an event that renders sensible fiscal planning impossible – there have only been a few “black swan” events in the 20th and 21st centuries, such as the Great Depression, 9/11, the GFC, etc, so you can see how this COVID pandemic fits in.

So, if rugby can’t plan too far ahead, don’t panic, Roarers – we are in a great place.

I can’t wait to see what comes out of this years’ crop of under-20s even if the poor blokes have been denied international competition – that doesn’t stop them from being great players.

Let’s stay positive, troops, there are great days ahead for Aussie rugby.

13
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