I still call Australia home: Why do we turn our backs on ex-pat Wallabies?

If it's worth comparing, the Pumas had their best world cup performances when the bulk of their players where in Europe, they left Argentina being good players, and after a few years in the best European teams, in 2007 and 2015 they were top 4. When they were basically the Jaguares, they were too predictive, too wide and didn't transition well from Super rugby to test matches But the European based players brought the style of play you see in world cups, win or go home, not the stype of play many Australians like, but the 1999 Wallabies where not the most expansive team in the world? Still world champions..... Can you translate that into the Wallabies? Why not? the wallabies tight 5 can learn a few tricks playing in France and UK. Will more players migrate? Yes, and that will open the doors to emerging talent. Is not perfect but is working, the only thing that can't be learnt overseas is hunger to win, fighting spirit, and after seeing the collapse of most Aussie teams in SR except for the force (surprise surprise full on foreigners) that is IMO the biggest problem in most Aussie teams.......

Ken, I agree with your last suggestion re incremental change totally - a good base to work from. I agree with other comments that it is difficult to find the balance between giving some players the chance to develop in new set-ups, cultures but, while doing that, they're not playing for Wallabies. Skelton and Arnolds are good examples, Skelton in particular has transformed over here in Europe but no benefit for Wallabies. I like the idea of some continuing hybrid of 'Giteau's Law`, maybe involving Japan, as suggested or even saying a certain number of o/s players (e.g. 2-4) will be picked in a squad each year and those players take the risk. The bottom line is if we can improve the Wallabies performance in the meantime, most players will want to be part of that

The solution is simple - Wallabies need to win. Im happy watching Club rugby, if it means our Wallabies dominate and win another World Cup. Open it up, slow overseas players - pick on merit the best team that the coach needs - if people want to leave this great country to pursue money, let them. I think we need to take a few steps backwards, before Australian Rugby moves forwards. The additional numbers flowing into the game, will see Aussie rugby in good stead for the future as interests piques and the Wallabies start winning again?

Long live the mighty mighty Bears!

Would you want to come back to the constant political sh&8fight that is the ARU and the states? Great at telling everyone what they are going to do and then having a list as long as your arm when it doesn't happen. Sure, there is the same political crap in every country but at least they are getting paid a wedge, have a chance to do some different things and come home when they feel like it. Not a difficult decision.

yeah that was me. Pretty decent season tipping wise, I only dropped one game in each competition.

Potentially, there could be some merit in this and I even get several of your points about redistribution and leveling the playing field. The issue is going to be how you unscramble the egg that is the central contracts in use now..

Short answer I suppose it that we didn't, they turned their back on Australian rugby. The system didn't change to target them, they made a decision in full possession of the facts.

“ not sure why people are so afraid of change” I, for one, am all for change ‘97. The birth of the Brumbies was a significant change in the history of Oz rugby, for example. But the word ‘change’ has a variety of meanings. One that I am wary about is what I call ‘bridge-burning) change, those actions that have irreversible cultural outcomes (like allowing the rugby schism 100+ years ago). It’s fine to burn bridges with the security of an alternative downstream (upstream bridges tend to be difficult to reach), but cultural bridge burning as an radical experiment is imprudent IMO. I favour incremental change from bases that are working, e.g. * SRAU - keep it, protect it * TT- keep it, but strengthen a limited number of OZ teams * Shute comp, keep it, foster it, but after GF funnel its tribalism into a geographically connected NRC * Wallabies, adjust O/S policy to suit long term cultural goals as well as short term victory goals.

It is for the money. There just comes a point where a player will weigh up the financial benefits against the probability of being selected and the value they assign to that. Gill and McMahon did their sums and it is easy to sympathise with their choice. There are obviously players who are likely to be selected but in their case the value of the Wallaby jumper to them is clearly not so great compared to the financial benefits for them and their family. The lifetime value of an AB jersey is probably not what it once was, but it is still a very significant achievement in their society. The Wallaby jumper has nothing like that significance in Australia.

Also liquorbox congratulations on the pick and drive superbru if thats you. Didnt join the league this year as i only just started listening to them but I'll be coming for your title next season haha

Hey Brett, slightly off topic but i thought you would be a.good person to ask. How do Wallabies contacts actually work? I’ve been thinking about this middle tier of player who is often being lost to Australia because they’re seemingly not nationally contracted and therefore doesn’t think they’re in with a chance of Wallabies selection. Would it be better to boost super rugby salary caps, no longer have Wallabies contracts and then pay players match/squad/win bonuses for Wallabies tests? Therefore realistically everyone has an apparent equal shot at Wallabies. And we dont end up with a large group of top ups at one club. It would be the same amount of money overall but distributed differently. I think it would help to level the playing field for the Force and Rebels in particular. Would this be problematic for the Wallabies if then all the SR clubs put that money into similar positions leaving us short in other positions? Just a thought.

Unfortunately i dont think any parades will be happening regardless if our best players aren't playing for the national team. Simply, currently we do not have the resources or depth to win anything operating within our current limits. Believe me though i would absolutely love to eat humble pie and we go on to win the Bledisloe and World Cups with a bunch of blokes playing here. I just think some people forget that its not 1991 or 1999 anymore.

During my playing days was always in a team coming close but never winning. Plus im a huge Brumbies fan. The 1997 Brumbies seem to fit. It terms of trying something else. Im not sure why people are so afraid of change, its worked out ok for the tv coverage despite some naysayers. We can always go back to our policy now if it doesn't work ounce our finances are stronger. A possibility thrown around is if, and its a big if, we can get Japanese comp alignment with ours and those clubs into some form of crossover maybe we could select from there. It would reduce problems like access, time zones and travel. And give our top players a competitive wage against the pound and euro.

DR will have a Cheika like winning percentage and then promise the fans he is building towards something,the rest of you can buy that,I wont,I am convinced DR is not the coach that can lead the Wallabies to a RWC title. A reason for Wallaby failure under DR will be his dodgy selections but above all the main reason will be the fact that he doesnt realise he is coaching AUS rugby players who have gone through a lower level of player development than NZL players,IT NEEDS A AUS APPROACH,prefereably from a AUS coach that has been involved at different age levels in Australia. The Success of the Springboks was based on its talented youngsters being coached at every level by quality,from White to PDV,then back to White and you had Rassie and Meyer inbetween coaching and ensuring young talents reached full potential.

Well we differ greatly, I would want a winning Wallabies team to win the cup and return home to Australia so that the country can celebrate with TV appearances and parades etc. I dont want the winning team to return to French Rugby and have a cup with no players return to Australia.

Gill was never going to get a fair chance no matter how good he was. It's not fair to claim everyone leaves for money,there are other reasons aswell.

“ cashed up clubs already have more power than national sides.” This I understand to be the case in Europe. My point is to be part of a solution not add to the problem. Your logic of - “why don’t we try it, nothing else has worked” - doesn’t wash with me. There are other options to explore before the abandonment of a national rugby culture to the chequebooks of foreign clubs. PS. Your moniker intrigues me. 1997 was a very good year in the ACT. I remember it well.

So our local comp is world class? So we need to protect our current system that is giving the New Zealanders a run for their money? Do you mean that the Socceroos have a worse team now that its best players play abroad and the A league is pathetic? In reality our domestic comp is not what is used to be. Why not pick from the best players available and if that means they are playing in a world class comp. Then our wallabies will be better for it. We can still keep our domestic comp and it will become a feeder system for europe and japan and in the long run provide a better feeder system than the present where a lot of our juniors are lost to nrl.

Tbh liquorbox i couldn't care less where a player is playing as long as they're representing Australia proudly. Id rather watch a Wallabies player based in France lift the world cup than a player based in Sydney get another participation medal.