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Opinion
Whilst the ARU successfully spent good money to commission Accenture to deliver a strategy document in 2016, they failed miserably to deliver results.
In fact things has since turned for the worst, not just worse. The game audience tanked, the organisation fell intro disarray, the global rankings dropped like a lead balloon.
Whilst COVID also played a role in the games decline, there is a more strategic reason for this. Whilst one could point to the bloated administration, or the high cost of pilfering league players. The latest pilfer cost $1.6 million for Joseph Suaalii.
The big problem is the lack of teaching players on how to pilfer the pill – i.e. coach development.
First case: the Brumbies. Everybody knows that the Brumbies are one of the best “club-level” teams on the planet.
Just about everyone knows it’s because of its foundations on the breakdown and set piece. Just about everyone also knows it’s because of “the Lord” Laurie Fisher.
Everyone in the team, all of its alumni, are world class in the scrum and more importantly, loose scrums: breakdowns and mauls.
(Photo by Ian Jacobs/MB Media/Getty Images)
It begs the question, where is the Laurie Fisher school of forwards coaching? Things like this, are the reason Rugby is a failure in Australia. The coaches are the high-priests of the game. Not just matches, or tournaments. The lack of competitive coaches is our issue, at all levels.
The second case: the National Coaching Scheme wonderfully lead by Dick Marks, created in the 1974. It was applied for all levels of coaching. They collected, localised, developed, and spread the best intellectual property across the nation.
It was credited to be the reason for Australian Rugby’s ascendance to the top; not just the top of the world. More importantly, it was atop of Australian winter sports, especially New South Wales and Queensland.
Our rugby started to crash the moment ARU took grassroots coaching for granted and stupidly parked the function under the Wallabies coach, ostensibly part of its pathway strategy.
Australian rugby has since crumbled and never recovered.
In 2017, Rod Kafer was asked and tasked to revive coaching competency as head of national coaching advisory panel, but was immediately embroiled in elite rugby machinations. He quit not long after.
After baulking at the idea of partnering with the Kiwis, we now have an coaching NGO called the International Rugby Academy of Australia known as IRAA with 21 year-old IRANZ (International Rugby Academy of New Zealand).
The sponsor is Investec, a South African firm.
The South Africans something similar in 2009, called the Investec International Rugby Academy with limited cooperation with New Zealand. They generally had limited success, until the advent of Rassie Erasmus. I am not sure what academy programmes he attended.
But these are not dedicated coaching programmes. Also, they are focused on pathways. They are also not under the direction of the Rugby administration.
It means they have to pay extra to capture the intellectual property (IP).
There are also great initiatives as highlighted by Geoff Parkes attended by coaches of all levels. But they are sporadic and not organised to propagate high-quality coaching at all levels.
What Australian rugby needs is to dedicate a programme for coaches; and only for coaches. It should be for all levels of the game, and beyond pathways. It needs to be led by someone responsible for the outcomes.
Australia needs pervasive high-quality coaches at the school level and club level. It should not only be at elite schools and elite clubs. It should be all schools and all clubs.
The key should be to win over the communities to play the game at whatever level they can compete on. They will attract the best possible talent with the best possible qualities. Then the match and tournament winning starts.
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.