Australian rugby has had a rocky ride in the last few months (years perhaps, decades even) but let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s look ahead to when (not if) calm returns to our embattled sport and the most pressing priorities for the revitalised leadership.
Most of us are probably hoping that new Rugby Australia (RA) chair Daniel Herbert and CEO Phil Waugh will thoughtfully identify the way forward, unite the warring tribes and pave the way for the restoration of Australian rugby’s reputation for quality and innovation. The theory, of course, is that if RA does its job, the scoreboard should look after itself.
Promisingly, Herbert has already suggested that the board won’t seek short-term sugar hits. But given both he and Waugh are relatively new to their roles, here are some hints about what’s important.
1. Model honesty and openness
Vision of anguished Rob Valetini, Angus Bell and Nick Frost following the Wallabies’ loss to Wales in their Rugby World Cup pool match should become a moment of enlightenment for Australian rugby.
The agonising rawness of the moment was the blast of reality that Australian rugby needed after months of bombast, spin and ultimately empty promises of glory being within the Wallabies’ grasp. Despite a certain duo (they who shall not be named) making repeated claims of wanting to save Australian rugby, neither seemed sufficiently self-aware to realise that they themselves posed the biggest danger to our game.
The new era will eschew spin for honesty and narratives for the simple truth. Beyond a few corporate types, rugby fans by and large are not given to blazer-wearing or braggadocio. There’s no stereotype. We’re as diverse as the players, and mostly respectful, thoughtful, knowledgeable and deeply concerned. We smell BS from a mile away so let’s be done with it, and tell it how it is from now on – constructively, of course.
Rob Valetini consoles Nick Frost of Australia at full-time following the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Wales and Australia at Parc Olympique on September 24, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
2. Let the kids play
Somehow, despite a succession of crises at the elite level and the Wallabies’ slide down rugby’s greasy pole, kids still seem to love the game. They turn up to club games and Super Rugby Pacific and Super W matches and fan days, even if – as David Campese claims – they don’t know a single player’s name. Some even play rugby, enough to ensure a decent supply chain of talent through the pathways. We can’t take it for granted, however, so ensuring rugby wins young hearts and minds is a must.
Supporting established rugby schools – from Joeys in Sydney to Brisbane State High – so they continue to underpin our playing ranks is essential and surely very achievable given existing connections. Getting rugby into more public schools, however, is vexing.
When you consider the talent that has received government schooling, from Mark Ella (Matraville High) to Valetini (Westall Secondary), it’s clear that there’s a rich vein of rugby potential at government schools but how much talent slips through the cracks? This website has already covered the great work being done at Fountain Gate Secondary College in Melbourne but is there a role for RA through the states and territories to deliver kid-friendly rugby programs or provide training for interested teacher-coaches? It doesn’t have to start big, but it must be a consistent, ongoing commitment, and requires development officers on the ground. From little things, big things grow.
3. A question of skill
Talking of kids, let’s get them upskilled while they’re having fun. Every man, woman and their dog is is incessantly complaining about skills in the professional ranks. So, let’s invest in the creation of quality RA-endorsed rugby skills programs available to any schools and clubs that want them, ensuring young players are developing constantly and consistently. A company run by former Wallaby and renowned schools coach Barry Honan apparently created a well-regarded multimedia coaching program consisting of drills and exercises for schools coaches some decades back. Perhaps there’s a conversation to be had about dusting this off and updating it for the current era.
Of course, development is as important for coaches as it is for players. It’s widely accepted that the demise of the national coaching director position, originally held by Dick Marks was a mistake. Do we revive the position? Do we reinvent it? The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC), to which Marks, Honan and several other luminaries have contributed, was set up a few years ago to interrogate key areas of our game. We’ve seen the committee’s influence in the trialling of experimental laws and revival of the Australia A program. Phil Waugh, there’s a lot on your plate right now but getting NTAC’s input into a more robust approach to coaching skills and pathways is probably even more important than the next broadcast deal.
4. Hear her roar
The more the Wallabies struggle, the greater the scrutiny. The greater the scrutiny, the more they struggle. National coaches being summarily sacked or walking out in a huff just adds to the unwanted attention on the players. It’s not fair on a pretty young and green team to expect it to carry the weight of our rugby nation under that kind of pressure, especially when there’s a golden rugby story to tell right under RA’s noses.
Yes, I’m talking about Australia’s women’s sevens team, which in 2022 won the triple crown – Commonwealth Games gold, as well as Sevens World Cup and World Series – and are major contenders for Olympic gold in 2024. They’re not only winners but great characters, including the sister act of Maddison and Teagan Levi who could be superstars. RA’s PR department has probably been in fulltime damage control in recent years but, for goodness’ sake, the Wallabies don’t always have to be the shopfront window. There’s a glittering opportunity to get the girls out and about not only in the media but in the community on the runway to the Paris Games. They are the story right now, so tell it!
5. Putting the super back into rugby
Super Rugby Pacific or Super Rugby AU? It’s a question that occupies much space and time on this and other websites. But the reality is that we are committed to Super Rugby Pacific for the remainder of the decade. That’s a good thing. It represents certainty, of which we are sorely in need. Not only that, our provincial teams get to play the provincial teams of consistently the best rugby playing nation on earth every second week or so, as well as two Pasifika teams, with one a rising power. And we still get to indulge our own state-v-state tribalism, multiple times in a season.
Queensland’s Harry Hoopert. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)
Super Rugby is what we make it and it could be an absolute gem. If we fully exploit its possibilities as a celebration of Pacific-style rugby and culture, it could be even better than the original iteration of Super Rugby. That’s why the new Super Rugby Pacific Commission, if it does what it’s supposed to with the active support of RA, could be the most positive development this year. It needs to restore the integrity of the tournament, to eradicate the perception that the competition exists purely as prelude to the Test season. Super Rugby Pacific must start pulling its weight, in terms of capturing hearts, minds, media attention and dollars. The competition must be thrilling, the atmosphere intoxicating and the teams well-resourced with top coaches and our best players so that between February and June, it’s all anyone is talking about.
So, there you have it, my list for Herbie, Waughie and the other decision-makers at RA. Most of it is not new, of course, and many in the rugby community will have one or more of these among their own priorities. It’s likely too that our rugby custodians are quietly active in some or all of these spaces without the wider community being aware of it. That’s all we can ask. Do your job and the scoreboard will look after itself.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
The Trouble is that Rugby is CH9's whipping boy. They say jump and RA says how high. It would be nice having games on TV at 7pm but good luck with that. Nine will put it on at midnight if it chooses. At least with SBS we might get a true partner. This is a good example of where we need to start putting the customer first. Everyone knows that RA is desperate for the dollars, so it is a difficult choice.
Patrick
Perhaps RA need to take a short-term hit, put the game and its community first and work with a broadcaster that truely wants to grow the game for the fans. Perhaps start with Wallabies and Wallaroos Tests rather than SRP.
JC
Roar Rookie
Hearing you, Rocky. Part of the problem has been the overwhelming financial pressures which almost force administrators to look for quick fixes rather than long-term sustainable progress. It’s likely that even experienced administrators from other sports would struggle given rugby’s unique challenges. At least Waugh and Herbert know rugby inside and out. Let’s see what they can do.
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@JC Thanks for some practical specifics - I agree with all. But I repeat that just having been a Board member of a small Rugby franchise is totally inadequate experience for the jobs Waugh/Herbert now hold. We need top professionals with PHD/Master Degrees in Sport Administration, plus minimum 10 years experience in managing a LARGE pro sport body. Anything less is a pathetic joke. These guys are just shonky bankers/business men who used to be good rugby players. Waugh/Herbert will be given their chance to shine and there's nothing any fan can do to influence that. And... that's another big issue JC. RA are so backward they don't engage with fans or the Super Rugby franchises. RA have locked us all out. They don't publish reports on important rugby issues and they don't seek public participation, comment and engagement on any issue. So there's no collective ownership or support for any proposed solutions. This is how defunct backward management agencies used to behave in the 1980s. RA continue to be an archaic rabble of amateurs attempting to manage a pro sport in 2023. So I have no confidence in anything they do :)
JC
Roar Rookie
Thanks, Coker. No one has all the answers but the Roar community has produced some gems over the years! Amid all the doom and gloom, I really think rugby has plenty of upside. It’s a matter of identifying the positives and optimising them.
Coker
Roar Rookie
Good article. Perhaps, as RR argues, there are some details to be ironed out, but that's what those paid the big bucks at RA are expected to sort out.
JC
Roar Rookie
He started out well enough but the problem with is when one person thinks they have all the answers. If he’d stuck with broadcast and sponsor negotiations, it might have been okay but getting involved in high performance matters was catastrophic.
JC
Roar Rookie
Must have missed those.
JC
Roar Rookie
Agree about SBS but I wonder if it has the finances to pay for Super Rugby? Christy Doran has made the point that Stan is not paying enough for rugby, which is adding to RA’s problems. Getting even less from SBS would be disastrous. Making rugby more family friendly is an important point but again it also needs to be at a broadcast friendly time. Perhaps 7pm would be a happy medium?
TPC
Roar Rookie
The ex-chair did two supremely dumb things, sacking Marinos and hiring Eddie.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
I also think that SBS have a good set of values and appear very competent at what they do unlike a certain other channel I could name.
Billy Boy
Roar Rookie
You forgot to mention the tears in Skelton’s eyes after the Welsh game
Billy Boy
Roar Rookie
:thumbup: :thumbup:
Patrick
Good article and sentiments on all fronts. I wrote an article last week about the grassroots and to add to your list of 'to do' and 'food for thought' for Rugby Australia: - I know lots of people that don't watch rugby anymore. Their young kids don't watch rugby because of the time it's played at. As they get a bit older they don't have any heros who play rugby which is why they play league. Hence why my article focused solely on Wallabies playing afternoon Tests on the weekend. - At the moment rugby doesn't have an audience compared to league and AFL so they don't have any bargaining power. An idea suggested to me by someone who knows his stuff suggested that the smartest thing to do would be to sell the rights at a discount to SBS. Yes niche, but a national audience. SBS know how to turn a niche sport into a cult sport e.g. Tour de France.
JC
Roar Rookie
Spot on, Dionysus. RA should look at the ROI for everything, while understanding that some initiatives take time to deliver. Love the Canadian slogan. Every kid should have a chance to experience rugby, and not just for the sake of our pathways but for the enjoyment and life lessons they stand to gain. Finances underpin everything, of course, but if we can get the Sevens Women and Super Rugby at least sustainable and ideally profitable, it would take the pressure off the Wallabies program to do all the heavy financial lifting
JC
Roar Rookie
Thanks for reading, RR. I do understand your pessimism. My original draft was far more negative but on reflection there’s plenty of opportunity to rebuild. Herbert and Waugh deserve a chance. Waugh has served in both the Waratahs and RA boards so he must have an inside view of how sports admin works, likewise Herbert at the QRU. In terms of practical steps such as building the profile of the sevens women, RA could look to create opportunity for those stars to be seen more. A Super Sevens comp perhaps, moving around the country year by year, ncluding Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, to follow the Oceania Sevens? Yes, it would require money but there must be sponsors who’d leap at the opportunity to have Caslick, the Levi sisters or Terita as the face of their brand. With Super Rugby, you could look to build on the personal, state and country rivalries, and invest in the celebration of Pacific sport and culture.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
My biggest worry is over Rugby's finances. This is an aspect of the game (business) that is often hidden from fans and yet can have the biggest impact on our game in all of these areas out into the future. We are borrowing money on the strength of a golden period of Rugby just around the corner (where have we heard that one before) with a strong focus on Elite Players and Systems. I feel that in Australia, we almost have to say stuff the golden decade and go back to putting all our efforts into grass roots rugby and the basics of the business. We have to rebuild from the bottom up. We have to support efforts like the Fountain Gate thing and build structures and pathways that excite our youngsters. We have to count and recount every penny and not spend anything unless there is a clear return. Stop worrying about glory at the next WC, if it comes then so and good but it is what we are doing internally that really matters. Rugby needs to behave as if we were in "Administration" focus on survival not taking on the NRL or worrying about whether some kid defects or not. We need a simple clear direction for Rugby that restores faith and confidence in what we are trying to do and rallies all the moms and pops and part timers and myriad of others to put in every week and restore those solid foundations that Rugby today so desperately needs. A slogan adopted by a Canadian Rugby League club has always felt so apt for us here in Australia and would serve well as a goal. That slogan was "to put a Rugby Ball in every kids hands" because that is where RA needs to focus.
Rocky's Rules
Roar Rookie
@JC I thank you for a well meaning and sincere article. I feel obliged to throw in some reality however. Just like their dodgy predessessors neither P Waugh or D Herbert have any qualifications in Sports Administration. Waugh has zero actual previous experience and Herbet has only 2 years as part time CEO of the Reds. A much smaller body. After Rugby Waugh was a executive for one of Australia disreputable banks. Herbert owns a Strata Managing company. No one else on the RA Board has any qualifications, or experience, in Sports Administration either. This chronic lack of competence is a pathetic joke for any professional sport administration in 2023. Just having been a great past player was totally inadequate by the 1990's. So reality dictates we should expect RA to continue to be as incompetent as they've always been. They're an archaic amateur body trying to manage a pro sport in 2023. So let's move to your suggestions. 1) Modesty and Openness - Yes nice general sentiments. Given that Waugh is a McLennan plant, is an ex Comm Bank executive and has previously shown no modesty, openness and little integrity so far, why would you expect to get any from him in the future. Herbert is an unknown. 2) Support Kids - While stating the obvious that there's loads of potential talent in public schools you have no specific proposals to re-introduce rugby into that untapped sector. As the entire RA Board come from private schools, and have no experience working in the education sector, why would you expect them to implement anything to improve that situation. 3) Improve Skills - A Rugby skills program. Yes people have been talking about that for 15 years. It's been tried in Aust before too. Do you have any practical suggestions to make it work this time? 4) Support Women - Nice sentiments again. Are you aware that Waugh (presumably Herbert also) were both supporters of the 2023 decisions to keep the ladies teams in economy class plane flights and hotels while refusing them a pay increase. 5) Improve Super Rugby - Yes can't imagine anyone would disagree. Do you have any specific practical suggestions how?