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Joined July 2019
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Agreed. I have a lot of respect for Lynagh but he seems to be harking back to a past era where the game is essentially a private school, NSW-Queensland game. Small and for an elite. I guess that could be one way to go but I doubt it’s going to work.
For me, if we want a strong southern hemisphere competition there has to be a NZ-Australian based professional competition (and a southern hemisphere country comp) that works (probably shared players as well as players from the pacific). NRL and AFL have shown that this is the stronger & more sustainable financial model. If either country want’s to keep their players here then we had better co-operate pretty quickly to make this happen fast. Change is here.
'Laughing at us': Wallabies legend fears doomsday scenario for Australian rugby, urges 'bold' solution
Agree wholeheartedly with your analysis and description of the funk that rugby is in. At the professional level it seems to be a corporate game that is disconnected from the suburban clubs, so it’s no wonder it’s losing support. Maybe the suburban clubs need their own breakaway organisation to be able to represent a different view of rugby and to try and exert influence from there.
The one thing I disagree with is that a different coach wouldn’t have mattered. The problem with the change in coach was what it communicated about RA and it’s values. Instead of putting faith in the best staff and players to represent us it was time for games and snake oil. Unfortunately EJ was at the heart of that. I am not astute enough to judge DR’s coaching but it would have been much easier to feel that the Wallabies were doing their best.
This is the brutal reality: There are Aussies desperate to see Wallabies fail, and many want to see the sport's complete demise
Deadful organisation and culture in Australian rugby.
The entitlement factor is huge – there is no acceptance that we don’t have a right to be at the top so any coach or player who can’t beat the all-blacks etc is no good. And so we end up sacking a coach who was probably doing a decent job to chase fairy dust.
Winning seems to be the only ingredient that matters because the assumption is that if we are not winning then no one will love rugby and it will all fall apart. So all the short term tricks to get a win, like a new coach, a nrl player, or getting rid of the older players, are pulled even though they diminish any other reason for supporting the sport.
They need to find someone who doesn’t believe all this and develop a solid super comp with NZ and put value into the players and clubs. Build a comp where people care if their club wins!
The Wrap: With Wallabies done and dusted in 15 miserable days, who do we trust to take Australian rugby forward?
Good article, what you have brought up for me Geoff if a much broader sense of discontent. It feels like there is a serious problem with the culture of rugby in Australia and it isn’t about being tough and winning.
– It’s about a game in this country that not representative and comes out of privileged circles,
– it is about a game that seems to be run by a small clique of business people coming from the same families
– it is about a game that tries to get legitimacy or support from the rest of the country simple on the basis that the wallabies are successful. Every year there is soul searching as to how the game can remain popular if the wallabies aren’t winning. There is a lack of broad community connection outside small specific populations. The profile of the game rests entirely on the wallabies and a handful of Franchises and players, who will leave the country for the sake of their career as soon as it appears that they don’t have a pathway to the wallabies.
– its a game that will shaft a coach to install one who is essentially focused on self-promotion and willing to roll the die regardless of what the rugby community might want because it will build his legend regardless the outcome. In a decent sport you pick the best players and give them their chance to represent their country because they have earned it and you support them to do the best that they can do, what ever that is.
I think times have changed and people are just moving on because the game doesn’t connect or represent them. Personally, I played amateur rugby in the 90’s and have followed it ever since, but I don’t see anything improving in terms of culture and don’t feel these people represent me.
The Wrap: Is Eddie Jones playing the role of Keyser Soze or Frank Drebin?
I just don’t know how you got here.
If his ‘crime’ was being a poor player or a poor captain then improving himself or having another go makes sense BUT he is under suspicion of sexual assault (grievously injuring people) even though he has been found innocent (rightly pointed out above) and doesn’t deny some morally reprehensible behaviour. How are these things being put on the table together? Maybe if he wants to improve himself or have another go he needs to engage in some actions that demonstrate he has good qualities as a human being. Being promoted with the captaincy is about being honoured not about him improving himself.
And how is he being cancelled – well in the smallest of possible ways, by not being honoured with captaincy. The author isn’t saying he should play or should be restricted in other ways in life. I think some perspective is really needed.
Making de Belin captain of Dragons a sad indictment on a club that doesn't know what true leadership looks like
I agree, in that I don’t think that winning the world cup or success is sufficient to establish a sense of solidity in Australian rugby, although I’m sure it helps it’s popularity. I think the only way is to have a strong club structure that is connected with grass roots and which has a majority of voting power on the board. I don’t know the answer to how to get this but think that super rugby is undermining the structure of AU rugby while also paying the bills. Maybe every super rugby club should have 3 more traditional feeder clubs that it represents and can draw players from. Having the game run by people who are not connected to our rugby communities in any obvious way I think just turns people off.
The Wrap: Rugby Australia get their man but at what cost to their 'junk bond status' reputation?
I’m not sure if it’s true because I don’t know enough about the way the administration works, but all this leaves me with the impression of rugby as a game that is still run by a small clique of ex private school boys / business figures, that is not representative or reliable in the decisions that are made. It has that feel whether or not Jones turns out to be a good decision, although it will obviously be ignored if he is successful.
There have been some really good articles in the last couple of week on the roar exploring structural problems facing Australian rugby – about money, the effect of European clubs, levels of competition, etc. There isn’t a sense of decisions being made openly by the rugby community as to how to address these problems, instead there are backroom deals done by small numbers of people who control everything. I’d think the biggest problem that rugby has in Australia is that the game is largely disconnected from the community, and this isn’t improving or changing.
The Wrap: Rugby Australia get their man but at what cost to their 'junk bond status' reputation?
I agree that the Aussie NZ comp sounds like a good idea. I don’t understand why we can’t have 10 teams that are made up of Kiwis and Aussies – ie some of the teams based in au would have Kiwi players. I never hear this mentioned so the must be some reason, maybe someone can explain to me. Given that our Super rugby teams aren’t really representative anyway (the brumbies weren’t all canberra players etc) I can only see positives for everyone. Suddenly the whole competition is of interest to everyone because they are mixed teams and we all get a really domestic competition that might make enough money to support itself. More Kiwi’s might get to play super rugby and more Australian states get teams (exposing more Australian kids to rugby). Is this ever considered?
How five plus five doesn’t add up: Part 1, 2021 transition
I think the experience shows that there isn’t sufficient space to fund or have 3 tiers of rugby competition – it’s way to complicated, people doesn’t have the energy to support all the different comps and so there isn’t money to fund them. This way of thinking, of trying to preserve the clubs and super rugby as they are ( while inserting another comp), has stagnated any progress. Super rugby has to become a professional comp based in NZ & Aust and the lower levels need to feed this comp simply because this model can actually fund itself, including the retention of players. The old semi-professional structure doesn’t fund player retention or a solid enough comp.
I do agree with you that the international focus is an important and good point of difference. A more coordinated structure should allow countries to maintain this as well – perhaps the professional comp in each country will lose plays for some games, but that is the compromise that would have to be made.
'Laughing at us': Wallabies legend fears doomsday scenario for Australian rugby, urges 'bold' solution