Good insight, nice suggestions, I don’t personally agree but love that you’re putting forward a creative, tangible, plausible idea. We need more of this!

Player get’s access to education. I should have probably spelled out my thoughts being this is relevant for those on League programs who come to a Rugby school as part of their league deal. It is common place in Qld where the Broncos are sending kids to GPS & AIC schools.

I get your point Andy S but I disagree with the continued line that it is a top down revenue model. That is the case with all other sports that Rugby can not replicate. Our strength is the supporters and the proportion of them who are educated, trade qualified or professional – by increasing the numbers of them that feel engaged the more likely you are to unearth corporate support. In 2015 the Wallabies nearly won the RWC and in 2016 we lost two major sponsors and zero upswing in corporate revenues or Government grants. I have worked in the trenches selling Rugby corporate products (AFL & NRL as well) and the number one question is about community influence. The packages are then padded out with HP assets (front of jersey, signage, hospitality, VIP etc etc) but corporate Australia wants to know how their HP investment is dripping down into the grassroots – NRL & AFL articulate this very well, Rugby can’t because they have lost all connection with their heartland.

Fair play. Can you highlight your points as I may have missed them?

That would come from playing games at Homebush who do anything to get content. That’s concerning isnt it.
With Suncorp the basic rule of thumb is that you need 15,000 full paying customers through the door before you start making a cent – not good!

Great article Brett. We all have to admit that we are past trouble, the ship is sinking, it will take a while to fully sink but we are going down. Drastic action is required. We must cut off what doesn’t work and invest in our strengths.
1. Align all of the sub-unions/comps etc etc. We have SR kick off at one point then Premier Rugby then one set of schools, then school rep teams then another set of schools then Academies and U 20’s and 7’s etc etc. The Schools is one of our strengths. Our first step should be to align them closer to Premier Rugby, all at once and under one remit under RA. Currently the schools can go and recruit anyone they like to play 1st XV even if they are signed with a league club – they are attracted to the schools we develop them then lose them, ridiculous!
We also need one comp – no more GPS etc just one comp each state and a Nation wide comp like the league does.
2. Invest in club land. This will mean we lose a lot of talent overseas and some to league but I would think it is not too much more than we lose already. Same again, align the club comps, allow all players to play.
3. Create our own Super comp – 5 state teams play each other twice home and away then a GF of 1 v 2. We are going to lose a lot of TV revenue very soon so we may as well control what is ours. A combined deal that shows Test, our own comp and the club and school comps will have some revenue to start with.
4. Because we are now fully entrenched in our base of schools, clubs and states – we are now more connected to the Wallabies. We are seeing the players more often, we know their story and feel a part of the journey.
5. Pick overseas players. This is the only way we can keep our National brand strong. We are losing players anyway, by doing this we create an environment where they are less attractive to the foreign market. Who would want a player that may be away for 10-15 weeks a year on test duty.
6. Put in some transfer fees. If a player wants to play Rugby at a Rugby school (see above League), they must commit to play at least 2-5 years of senior rugby in Australia first. Then they are to agree to pay a transfer fee if they leave for league or OS – a high fee during that 5 year period and a lower one after. The fees are then distributed back to their school, club and state for development compensation.
These are just ideas and may not suit everyone but at least they are constructive thoughts that admit that we are lost and action is required now.

Well put Jack:They have a closed tent policy so no-one is accountable and a fingers crossed plan. Very very accurate.

Spot on Neutral Sweden. We use too many excuses and not enough action. Well said mate.

So what’s your solution Instanbul Wingman – this is the exact issue with Australian Rugby, too many people want to highlight the issues and just keep rolling out the same stuff and pick apart any suggestions. linz22 has valid points that are worth exploring not just shooting down.
1. Our stadiums lack atmosphere, are GOC or privately run, catering is run by an exclusive caterer so can monopolise pricing so the exercise of running a game is expensive to start with, limited ability to activate as you wish and limited regard for fan experience – Solution: Leave these stupid stadium deals we have in place, look to take games on the road to regional areas where the local governments and tourism bodies pay a fixed fee and all expenses as it brings exposure and event based tourism. Look to play at the best facilitated local grounds, make it an event – food trucks, local bands, allow sponsors to activate at will and slowly invest to improve into a boutique stadium. The writing is on the wall, face it, it will be a long time before Super teams are bring in more than 10k crowds again.
2. Rivalry/meaningful games are key. I love rugby and I love the Reds but I don’t give a flick about the comp anymore. I watch their games if convenient and go to most games but I rarely know anything about the opposition and their story to create a hero/villain scenario. I often leave a game feeling flat – they do nothing creative, the corporate areas are flat and boring, the GA is vacuous, the food poor and expensive. Solution: Prepare to leave the Super comp and take destiny back into our own hands. Put our resources into the Sydney & Brissy comps and more into Melb, Perth & ACT comps. Play a 2 round short comp of the State based teams that is short sharp and intense. Build that club base, that is where the fans are. If they feel connected they will buy tix to our own version of the Super Comp and the Wallabies. When we do play at the bigger stadiums, get creative! Rolling out the same crap every week will not work.
The AFL have a simple philosophy and have stuck to it for 30 years – just get people to the game. This has cascaded down to everything they do – ticket pricing, major investment into grassroots, genuinely connecting with the fan base and look to attract those who aren’t interested in the game but will have an experience. Once they get to a game, have a great time, you then have a lifetime to get a ROI through them supporting a team, buying a cap or scarf etc etc. RA just want to instantly gauge the fans and get return ASAP.

Honestly can someone at RA employ linz22! Spot on mate, I agree with you 100%

Great stuff Brett, I just can’t agree with this comment sorry: “The big thing for me is that first and foremost, there must be a competition that sits above the club comps around the country feeding Super Rugby”. The solution for me lies in elevating the club comp – it is where the games strength is and it engages the very people who can save the Professional game – the fans.
If you allowed available Wallabies and SR players into the club comps then the product goes through the roof and attracts interest from broadcasters – not huge but it is a worthy product and source of revenue, the fans are far more connected and engaged and more likely to support the Wallabies with their wallet which is attractive to sponsors and Government.
The step between club and Test is the danger zone, the state based rep stuff is where we are in real trouble I feel. I don’t have the answer there but it would seem Super Rugby is not the answer.

I don’t believe farming players out to other clubs will work Rob, it has a negative effect on the integrity of the competition itself. Authenticity is key. That’s one major issue with the NRC, in QLD any way. We have players from one club playing across both our teams so the integrity of the selection process is not genuine. It ensures the best players are given an opportunity to be playing but fans see straight through this. Like I said earlier, we need to consolidate. Unfortunately we missed the boat on Nationalising our club comp. I actually worked for a sports & entertainment agency over a decade ago and had to do a report on entering a privately owed Brisbane team into the Sydney comp, the over riding factor that kept coming up was that crowds would go down as the game day is built around Colts 3, Womens, all the way to 2nd grade, over an entire day being in one place, spending money, bringing friends and family as the central point of engagement and revenue – the broadcast interest could not cover the shortfall. I would love a National comp, it would be awesome but it just won’t stack up hence why I think we stop killing ourselves wishing for it and demand RA invest in the club comps. The best way for us to do that is to vote with our feet – attend matches, volunteer some time and get behind the barby, buy your membership and merch, show them this is where our strength is. They can invest by allowing Test and SR standard players to play as often as possible as a start. Then, lets just align the schools and club comps to a Bledisloe and have our Super Bowl style weekend!
From here, the clubs will grow in influence over the local area and become more attractive for local council and Gov to invest in facilities and infrastructure.

I enjoyed this article and agree with most parts. Rugby’s future is something I think a lot about:
1) The NRC has not met it’s objectives – it was designed to bridge the gap and prepare our players better for professional rugby, most notably Test Rugby. Test Rugby is a physical contest that has a huge emphasis on set pieces and accuracy – why then were there rules altered with in the the NRC to encourage tries and broken field running? RA’s response was to appeal to the broadcaster – so what is it then? For Test Rugby or for commercial? I’m fine either way but please get your outcomes and message aligned. I’m a fan of the NRC but only because I want to watch how my local club players go – I’m engaged with them, not the entire comp.
2) My point being that we should stop trying to invent something that will never stick but consolidate what we have. I attended my local club game this weekend in Brisbane and with the Reds having a bye, there were many Super players on hand. While this lifted the standard, none of them were stand outs, none dominated and all enjoyed. Players want to play. If we invest in the current club structures there will be reward. This touches the very people who will raise Rugby in Aus – The fans!
3) The number one word used by top performing professional sports is engagement. Rugby uses it but has no idea what it means. My local club won the National Club Comp against Syd Uni this year, our first time ever. Our club has the largest junior registration in the Southern Hemisphere, is a locked and loaded Rugby area, is right next door to the school that produced John Eales, Dan and Anthony Herbert and a few others and is around the corner from the Reds home base and Suncorp Stadium. Our club is performing well, employees full time staff and many part time on game day with significant local influence. We had to fund the entire event with limited support & zero visibility from RA. If they assisted with this through providing resources or at the very least activated at the grounds to have a presence they have directly engaged with the very people who will buy tix, jersey’s to the Wallabies and Reds memberships – instead no they see it as nothing more than a waste of money. This to me highlighted the problem with “Our Rugby” and “Their Rugby” as you perfectly put.
4) The strategy being used currently is “Everything revolves around Wallaby success” is just simply not true – the last RWC we came second and had a decline in registrations and sponsorship the next year!! Again, objectives not being met and not aligned with the message.

So the NRC is broke, the Wallabies are broke, U 20’s is broke, Super Rugby is dead – face it, Professional Rugby in Aus is broke. To fix it I have my own thoughts:
1) Alignment: We are scattered everywhere, comps don’t align, School rep teams are selected before disjointed comps are even played, Super Rugby teams disappear for weeks at a time, Twiggy’s starting a comp etc etc. Let’s start by trying to align so that we have some form of crescendo to build around, like a National schoolboys/girls final across all comps, the National Club Championship (Bris V Sydney & Vic v ACT) all played on the same weekend, same city as the last home Rugby Championship or home Bledisloe – a real celebration of Rugby. Think of the practicality – my team or School get’s in the final and it’s played at North Sydney Oval on the Friday night, Schoolboys on the Saturday, so we head to Sydney to watch it, of course I will the go to the Wallabies – especially if they have a presence and visibility at those games.
2) Keep Investing in Clubs: Let Wallabies and State players play Club. The Club comps are propped up by 4th, 3rd of 2nd Grade playing at the same grounds on the same day – introducing outside teams into the comps although a good idea affects the very essence of this success. Place restrictions or caps around who goes where (with exemptions for local development) to create parity.

Gee you could go on and on but this may be a start……..

So you are calling me stupid…. I’ll pass and unsubscribe from here.

So the COO or Head of Manufacturing is under increased scrutiny and it would not be reported in the business pages or have any reflection on share price? I disagree and think it would. So yes and yes.

Yawn……..

What’s everyones’ thoughts on getting rid of selecting players only from within the Super Comp and Giteu’s law?

We keep hearing from RA that all revenue and goodwill from the game is driven by the Wallabies so there fore should’t our strategy deliver that?

If we allowed players to travel freely (as any young bloke wants to do regardless) and still have them available for Wallaby selection, I don’t think the damage would be as catastrophic as we think. Yes it would have some downside to our local teams but the OS clubs aren’t going to take everyone! I think it could work for a few reasons:

1) Widens the net of selections. Currently, we are a better squad with the likes of McMahon, Morahan, White and Skelton at our disposal.
2) It may actually result in the overseas clubs being less interested in our players & their value diminishing if they think they may lose them for 10-12 weeks a year while they are on international duty? So we won’t lose too many more if we implemented this? Maybe even have some return?
3) It allows someone else to pick up the tab for some of our key players while we still get to have them playing for the Wallabies – Hooper can still go and demand big money playing OS and we only have to pay match fee’s, IP rights etc. That money we are currently spending on one player could be re-directed elsewhere.

Agree/disagree??

So you’ve gone straight to calling me stupid? Well played champ, I’m trying to debate a position and keep it mature but because you are clearly attached to someone on the board and hoping for some free tickets and jersey tugging opportunities you go to calling me names.

In the case of Clyne’s other delayed announcements he could have continually kept front and centre answering questions, even if it the standard “I can’t because of legal reasons” line, showing the public you are front and centre and taking the heat. It’s a ceremonial show piece I know but it contributes to a positive narrative, not disdain and contempt. I understand he is under the blowtorch and operating at levels above most of us but that is the job, he can create goodwill and appreciation for his role and the Board by engaging and trying to connect. That then buys credit with the public for situations they are in now.

Replacement options – most Asst. coaches have a clause in their contract that allows them to take up an International Head Coach role should they be offered or many have clauses that allow them to take up a role if their country/home offer them a role – but you wouldn’t know that because apparently you only operate in the grassroots #plant

Yes and yes. I’m answering the question for you. Again, you spruik that you are only engaged in grassroots?? Matters like HP do depend on a good head coach, they run the football department. He may not be on the tools but he will dictate the strategy. Cheick is currently, as in today and the next week, flying around every Super Club to discuss workloads and resting = HP. Are you suggesting that while he is in say Brisbane he will not be catching up with Rodda, Toupou and Kerevi for a chat and share some thoughts?

Spot on!

Club Rugby in Brisbane & Sydney in rude health on & off the field (for the most part), Melbourne, Perth & ACT Club Rugby is strong ( I’m assuming here), School comps looking good and growing in stature and interest (1000 problems attached I know but just looking at the surface), Twiggy’s comp actually has legs by tapping into an Asian market that already has infrastructure, just needs money – still plenty to love about Rugby.

Me personally, I haven’t written off the cup campaign. You add Kerevi, Kurindrani, Hodge and God willing a miracle can deliver McMahon and the team starts taking a bit more shape. Problem is that Cheika has backed himself into a wall by creating an us v them mentality amongst the squad and players. Issue being that only a win will be satisfactory, not coming second, not doing really well but a win and a win only will justify his behaviour over the last few years. Even then, he has disrespected the jersey and Test match status along the way.

I see why you are rated as a pro Sitting Bison – perfectly put.

I’m keen to know your expert opinion on starting a RWC campaign in June! Players will be in weekly dialogue with coaches from next week I suspect. Cheika is literally flying around the country right now talking to the Super coaches on workloads and resting players so yes there is a huge difference between making a decision now and in 4 weeks.

They can & should consider possible replacements at all times. It’s basic succession planning. They should be talking to coaching options around the world constantly to understand all options at all times should a any range of issues ever come up – bad performance, disciplinary, personal issue, poaching etc etc

The questions not over right or wrong it’s the constant poor delivery & engagement. Clyne owes it to the Australian Rugby public to take questions and outline the process to show the board are working for the fans. His “tell em nothin”/ Let them eat cake attitude is an absolute clear reflection on his attitude as a leader – like being the former Chair of a Big 4 bank that has been in a Royal Commission outlining practices that are only in the interest of shareholders and not customers. There’s a pattern here.

Clyne also has lost credibility as he stated the Force/Rebels decision would take 48-72 hours when it in fact took over 100 days. His attitude was similar then – backhanding away enquiry like only he and his Board had any right or intelligence to offer the situation and the fans will tolerate what we tell them.

One of Clyne’s & Rugby Australia’s biggest challenges is their failure to read and adapt to the temperature at ground level – yesterdays debacle of a Press Conference shows that Clyne and the Media/PR/Communications department at RA are missing the mark or Clyne is not including them (like he does with fans). Either way it is flat out wrong.

Your point that it requires all of this time show’s an absolute lack of necessary succession planning. They should always be in discussions with coaching options around the world constantly – to understand the temperature on the ground. What if Cheika fell ill and quit on the spot? What if Larkham was offered a huge pay rise to assist Eddie in England and up and left? If the RA Board were operating at peak they should have already created a pre-determined set of results and determined the outcomes to give the public what they want – swift leadership. They already set a benchmark through Castle – winning all tests is a pass mark. We didn’t do that & there was a muddled disciplinary process. This equals a fail and the results are this and here is our alternative route and go forward position.

Sport is more than business and requires the finesses and connection to understand messaging, timing & visibility are key. Robinson & Clyne as key examples lack this to the highest degree and seem to be the ones filtering the malaise and contemptuous attitude down.