hey billy….

the ‘platinum’ club or whatever it was called at the time (I’m getting old) had a whole section at Subi Oval that we were placed in… we were paying quite a bit for the seats and yes I contacted the Force about changing seats, but if you looked up where we were all placed it wasn’t any better…. I’m sure many force fans have not so fond memories of Subi…. so yes we persisted until we’d had enough….

RE the Wallabies in Perth at the time, well I named one in the article and you can look up the others if you must….

No, back then there was no after match function for the ‘platinum’ club or whatever it was called… In fact part of my article was removed and it related to the fact that one day the Force emailed all of the members advertising a corporate box with prime seats, meet the players, food and drinks at a price significantly cheaper than what we were already paying, (without any after match functions or meeting the players) so yes… it surprised us too…

And re the TMO…. the on field umpire IS the TMO…. he only reviews if there is a challenge and even challenges are limited….

Aaah Sheek… the saying goes ‘the great unwashed’ always get it right… but I agree with you… 2013 I was aghast the night Rudd conned Australia…. but sure enough Australia fixed it…

Even with the Voice, (and I know I run the risk of my comment being deleted again) and opening up a firestorm… but the truth is SOME of us remember and know why ATSIC is no longer and the debacle of the West Aussie cultural heritage laws being scrapped was, in my view ‘a bullet dodged’…..

Unfortunately (unlike a referendum or politics) with sport we don’t get a say…. we don’t get to do majority rules in any way…. but I guess that’s the sport of it eh?

No problems…
Here’s food for thought for WR… a game that takes 3 HOURS to play… is stop start… has multiple refs… NO TMO… gets 26 MILLION viewers (on one game) on a weekly basis… and the last superbowl got 115 MILLION (yes that’s outrageous)….1….1…5…. MILLION viewers….
Even a college game gets over 100,000 people turning up the night BEFORE the game to practice cheering and have a party (tail gating…)…..
WR has a lot it could learn…..

Yeah mate I can’t say I’m on the same page with your argument.

Obviously World Rugby don’t have control of the TMO interjecting on a specific match and in my view they’ve got a policy that they’ve lost control of. Just like the Wallabies are finding out, there are consequences for your decisions….
Other sports such as NFL have MORE refs on the field per game and the level of scrutiny is so high, yet there are games where there are no penalties at all. IF there is a penalty (sometimes plenty), the refs have a conflab, make a call and the ump announces the decision. If the coach doesn’t like it, he lodges a protest, the UMP reviews the replay and his decision is final.

There is great drama in the yellow flags flying onto the field from one of the refs or a red one from a coach. No TMO and the game itself is the spectacle, not a bunch of numpties sitting in front of a bank of screens. Some games there’s yellows all over the place but usually it’s just a loss of field position and reset of play. If one player is costing his team he usually gets hooked pretty quick by his coach.
I say all this as watching the final all I could think of was how sad that we got subjected to self important officials in their bunker making ‘important’ decisions. Don’t get me wrong, in my view the red card happened so fast he had no time to react but he was high from the start so the decision is right. But as to the overall involvement of the TMO in the game? It’s truly ludicrous.

And THAT is the showpiece of rugby? Do they wonder why the engagement by the fans AND casual viewers is waning?

In my view, I reckon there’d be some very quiet conversations about how to prevent the spectacle of these officials having such a prime role… so I guess I disagree with your argument. Cheers

My goodness…. where do I start?

My job would be compromised?

“I’m only coaching to this World Cup. I’ve signed, but as I’ve made the mistake before, I’ve stayed too long. So we win the World Cup it will be time to go. If we lose the World Cup it will be time to go.”

Is that because he was only here until the cup? Or until he had japan sorted? or is it an inconvenient truth?

The ‘load of rubbish’ is what he’s now sprouting…. talk about revising the ‘narrative’…..

Old Eddie is positioning himself as a ‘victim’ because other forces are at play…. the guy is absolutely delusional…

I know…. I meant Wallabies.. my son had one of the Aus 7’s players as his coach.. the kids thought he walked on water…

Fair point… the cupboard is pretty bare…

So I’ll just chuck this out there…

How about investing in getting former players to go back into the schools as coaches? They have street cred (my son looked up to his player coaches), can learn at a lower level and if the gig is right for them they can become full time WITH RA SUPPORT.

How about RA offering coaching assistance like (dick marks?) previous coaches and coaches from other codes come in to annual academies for a few weeks a year? Travel overseas to work with other codes? Annual placement into another country as an assistant ( like a scholarship) with RA paying some of the cost?

I’m sure I’ll get flamed for simplistic suggestions that have already been tried, however what I do know is that there are other codes out there such as NFL that run academies for both coaches and players that teach the skills in both that we appear to be sorely lacking.

I mean, if our high performance programs were working, why do our players have such poor skills against their peers? Why do we have so few coaches in the pipeline?

I read recently somewhere that suggestions and reports remain unread by the RA powerbrokers….. that speaks volumes to me….

Without a Test until the middle of next year, RA is waiting for Jones to play his next card before revealing their hand.
Well, doesn’t this just sum it all up…. what a joke….
If Tim Horan can confirm Eddie appears to be economical with the truth, why can’t RA? Seriously, on what basis does anyone at RA think that the fact (or appearance of) your head coach was interviewing with another country, was open about it being a short term gig and your willful blindness about it doesn’t destroy your credibility both with sponsors, the public and players?
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck…….
C’mon RA, rip the bandaid off and be decisive.
He’s not the messiah…..

It’s a game of who blinks first…. mark my words, he interviewed for it and is just ‘waiting’ to be sacked so he can move on….

The guy is a mercenary…

I have a good mate who is Irish and knows absolutely nothing about Rugby so I’ve gotten in his ear about how well his home country is now doing… world number 1 and up against the All Blacks (he’s heard of them lol) so looking forward to a great match and watching it simply to introduce my mate to rugby played with passion, skill and uncompromising defence…..

yeah sure… that’s why the game that goes for 3 hours holds me and a LOT of other people engrossed all day on Sunday and 7pm on a Sunday night… and over 100,000 people turn up on a Friday night to PRACTICE cheering (yes, just yelling) for their (super rugby equivalent) team the following day….

O that Rugby (or any sport in Australia) could get that kind of passion….

In both senses; that emphasis pushes rugby closer and closer towards American football.

As someone who watches a LOT of American Football, I’m going to take issue with your claims. Stoppages and power games is one thing, TMO’s slowing games down just DOES NOT HAPPEN in American football.

In point of fact, there are quite a number of ref’s (referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge) on the field during a game and the only time a ‘TMO’ is in play is when the ref actually calls for an old field replay that HE watches and then either overrules the on field call or confirms it. because of the number of officials, illegal plays are picked up, they have a quick conflab and then a decision is made and penalty applied (including instances where they got it wrong and admit no foul occurred)… Coaches have a number of referrals (challenges) to an on field call which is again reviewed by the ref.

THERE IS NO ONE sitting in the box and ‘advising’ the ref. The ref is the FINAL decision maker.

As I said in an unpublished article some time ago, Rugby would do well do look at this system…

The saddest part of all this are the comments already coming out from RA / Phil Waugh et al..

Eddie is ‘committed’ to the Wallabies… RA are ‘committed’ to Eddie… HM saying he is aware Eddie is ‘sought’ by Japan, ‘this is the fault of the last 20 years’, geez… do they think we are all idiots?

How about someone actually being honest for a change?

Is private equity really off the table because the valuation went down?

Did Eddie actually have a zoom call and interview for the Japan job? (now HERE is some grade A backside covering/obfuscation… if Eddie did, then his position is untenable and whether you do it now or later at some point the truth will come out and he needs to walk)

Why are people like Steve Anderson who appears to have some understanding of what Ireland are doing ignored? Why isn’t RA throwing the money for that league player (Crighton?) at David Nucifora instead to act simply as a consultant and give a proper report and pathway only ( I get he doesn’t want any involvement but he could still do a roots and all examination after the world cup and lay out a blueprint and INDEPENDENT analysis)…

There are people who have been shafted all down the line including players, previous coaches, assistants and yet it is all swept under the carpet and we have 20 years of the same stuff and people like Waugh already determining the problems and the solution? With the states already whiteanting that? How do people like the current and previous administrators look themselves in the mirror?

How in goodness name is a sponsor supposed to get excited? Sure they want to be on board for the lions and WC but I bet their starting bid is pretty low…..

I wrote an article some time ago (wasn’t published) about how I watch another sport (NFL) that keeps me (and a bucket load of other people around the world) engrossed for a full 3 hours per game… that has 100,000 people turn up the night BEFORE a game to practice cheering… yes cheering! It clearly is possible…. and how stupid is it that an AUSTRALIAN (rejected by his own code) is helping another country with an aligned system producing the results Ireland have? What happens if they win the WC? Will someone actually ask the question of how did we let this happen? Will someone get out of Sydney and take a look around what is being done elsewhere?

I watched Australia play Portugal… and my overwhelming emotion during the game was sadness….

played with toughness? played with character?

My goodness… In what universe does Portugal have our team pinned and leaking yellow cards and we call it ‘character’? How far have we fallen?

Eddie Jones thinks our players deserve ‘accolades’ for their performance today?

I watched it and I’m sorry to say the Portuguese looked better as they pummeled our defence…

What chance do we have against ‘real’ rugby sides like South Africa, NZ, France? (well we already know that….) again how far have we fallen…

Eddie looks like reality has finally come home to roost… I say walk away mate… accept it for what it is……

Hey Christy

Have you been ‘got at’??? This was you a few days ago….

Australian rugby was sold a Gucci handbag but what they got turned out to be nothing but a rip-off bag made in a sweat shop, with the Wallabies losing seven of eight Tests since Jones’ return in January.

and….

Every move Jones has made since returning to Australian rugby, at least in the short term, has blown up in smoke.

From appointing a coaching team of misfits and waving goodbye to household names and making extraordinary selection decisions, including entrusting two unproven playmakers on the world’s biggest stage, Jones’ decision-making has been found wanting.

There’s plenty more…… and NOW you say we should celebrate Jones’ innovation?

Can’t have it both ways mate….

Except each of those words are appropriate to the context I used them in. You might want to look up the meaning champ.

yeah you might like to do the same mate….

The Voice has no legislative authority.

Neither did ATSIC…. difference here though is once the ‘details’ are worked out and an organization is created, the Australian people (including Indigenous) will be powerless to right the wrongs that happened last time.

Have you considered at all WHY ATSIC wasn’t replaced and all of the funding and functions were devolved as part of the National framework of principles for government service delivery to Indigenous Australians

Yet here we are again 20 years later and a replacement in the form of a ‘voice’ is up for a vote and this time it is to be enshrined in the Constitution…..

‘champ’…. 😂

Yeah they weren’t counted at all, that’s so much better

Did you bother to find out why Section 127 was even there in the Constitution in the first place? And what led to the overwhelming support of Australian for it to be repealed?

Indigenous Australians at Federation were ” dispersed and nomadic. Communications in inland Australia were poor, and frequently non-existent. Today the situation is very different and counting is practicable.”

That’s 1967 wording…. there was not a NO case made out for this and approx 92% of Australians voted YES at the 1967 referendum for the repeal…

WOW!!!

You so disdainfully call men dressed up as women reading stories about pole dancing, bl2wjobs, an@l s3x to our KIDS!!! as ‘dress up’…????? I fear for our country that people can be so obtuse!!!

Do you really think this is healthy for YOUR kids (I’m assuming you are a loving parent)?

Oh, and your Church (yeah but) argument doesn’t stand scrutiny… ANYONE, church or otherwise ‘fiddling of young uns’ is dealt with by law….

Unlike the tolerance of the c@rruption of our kids with ‘drag stories’…

A very good question….

In 1967 the referendum had attached a concise and easy to read argument of the FOR and AGAINST positions that were being voted upon with Pro’s and Cons for each position.

It allowed Australians to make an informed choice. It also resulted in an average of 92% support for the questions asked (one of which included removing the exclusion of Indigenous Australians from the governments ability to make special laws of any race)…

Yet, here we are with absolutely no specifics…. and the question is framed as good vs evil, fairness vs right wing…

It reads like ‘give us a yes vote and then we’re gonna set up another organization that cannot be shut down this time’ and we” deceide what it will be without the country’s input….

Because Indigenous Australians aren’t represented in the Constitution….

Give it a few years and the organization the government creates will be called ATSIC mark 2…..

aaaah the fairness argument… or in other words the politics of envy….

So I ask this…. how will the ‘Voice’ speak? What is the organization that will be created?

And what is to stop the ‘Voice’ bureaucracy becoming another ATSIC, albeit this time a beast protected by the Constitution and all voted for by people with little memory (or ignorance) of prior events and less understanding of the c@rruption shut down?

That’s because it was taken away…, it was called ATSIC and was replaced with the National framework of principles for government service delivery to Indigenous Australians

mate – we’ve already got EVERY state, territory and Fed govt with a minister for indigenous affairs.
You seem bewildered that this is the case…. I’m not sure if you (or Charlie below are old enough to) remember that this was called the National framework of principles for government service delivery to Indigenous Australians and was endorsed by COAG, you know, ALL the states and territories etc… back in the day….
And as I said elsewhere, abolishing ATSIC was proposed by LABOR, not John Howard (I know…. an inconvenient fact that doesn’t fit the LNP bashing narrative….)

No…. the failure of ATSIC was that it was making funding decisions of organizations that the board members held interests in…. (some of us are old enough to remember it)…

It was so bad that the the Australian LABOR Party proposed that ATSIC be abolished if it won the coming election…. 2 weeks later John Howard agreed….

Now where would we be if ATSIC had been a Constitutionally protected organization hmmmm?