The Roar
The Roar

kickedmyheight

Roar Pro

Joined July 2015

7.8k

Views

5

Published

193

Comments

Just a passionate sports fan who will watch almost anything, play almost anything and have an opinion about almost everything!

Published

Comments

What you seem to disregard is the damage reducing teams does to the pathways in those regions. Look at WA, cutting the Force decimated rugby in WA when it was starting to build something, we’re only starting to get that back now and will still take more years. The Super Team is the pinnacle of the pathway (below Wallabies) that makes the rest of the pathway make sense. If you ever want more than one or two players a generation coming out of the WA/Vic pathways then you need to keep a Super Team there.

Fully professional NRC would be great, but still not enough if there is Super over the top, you can’t be what you can’t see. More teams is more opportunity and if implemented well will provide more quality players for a Wallabies coach to choose from. Less is not more. Less just sees more kids lost overseas or to other codes.

'Destroyed the soul of rugby': Ex-NZR boss delivers damning verdict of Super direction - and his plan to fix it

It should be simple.

Full home and away SRP to give a long enough season to be meaningful, followed by a NRC (or SRAus, or ARC) running through the international season to keep non-internationals playing meaningful games with national appeal.

We cannot expect to compete internationally or recover financially as a game by shrinking back to club-level comps with a few rep games. It’s laughable really (if it wasn’t so depressing)!

'Destroyed the soul of rugby': Ex-NZR boss delivers damning verdict of Super direction - and his plan to fix it

RA is already massively behind regarding funding the women’s game. It is an area with incredible potential upside but if investment is not made now, the opportunity will be lost to other codes and sports that are willing to make the investment. The return comes in 2029 when we have full stadiums watching our Women win the World Cup on home soil. We at least need to give them a chance. By only making decisions and supporting things that are immediately profitable, we will shoot ourselves in the foot (again)!

'This is the opportunity': Rugby Australia announces historic funding investment in women's game

What a terrible take.

If you can’t see the benefit of investing in the Women’s game beyond a purely commercial return then I just don’t know.

RA has a duty to the Australian playing and viewing public beyond just their currently lacking ability to turn a profit.

'This is the opportunity': Rugby Australia announces historic funding investment in women's game

It will be interesting to see what this means in terms of actual change, the devil is in the detail. But I’m glad there is something potentially positive happening.

Super clubs give cautious support to centralised model as RA announces 'historic strategic reset' of rugby

Sounds like the expectation was never made clear to Eddie, just like it was never made clear to the public or the Wallaroos coaches/players. So as most suspected (can’t have been just me, right) nothing of any real substance came of giving Eddie this additional role.

'It has been impossible': When it comes to his 'secondary' job Eddie Everywhere has been more like the invisible man

WA was producing more and more super level players, then the Force got cut and club rugby in WA was decimated. It is rebuilding now, but things take time. We need more (not less) top level rugby based in more (not less) areas to increase the top level players that Australia produces, then we won’t have to rely on NSW and QLD alone (not that we do now in reality).

RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers

Introducing a proper 3rd tier in no way disenfranchises any club. They would all remain in the same competition they are in now. At worst it would make some SRP players unavailable, but only if the seasons overlapped and they are unavailable during the SRP season already anyway.

Elevating individual clubs does not get all our best players playing more highly competitive games.

RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers

Important article, well said. RA have been well behind all other sports in this space and the time of reckoning has (hopefully) finally come. If the actions of the Wallaroos over the weekend don’t trigger a change I’m not sure what will.

RA's 'devastating, no substance' response to Wallaroos shows exactly why rugby is being left behind

Very fair comments. I hope this works and I am made to eat my words, but I haven’t seen anything from RA to give me confidence in this yet.

'Massive reform': Australian Super clubs a step closer to alignment after decade-long wait

It was just an example addressing the most common criticism of NRC. I used a Sydney club as the complaint only ever seems to come from Sydney based people. 😛

RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers

I believe this would be a great add-on, but is not the third tier solution. A champions league amongst the state club comps would be fun and give some extra incentive, but it doesn’t solve any of the problems we are trying to address.

RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers

The best short term solution with capacity to evolve that I can see is to have the 5 super teams (minus Wallabies and Aus A players) with a Fiji side and and rep side each from Shute shield and Hospital Cup. 8 teams, minimal additional set-up. Start after the club seasons end.

Even better would be two rep teams that draw from all club comps instead of just NSW and QLD, though I suspect this may be a bridge too far in the immediate term.

Future expansion could include rep sides from Canberra/Melbourne/Perth, split the Shute rep side into two, (north/south maybe?), Samoa/Tonga, even a barbarians rep side from other unrepresented club comps (though that might be a stretch). It keeps the cohesion in the super sides, allows opportunity for more club players and allows people to remain tribal. I’m not sure, but I suspect that a loyal Randwick supporter would love to see the Shute rep side, containing a few Randwick players, getting one over the Waratahs-B.

For me this seems like the most realistic option, unless we only do Super Rugby AU light with 5 teams, which would be disappointing.

RA's target of a third tier in 2024 raises a whole heap of questions in desperate need of answers

Sorry, so your argument is that the Northern Hemisphere is doing better than us so we should just give up and send our players over there?

I agree that the set-up we have isn’t good enough, so fix that. Give the girls a decent professional competition to play in based in Aus, by hook or by crook. Then arrange as many internationals as possible and a good coaching team to get the best results we can. Aussies love a winner, so turn the Wallaroos into a winning side.

Yes the North has more money available but I’m sick of giving RA the easy out of saying it is too expensive to invest in the Women’s game. You choose how you invest your money and how much you invest. Women’s rugby is an investment, it will show returns when we are successful, especially at a home world cup. We may not expect the close to 2 million tickets sold across the soccer WC, but we could certainly cash in.

We should have done this years ago and be the leader in the women’s game, but we didn’t, so we need to do it now.

'Taking steps': RA responds to Wallaroos' social media anger over WAGs and funding gap

Sometimes he speaks to journalists too!

Exclusive: 'I back him 1000%' - RA chair endorses Eddie's 'bold, brave' Wallabies selection for RWC

– No meaningful investment in the women’s game
– No sign of a meaningful, inclusive third tier
– No internal structural changes towards centralisation
– Expensive change of Wallabies coach months out from the showpiece tournament
– A predictable lack of consistent form following this change
– Change of CEO with new-comer less experienced and less nationally inclusive than their predecessor

The only positive I can see is getting more eyes on the game, but even that is done through shallow sound bites and manufactured stories rather than sustained on field success.

But maybe I’m just silly…

Exclusive: 'I back him 1000%' - RA chair endorses Eddie's 'bold, brave' Wallabies selection for RWC

The complaint is not about the Wags being flown in (though it certainly highlighted the inequity), it is about the lack of basic support being given to the highest level of women’s rugby in Aus (not to mention the levels below) and the promises broken or too long being fulfilled.

Cattle class-flying Wallaroos blow up at RA's double standards, question big money Suaalii move

The Women’s world cup won’t be successful just because it exists and is held I’m Aus. It needs proper promotion and the Wallaroos need proper support to be a professional and successful team by the time it comes around to maximise the benefit of an Australian public keen to back a winner. All this takes work and investment for future gain, you can’t wait till they make money then invest, it will be far too late. The “Matilda’s moment” didn’t just happen by chance.

Cattle class-flying Wallaroos blow up at RA's double standards, question big money Suaalii move

Companies also need to make strategic investments to grow their market and brand. RA is more than a company though, they have a responsibility to grow women’s rugby and are currently failing.

Cattle class-flying Wallaroos blow up at RA's double standards, question big money Suaalii move

No-one is asking the Wallabies to fly economy.

Cattle class-flying Wallaroos blow up at RA's double standards, question big money Suaalii move

The players aren’t begrudging the Wallabies flying business class, or having their Wags come along, they are bemoaning the double standard of RA and broken promises they made to all involved in the women’s game.

Speaking of earning money is short sighted and very unfair. It is difficult to earn money if not given a platform on which to do it. RA have a responsibility to invest in Women’s rugby to give them the chance to be successful, they have failed in this responsibility massively and are being (rightly) called out for it.

Cattle class-flying Wallaroos blow up at RA's double standards, question big money Suaalii move

I would suggest something slightly different but along the same lines. Each SR franchise puts in a team of their no Wallabies/Aus A players and each club comp puts in a rep side. 10 teams round robin plus finals. Plenty of tribalism in Shute vs HC rep teams surely. And gives everyone a chance to see if there is a gap between SR and club rugby.

Why RA CEO is leaning into 'beating heart' of club rugby in third tier plan as crunch talks loom

Further, where is the incentive for Force/Rebels/Brumbies to scatter their team across two states they aren’t based in? Much more value in keeping the squad together and organising your own tour somewhere more competitive, like SA or Japan. As is happening now.

Why RA CEO is leaning into 'beating heart' of club rugby in third tier plan as crunch talks loom

From what I read Farrell pleaded guilty to a “shoulder led tackle to the head” which is always illegal.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

The thing with mitigation is, the WR guidelines state that where the action is always illegal, mitigation cannot be applied. Farrell admitted to leading with the shoulder into the head. Always illegal. Red card stands, how long for the ban should be the only question.

'Mockery', 'broken game', 'laughing stock': Rugby rages as red card reversal clears Owen Farrell for World Cup

close