Roar Guru
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The Olympic games is a peculiar phenomenon. For two weeks every four years a huge array of sporting disciplines flit across and hold the…
Anyone who saw the Waratahs versus Chiefs match recently would have been surprised by the sheer force of what was described as the Palu/Skelton/Tatafu…
Sonny Bill Williams is in a curious position. Despite numerous caps for the All Blacks and years in the NRL, he is still not…
One of the curiosities of sports organisations is the inability to see how a successful model works, and then reproduce its best features. Nowhere…
There is an event that transpired over the past weeks that should have filled the powers of SANZAAR not so much with mild tremors…
In order to survive against the invasive attentions of European and Japanese rugby, not to mention the NRL, AFL and football, rugby needs to…
Rugby's critical advantage over other sports is its ability to generate long passages of building, fluid momentum that grow and grow. This includes defences…
Japan's victory over South Africa gave World Rugby exactly the perception it wanted: that rugby is growing from strength-to-strength, and that tier two nations…
In light of the fiasco playing out in the Wallaby management and squad this week and the general decline of the team, the question…
The recent concerns expressed over the practice of players being allowed to continue playing after concussions have brought light to an issue far too…
The second chapter of this somewhat slow-burning series has arrived, and with an apparently meagre theme, hardly justifying large-scale treatment. But while the subject…
This is the first in a series of articles addressing the fundamental issues the new head of the ARU, Bill Pulver, must face with…
The starting Wallabies XV for the most recent South African Test match was the following: Robinson, Polota-Nau, Alexander, Sharpe, Douglas, Dennis, Hooper, Samo, Phipps,…
Since the impressive appearance of Ewen McKenzie in Queensland, the Reds have emerged as the most successful sporting team in the state by playing…
The Wallabies' recent woes have been the result of a lack of power in the forwards and to a lesser degree in the backs,…
The purpose of this article is to suggest a way to resolve the current impasse within SANZAR over the South African desire to field…
Anyone with a passing interest in the fate of English rugby, or even rugby as an international game, should breathe a sigh of relief…
This article does not aim to describe how one team is superior to the other, to score little points, or to favour New Zealand…
The Warriors' success in making the NRL final is simply the result of a long process whereby the NRZU considers the threat of rugby…
Imagine you're a less than top notch rugby nation such as Scotland or Wales. You can beat one of the top five teams once…
The most ominous remark was the amateur era fantasy from Phil Kearns that there should be three teams.
You have to think that’s the RA dream.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
1) No pandemic=plus millions.
2) Majority private owner putting in money, like Twiggy. RA letting him do it.
3) Season ending in July for increased TV and crowd revenue (8 more games), and even if pushing RC a little necessary.
4) Continue the cost trimming at Rebels started recently.
5) Bigger thing that’s more of a change: the Australian derbies also form part of Super AU, with a semi and final for a trophy, generating more money and popularity. Even the finals revenue would help prop up the Rebels.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
That’s not what RA want.
They want to cut the Rebels and Force and have three teams as they think rugby will ‘shrink to greatness’ that way and destroy the NRL, AFL and A-League.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
The main point here is that the pandemic is the majority of the problem and that has passed we hope.
Yes the Rebels did still overspend but it was manageable.
Going forward there are some solutions. A season through to July would raise much more revenue for example with more games to sell to broadcasters and fans.
The biggest one though would be to have a majority owner of the Rebels. RA have been reluctant to let anyone have so much power over a franchise but millions are available that way and it could be the best way to make it economically viable.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
Jeznez, where would your new teams in this domestic competition be?
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
‘to keep the other franchises viable/competitive against the NZ teams.’
In their minds. With the Force cut it made no difference. The players will just go abroad or to the NRL.
The Australian teams this year are more competitive WITH the Rebels involved.
If cutting the Rebels is what RA privately want then indeed the leadership of RA should be changed to someone who wants to keep them.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
The pandemic cut the grant the Rebels received each year by a total of some millions.
Over three years the Rebels lost a similar amount in crowd revenue because of the pandemic (and yes crowd numbers were down in 2023).
Taken together, that means any overspending wasn’t that much and could be managed.
So in terms of the future, the business can work but probably needs more private money to sustain it.
If someone like Twiggy can offer a massive 50 million, then there are probably options if they’re looked for
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
From everything that can be read publicly it seems as if RA have been considering dropping a Super rugby team from Melbourne altogether, but as they did with the Force.
Any outcome that retains them is better than that.
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
Basically the Rebels are being asked to sacrifice themselves to cover the losses the game as a whole made because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
SOAAR may or may not have solutions to the problems in the game, but if RA try to cut the Rebels next week then it’s time for SOAAR or someone to replace the RA leadership.
Culling the Rebels would be so preposterous as to defy description. With the Rebels gone, soon the NRL could decide to just offer any Wallaby in Australia 1.5 million and finish off the Waratahs and Reds-sponsors and TV would pull out, crowds would collapse and the game would actually be dead. The biggest shock would be the Wallabies having no players to field a team that could win a single match each year.
Alternatively they could accept the private consortium’s proposal (although the part about moving out to the distant edge of town doesn’t sound convincing).
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage
Yes, so for example you might consider a second Brisbane team or Gold Coast.
You ask the broadcasters (plural, as you can move to whoever has the best offer):
Which will you pay more for? They will have a preference.
Then you see what private equity interest there is in team in either place.
You also speak to advertisers.
Of course factor in other considerations.
There might be some quite surprising results.
There is an enormous fear that new teams would struggle financially, but it can be costed before risk is taken.
I also imagine that most of the new teams from now on will be like the Force and Rebels in involving private equity.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
I’ve watched plenty of northern club rugby in the end and don’t understand how it could be thought better to watch.
There are money and time zone advantages but otherwise not sure.
The other thing about South Africa is the game has so much support. There are plenty of areas that can get very good crowds and large playing numbers.
It seems to me it never needed to have its main competition playing with anyone else and would have been self-sufficient like France and England.
It could have also taken part in an international tournament for variety rather than ad the main thing.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
So it’s a half-way arrangement, a little like Australia but one stage further.
Of course in France there’s more full-blown ownership which has created the richest and most successful national league, but a team that doesn’t win (although there are probably other reasons).
New Zealand’s more concentrated centralized model has yielded better results, though might have done with any model, and in other cases such as Wales has completely failed.
How are South African fans responding to watching such completely different teams?
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
Sure, but Super rugby isn’t very popular in New Zealand either.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
Thanks for that.
The big question I’d have is how much money they brought (very relevant to the dire financial situation in Australia and New Zealand).
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
If you’re happy with the result then all is well.
Wallabies in danger of losing Hanigan to ambitious French club just as forward enters his prime
True but look at the way the NRL can create domestic heros rather than international ones.
The problem is rugby’s inability to make someone playing domestically a hero.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
Yes, both are true.
Players moving overseas will always happen.
In this case though it’s unlikely.
Two separate ideas.
Wallabies in danger of losing Hanigan to ambitious French club just as forward enters his prime
Yes, and the All Black coaches knew he could do that and knew at a crucial moment it could be useful.
He and Nonu were also friends and had a much more mature and unjealous relationship than players in other countries competing for the same position and so this try is a fitting culmination to that.
Hansen's done Joey Manu no favours comparing him to SBW. He'll be more like RTS - and Foz is the reason why
‘The newest board member worked for the NRL.’
Maybe they all should have.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
Yes, although there are risks in it.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
That’s he excuse South Africa made but really they’d been considering this all along for time zone and financial reasons.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
‘Of greater importance was moving SA franchises towards private ownership’
Please develop.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
URC is so untribal that Welsh rugby is experiencing a similar catastrophe of popularity to Australia.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
‘Last year I warned that if we didn’t start performing at the Wallaby level, here in Townsville we may not survive until 2026 or 2027. This year down to four first grade teams from a recent seven.’
I’m sure you’re right but it also shows how too much of the game’s popularity has been built solely on the Wallabies’ performance instead of trying to make the game attractive at tier two level.
'Easy to throw stones': RA chairman hits back at mudslingers' 'hypocrisy' after calls for AGM board cleanout
Well, this is so far something we are hearing about without full details, but I context etc…
EXCLUSIVE: Administrator urges private consortium be allowed to save Rebels amid claims RA won't engage