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Joined April 2017
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I am a man on a mission to save Australian rugby.
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It has again been another tumultuous year for Australian rugby. Just when you think there may be a sliver of light to latch onto, it seems it is swiftly taken away and we descend back into chaos.
The group stages are over and we have had a bit of everything. Massive upsets, one-sided drubbings, refereeing controversies and game cancellations.
First of all, congratulations to the Springboks, who came away the strongest from the Rugby Championship and deservedly so.
Last year, Australian rugby was in the midst of its worst debacle in recent memory. Results were horrific, clubs were at loggerheads with administrators and a path for resolution was as clear as mud.
Of nine games the Lions have played at home this year, they have lost only twice – both times to New Zealand opposition – and the Waratahs have actually never won a finals game in Johannesburg.
Ever since Michael Cheika took the reigns at the Waratahs in 2013 he has strived to build a clear rugby identity for his teams and players.
The Melbourne Rebels have had an up and down year but their weekend win against the Blues in Auckland will go down as a definite high point.
At the start of the season among all the obligatory predictions and rankings of sides I noticed a trend. Everyone was playing it safe.
In last Saturday’s win over the All Blacks, the Wallabies’ back row stood tallest.
In two years’ time the Wallabies will be in the midst of their campaign for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
After an expected 37-14 victory over Fiji in front of a dismal crowd turnout in Melbourne the Wallabies now face their toughest test of the June internationals. Make no mistake about it – it will be tough.
In a Test match, players sometimes aren’t able to hear calls or broken play may see traditional structures abandoned. In these moments, combinations stand out.
The Wallabies’ challenge before the 2019 World Cup is turning a group of players from grossly under-performing Super Rugby teams into a dynamic, world-beating unit.
Last month I wrote the first of my two-part article on the solution to the shambles that is Australian rugby with hopes that there would be more clarity around which Super Rugby franchise will be cut by the time I released the second part. There hasn’t been.
For months now, Australian rugby has been a whirlpool of speculation, finger pointing, rhetoric, confusion and anger. I for one am sick of it, mainly because there has been some fantastic Super Rugby on display.
Yeah agreed – the ideas just ran out for him. His heart was in the right place but when you are playing against teams like NZ, Wales, Ireland and SA who do quite alot of analysis on opposition game plans and you famously dont then you are in trouble.
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019
Yeah people need to start taking more notice of the womens game – the sevens team being a great example.
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019
The determined support in WA is great to see for sure, especially after how they were treated by RA. Looking forward to seeing what the future hold for rugby in the west!
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019
Cheers! Yeah bring on the roaring 20’s – hopefully will be a decade where we can actually get things right!
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019
Yeah exactly. Its not a cure all but its a start to getting a wider audience engaged. They at least need to be in the discussions but it hust doesnt seem to be the case…
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019
You will have a great time I am sure. Enjoy!
Rugby, passion and typhoons: On the ground at the World Cup
It sure was. Can’t wait for these finals, they all look like crackers!
Rugby, passion and typhoons: On the ground at the World Cup
Ah for sure Ken, I refer more to the NZ media than the people really. There are the over-reactors on both sides but for the most part people are respectful and knowledgeable enough to appreciate good rugby, wherever it comes from. Bring on Eden Park indeed!
A golden game but a dark cloud ahead
Yeah I hope so. Eden Park is a slippery field so if they can remain disciplined and consistent again this week they will have taken a giant step forward to victory.
A golden game but a dark cloud ahead
Yeah the ABs will throw away the back row experiment for sure and will go back to what they know best. The response will be interesting as the pressure is on a bit from their own media.
A golden game but a dark cloud ahead
Yeah it takes a brave man to change a team that put 47 on the All Blacks. Will be an interesting discussion at the selection but Cheika does have a point about building an enitre squad. Personally I would not change much for the this week. The tinker game is the Wallabies v Samoa game before they leave for Japan.
A golden game but a dark cloud ahead
Yeah agreed tillmissit – nothing will change my love of the sport but as a sporting nation we just expect that our teams will be top level performers. Steve you have to understand the history of Australian rugby as well which is that we had some excellent success in the 90’s and early 2000’s. In 2018 we hit the lowest ever ranking for the team which gives you an indication.
Hell is watching a Wallabies game
You may be right Waxhead. I hope that we can pull off a miracle but yes, if I have learn;t anything over the lat decade is that there always seems to be another way to redefine “rock bottom” for Australian Rugby.
Hell is watching a Wallabies game
Yes you are right Aiden, there such a dependence on the Wallabies for Australian rugby and any success hasn’t properly been made use of. Don’t get me started on the whole Pay TV thing – being on free to air and putting the product in front of more people is key.
Hell is watching a Wallabies game
Good question and it is harder to answer than I thought. Really a good year is winning meaningful games and bringing home silverware anything short of that has to be looked at as a poor year. We cannot hold ourselves to low standards, in order to be the best we need to hold ourselves accountable.
Yes other countries have superior resources, more players, better administration but really the only measure of success is winning consistently against the top 3 teams in the world.
Yeah sorry can’t reciprocate for England haha
Hell is watching a Wallabies game
True, it is hard to definite the genesis or the root cause. Really it is many things, bad management of the game as a whole by Rugby Australia, the power struggle and poor execution of super rugby, the growing footprint of competing sports, the lack of money in the game and the lack of cohesive performances for fans to get around. A lot of things need to change to get where we all want to be but it won’t happen all at once. I am hopeful that we can start at least doing some things right and that over time we can right the ship.
Hell is watching a Wallabies game
I certainly do rate Wessels and believe him to be a very good coach, a better coach at this stage than Thron due to his coaching experience. The prize here are championships and until such time as either achieve this then they are really still trying to build a true winning culture.
The Rebels are certainly on the upswing though and are ahead definitely in terms of a skill and execution. Why I highlight Thron is because he has started really at scratch and has gone about it from a values and belief standpoint and now is just starting to build the skills and execution.
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum
Yep that is the risk that just comes along with being a coach. People believe in Thorn because, well, its Brad Thorn. He is still learning as a coach but he had to take a risk anyway with this Reds squad so why not just go for it?
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum
Thanks mate, yeah I do like what Gibson is trying to achieve, most of the time it is just execution that let the Tahs down. Early in the season though so we will see.
As for the Reds I think it takes real guts to be as bold as Thron has been and I am very interested to see how his strategy works out over the long run.
I really like Wessles as a coach and he was building a great culture in the Force before they were cut. He is doing the same in Melbourne which is good to see. Another one to watch for sure.
Australia's Super Rugby culture conundrum
Hi Tom, yeah i definitely think that Australian teams have improved but watching the Super Rugby final just shows that in order for us to consistently overcome the best teams (and particularly NZ teams like the Crusaders) the Aussie teams needs to show a lot more improvement. It will be interesting to see how things go next year but i believe we can at least definitely put the Aussie conference up a notch or two as i see a lot of future growth (especially in terms of defence, tactics and discipline that can be achieved). consistency is key.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Yes i would much prefer to still have 5 Australian teams in the Super Rugby set up and it is such a shame that the axe fell on the force. My argument wasn’t that this was the right call but that the remaining four teams have improved year on year, the problem here is we don’t know how it would have panned out in the long run if the Force were still included. Growing the game in Australia is a definite priority and no one commenting here thinks that it should shrink, we are all passionate rugby fans and want Australian rugby to be as good as it can be.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Hi Deborah, the stats in my article are specifically for Australian teams and not the Sunwolves. I did not include any stats against the Sunwolves in my calculations as I wanted a fair assessment of where our teams are at versus SA and NZ teams.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Hi Jules, yes I was certainly in the corner of continuing the five franchises or even if a team had to be cut maybe cutting the Rebels as they were the worst team in Super Rugby last year. What we will now never know is if we pushed through with five teams would this actually foster more Super Rugby level talent in the long run.
Has cutting the Force been worth it?
Cheers Mzilikazi, yeah I am looking forward to it too. Such a tough task for the Tahs but a win would rate as one of their all time best.
Waratahs vs Lions: By the numbers
Yeah there needs to be a lit of thought about thay law for sure. I expect Kerevi to be back before the next world cup and I get why the law is there but its not really having the impact it was supposed to.
The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby in 2019