Cheers Geoff. All good here but a year in lockdown where we didn’t leave our suburb was a little too much! Hopefully we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As you said, Eddie is most definitely the RFU’s man. They appear to have created a rod for their own back with regards to the enormous latitude they have given him. There is definitely no love lost between the clubs and media and Eddie. In this regard, I reckon the English media is out for him. But spare no sympathy for him as he has created this. I reckon the next 6 nations will be interesting and if they don’t win the tournament then watch out.
But what I find interesting is that he obviously does not care. The only thing it appears that matters is the WRC and he has a contract and a toothless union. It will be interesting and he is obviously a good coach but….

Thanks for posting Geoff. I haven’t been on the roar site for a very long time.
So, let’s give you an update from the UK. I am an Aussie who lives here. The English premiership has been fantastic to watch. Suddenly running rugby and a focus on tries is all the rage and it has made for compulsive viewing. The shortened European Cup has also been great to watch. Prediction, with the talent available and the emphasis on running rugby, Unless Eddie Jones sorts out his tactics, embraces new talent and sorts out his communication skills then the World Cup win over the ABs will be his high watermark. The French have really got their act sorted out and in another couple of years they will be the favourites at the WRC. Can’t wait for the Lions tour, cheers

Hi Geoff,

Signing in for the first time in ages, plenty to focus on here in London with the lockdown etc. Another great post and really enjoyed it. So thank you for that.

A couple of points. World rugby needs strong French and Argie teams so I am so happy to see the Argentina team get up over the AB’s and the French team is starting to look good (Shaun Edwards making a difference) ahead of 2023 WRC.

ARU – great to see some stability, clarity, and leadership finally. Good to see the rights sorted out. Hopefully this will galvanise the supporters to get behind the team but also hopefully we will see any available money flow through to junior/club rugby ranks. I also think it is a great call to get the Argie players into Super Rugby so a good call by McLennan.

Journalists/Coverage – its pretty easy to ignore the rubbish. No need to elaborate too much.

AB’s – you never write them off but I reckon they may have just lost their aura.

SA – As reigning World Champions, they deserve their time in the sun but will their run continue….

As an aside, Vale Ollie Hall.

Again, thanks for posting Geoff cheers

Thanks Peter for posting. From the modern era, I agree with you but certainly a number of others who could make the list. There are some great names mentioned by others of previous players who are certainly favourites as well.
A quick story. Many years ago, I was invited by a work colleague of mine to travel to Salisbury Rugby a Club to attend the Martin Johnson testimonial dinner just after he had retired. This was a dry run for the much bigger events he later held. As the token Aussie in attendance, they sat me next to him. He is a very friendly guy, funny and was great company. He had a book printed for the occasion, and I asked him to sign it. He turned the pages to the middle of the book where there was a magnificent photo of him in full flight, ball under the arm and about to run over the top of a poor Wallaby who was bracing himself for the impending carnage. Martin pulled out a sharpie and did the biggest autograph I have ever seen across the two pages. It was a little over the top but in a funny way, and I said thank you. He smiled and said that he loved playing the wallabies as they were very fair, tough, competitive and extremely skilful and great blokes of the pitch. He also apologised but said he also liked winding up the Aussies hence the massive autograph. He was an absolute gentleman and reminded me a lot of Eales. Very different to how (e looked on the pitch. Cheers

I am really pleased that you highlighted Hoopers game. Thanks for posting NIc.
Hooper stood out in a big way. On Swinton, he has a long way to go but shows promise. I like the attitude, the hardness, and if he can add some polish, then he could possibly be an OWen FInnegan type and we all know how destructive he was.cheers

Great article Bernie. T(and you for posting, really fascinating.

Can I offer a less than scientific view. Maybe it’s just sport in general. In sport, things happen and pressure does funny things. Maybe on occasion it has just rippled through the team, maybe it wasn’t their day, I’ll prepared, didn’t think it through, conditions changed, a black cat walked through the dressing room, someone broke a mirror, a ladder was over the entrance to the change room, th8nking more about the celebration within doing the work,
Again, not scientific but every so often these things happen. Thanks for posting. Cheers

I’ve read a lot today, the interviews, newspaper articles and the comments. This be honest, I think the ARU is damned if they do and damned if they don’t. In simplistic terms…I think they have tried to create something for everyone, with the ability to enact change if required and either add or jettison when needed. I guess we just have to take a longer term view.i give them credit for trying to be proactive. I get the feeling the chairman is not the sort of guy to sit around. Just a thought.

Really great article Ben. Thank you very much for taking the time to post. Please keep them coming. Cheers

Good win by the waratahs. Some of the players really put their hands up and played with skill and commitment. Totally agree that Maddox, Gordon, ramm, Dempsey and hooper were outstanding. Really great to see.

2 questions – Is this Dempsey’s best game and has he now taken a big step forward? I though he was very good.

Secondly, as good as the waratahs played, what on earth happened to the reds? Did the waratahs play that well or were they helped by the reds being that poor. I can’t explain the reds effort. Cheers

Thanks Brett for posting. Great article and good to have some perspective.

Totally agree. Sometimes the hype overshadows the reality or even the pressure on coaches to look for an ace in the pack. Plenty of reasons for this. I think generally rugby supporters are excited about the crop of youngsters coming through but also are realistic of the current situation. There is also a great deal of pressure on the ARU to have a winning wallabies team. But I am glad we appear to have some sensible coaches like McKellar around. Time will tell and as long as we can get some sort of commercial health, that allows these young talents to learn the craft, then maybe just maybe in a few years time we can start to dream again.
Cheers

Pretty simple…..I hope we get it and I am right behind the bid committee who are hugely experienced. With Rod Eddington steering the ship we are in good hands. 2003 was fantastic and I would e very surprised if Morrison doesn’t get behind it in a big way.
As for Russia, as my earlier comment mentioned I think they have no chance given the 2019 ruling plus in the current climate I think politics is going to be against them.

Apparently Russia are banned from bidding/hosting for major world games as of last December as a result of WADA ban.

Ha ha…..from one rookie to another. Cheers

Fair enough KCOL. Cheers

I got involved in the post early doors. And I didn’t have a problem with RIchard’s writing or comments.
Fascinating reading all the comments though. Seems like roar is starting to attract some ‘interesting’ people.

Geez KCOL….draw the curtains, take a deep breath and have a lie down with a wet cloth on your forehand for a while!!!

Unfortunately you are absolutely right Geoff. I forgot about the peanut gallery. Cheers

Hi. RIchard, thanks for posting.

Last week I told Geoff Parke’s to stop reading Alan Jones articles and instead use them to start a fire whilst enjoying a glass of red or a beer.

I stopped reading them ages ago because they are rubbish, and don’t do anything positive in the slightest. I am constantly surprised at the new depths of negativity. I can only suggest that he wants to see failure to say that he was right and everyone else is wrong and he is the brightest guy in the room.

The other point about his writing is that he takes a song, a quote, a movie, a part of history or whatever it may be and then equates it to rugby as if this is a lesson for everyone and only his genius has seen it. Utter rubbish.

The guy is toxic at best and although he was a grand slam winning coach, in my eyes he lost the right to be taken seriously or listened to a long time ago. Cheers

Thank you again for posting James cheers

I have no doubts that a 16 team competition could possibly be launched. However, as much as I love club rugby, what I absolutely have doubts about is the quality of the competition, the sustainability, the financing and commercial reality/viewers etc.

Hi Nic, great article and thank you for posting.
It has to be about quality and delivering a product that fans and viewers will turn up and watch and importantly can attract new eyes to the sport. It can’t be about delivering the same low standard and expecting a different result.
I have thought about this and my view is to merge the rebels into the Force so we keep the WA footprint and the support that seems to be there. The rebels experiment has not worked. Plus you keep one A. Forrest involved.

Hi Piru, I don’t disagree with you. You always want to see the players playing with commitment and I do think that has been sadly lacking in the last number of seasons generally. You do also want to see competitive games. By competitive I mean games that go the distance and are not over early doors.
But my preference is to see the best players playing against each other where the skills and quality are on display. I think the tv audience numbers and pre-covid crowd figures kind of sum that up. Nobody wanted to turn up or watch.
Club rugby is a little different because people will turn up to the ground. But that is club rugby not international rugby.
If we could get quality, commitment and competition of the highest order then that would be great. But alas…….. cheers

Interesting article and thank you for posting.

Totally agreed that it is a lack of quality not quantity. Unfortunately, the reality is that the audience won’t tune into a product that lacks quality. Of the list you cited, there are many who could make up the numbers but a few who are quality. The question is how do you get them back if you can’t afford it. The next question is how do we retain the outstanding crop of youngsters coming through. I may be wrong but I just don’t think the ARU can compete with the NRL domestically at the moment and the AFL is streets ahead of both. So you then resort to depending upon the international games, tours, the WRC every 4years and a Lions tour every 12years. And we are weak at the moment and have been for a while and will be for a while to come. You can add Sevens at the Olympics as a carrot for the youngsters but from a viewer perspective I am not sure this converts to a 15’s game.

I guess what I a: saying is that I am devoid of solutions really. I hope we can do something with the kiwis. Cheers.

Great article Brett, accurate and well considered. Thank you for posting.

Your absolutely right. It says more that we are talking about the administration of rugby than the game.

I have always stated that I would prefer the combined comp on favourable terms to both countries as I think NZ needs a larger comp but importantly we need the exposure to the NZ teams both for skills exposure as ours are woeful and I think a domestic comp here won’t win fans right now and the quality will be average at best.

However, whatever happens, going forward, unless I see either a great article like yours or a woeful one, or even a particularly silly response, I am going to decline from analysing the administrators on this particular topic as my brain now officially hurts. Cheers

Geoff, you must have been having a bad day to let this get to you. Who on earth reads whatever rubbish Jones or this other journalist writes. Pour a red or a cold beer and use their columns for starting a nice fire.