Roar Guru
Joined March 2009
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Started life of as an Australian Army Officer (11 years) - then worked at Coopers & Lybrand and for the past 30 years been a senior marketing executive in IT. I am both a junior rep and senior rugby coach, and a Level 1 Cricket Coach
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The Penrith rugby club was immediately axed from the Shute Shield this week, without even being given the option to finish the season and then perhaps revert to another competition.
The All Black haka is a multidimensional ritual. For the individual player it is a statement of his “mana” or as the Romans described it as having “gravitas” – a man’s depth of character having successfully confronted adversity.
And so in Australia the twin power-drunk dogs (ARU and SANZAAR) are being dragged along, bumping up and down behind an old ute looking to replace its drive train with something better.
Manhood in the Polynesian culture is often described by the amount of ‘mana’ a man has.
As a regular a viewer of New Zealand Rugby I cannot help but to be impressed with the skill levels emanating from the New Zealand provincial rugby championship.
The majority of rugby administrators have a corporate back ground bringing with them the ‘trickle down economics’ philosophy of the corporate world.
This will be the year that the Australian Rugby Conference reaches new levels of fitness, physicality and skills, and with the continuation of the National Rugby Championship it will continue to do so.
In the past, I’ve wondered about the substance or the perceived lack thereof of Generation Y.
The expected changes in the hierarchy of those running international cricket will no doubt see the promotion of the shorter and more lucrative forms of the game at the expense of Test cricket.
On the subject of the third tier competition of Australian rugby, the ARU is caught between a rock and hard place.
Bill Pulver – aka ARU Santa Claus – has delivered a full Christmas stocking to the ARU faithful.
Having now watched the All Blacks and the Springboks demolish the Wallaby pack at both the set piece and contest for the ball, a question needs to be asked…
An age old rugby axiom is as follows: ‘You have to go forward to earn the right to go wide’.
Robbie Deans has cleverly maximised his attacking options for the Test against the British and Irish Lions.
An old axiom quotes that “it is not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog that counts”.
The commitment to junior rugby from the Waratahs and ARU in NSW has turned a full circle.
It cannot not be disputed that rugby, as winter sporting code in NSW, is struggling behind AFL, NRL and the A-League.
ARU CEO Bill Pulver, in conjunction with Steve Tew CEO NZR, recently forecast the introduction of sevens rugby as a summer sport.
It is important to acknowledge that Michael Clarke has averaged better than 70 per Test innings since taking over the Australian captaincy.
Rugby is won in the forwards – the backs determine by what score. The Brumbies delivered a comprehensive lesson to the Tahs on Saturday night.
A moot point given that test attendances are declining
There’s new life in the old line yet…
Hi Brett,
This is a reflection of the totally muddled way that Rugby is organised, evolving from local fiefdoms across the globe with little thought being given to the strategic direction of the game. The connected myopically gazing at their navels whilst sipping their G&Ts..
The driving revenue force in Rugby comes from TV and showing local derbies in time zones that can be watched live. This is the problem with the Super Rugby competition which is spread from Argentina to NZ (i.e. who in Australia watches South African matches at 3am in the morning!)
Now is the time for a conference competition, one that is rationalised around time zones. It could look like South American Conference, African Conference, Pacific Conference and The Americas Conference. With finals play offs between the four. Whilst revenue would also be rationalised, the major logistic cost of travel would also be reduced. National teams would be selected from the global player pool.
Paul Culley’s clinical financial dissection of the ARU has shown that it has fat catted itself at the expense of who it represents. The risk of rationalising and reducing revenue will not sit well with those that control the game (from their various fiefdoms).
There’s new life in the old line yet…
Agree PK – setting up conferences in time zones and then playing finals is the way to go. Also really like your thoughts on promotion and relegation for Sydney Rugby.
Super Rugby should shelve any grand plans for US expansion
Hey Big Dog. I can understand that a KPI was created and not achieved. I am questioning the notion of killing of a club after 4 rounds. What wisdom is there in doing this? Why not give them notice of termination for the end of season and then let them be the master of their own destiny. The collateral damage in the district by this short sighted strategy could not have been greater!
Rugby is withering on the vine
TWAS – so CS calls you on being an apologist for the ARU and your reply questions his intelligence. Who is playing the man now? The hypocrisy is stunning!
Rugby is withering on the vine
G’day Melon – yeah mate haven’t been around for a while. Just tired of rabbiting on about the cluster f…k rugby has become. Got fired up about this one, as the callousness has now hit an all time low. No matter what is thought about Penrith, they did not deserve to be treated in this manner.
Rugby is withering on the vine
TWAS – from your profile 4 articles and 17,490 comments – you must be employed by one of the unions to be able devote that effort on rugby matters or are you the self appointed rugby truth police with nothing better to do?
Rugby is withering on the vine
Penrith’s unique demographics was never fully comprehended by the Fiefdoms. Located about 35km west of Parramatta in the middle of a working class area with no historical connection to Rugby and next to no private schools playing the game it was always going to be tough. It is an NRL patch that the AFL assaulted and won with the now successful GWS. What have the Fiefdoms done for the Penrith Rugby Club historically – sweet FA. ARU and Waratahs have embraced a top down strategy which – like trickle down economics – does not work. So the club struggled and has now been tossed away without being given the opportunity to be the masters of its own destiny. Life does not get much more callous than this.
Rugby is withering on the vine
Me too. I have known Jim for more than 40 years – a policeman – he is an honourable man
Rugby is withering on the vine
TWAS – the Sydney Uni alumini tentacles pervades all the Fiefdoms!
Rugby is withering on the vine
Why didn’t they let Penrith finish the season and then be masters of their own destiny??????
Rugby is withering on the vine
Then the control of juniors and DO’s back from the ARU has only recently changed. Too late apparently for Penrith
Rugby is withering on the vine
I think you will find that all DO’s are employed by the ARU
Rugby is withering on the vine
Thanks Celtic334 – IMHO they are all in this one way or another, hence I have collectively labelled them the Fiefdoms
Rugby is withering on the vine
Will Parramatta be the next to go – then the fiefdoms wont have to travel west of Concord Oval!
Rugby is withering on the vine
You have to wonder whether anybody in the Fiefdoms has any strategic direction for the game. It seems that the economic rationalists are in control and it is now a matter of the Fiefdom callously riding itself of anything that is financially marginal – no matter the greater cost.
Rugby is withering on the vine
One Swallow does not a summer make!
Will revisit this after the Chiefs game.
Is 2018 the new 2014 for the Waratahs?