Rugby is withering on the vine
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.
Rickety Knees
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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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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).
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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
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