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…
The All Black haka is a multidimensional ritual. For the individual player it is a statement of his "mana" or as the Romans described…
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…
Manhood in the Polynesian culture is often described by the amount of 'mana' a man has. The ancient Romans described this as "gravitas" -…
As a regular a viewer of New Zealand Rugby I cannot help but to be impressed with the skill levels emanating from the New…
The majority of rugby administrators have a corporate back ground bringing with them the 'trickle down economics' philosophy of the corporate world. This has…
This will be the year that the Australian Rugby Conference reaches new levels of fitness, physicality and skills, and with the continuation of the…
In the past, I've wondered about the substance or the perceived lack thereof of Generation Y. This opinion was fuelled by the antics of…
The expected changes in the hierarchy of those running international cricket will no doubt see the promotion of the shorter and more lucrative forms…
On the subject of the third tier competition of Australian rugby, the ARU is caught between a rock and hard place. Is the ARU…
Bill Pulver - aka ARU Santa Claus - has delivered a full Christmas stocking to the ARU faithful. Junior rugby At a grass roots…
Having now watched the All Blacks and the Springboks demolish the Wallaby pack at both the set piece and contest for the ball, a…
An age old rugby axiom is as follows: 'You have to go forward to earn the right to go wide'. So what did we…
Robbie Deans has cleverly maximised his attacking options for the Test against the British and Irish Lions. The Wallabies have three ball-playing options in…
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…
The commitment to junior rugby from the Waratahs and ARU in NSW has turned a full circle. In the past this often strident critic…
It cannot not be disputed that rugby, as winter sporting code in NSW, is struggling behind AFL, NRL and the A-League. Each of these…
ARU CEO Bill Pulver, in conjunction with Steve Tew CEO NZR, recently forecast the introduction of sevens rugby as a summer sport. This is…
It is important to acknowledge that Michael Clarke has averaged better than 70 per Test innings since taking over the Australian captaincy. Clearly his…
Rugby is won in the forwards - the backs determine by what score. The Brumbies delivered a comprehensive lesson to the Tahs on Saturday…
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
It is apparent that the Rugby Fiefdoms heartland is east of Parramatta. It was/is unfortunate that the Penrith demographic featured just about no private rugby playing schools. So the working class demographic was always at odds with the Fiefdom’s traditional roots. In the end Penrith Rugby was just unceremoniously caste aside like an unwanted rag.
Rugby is withering on the vine
Thanks Robel – at least the Force got to finish its season!
Rugby is withering on the vine
Thanks Cliff – you may be right – but I can’t remember a welcome to country before a Rugby test. Lets hope it becomes part of each Australian hosted test
The Spirit of the Wallaby renewed
Hey Marto – unfortunately I have no control over what gets published with my article
The Spirit of the Wallaby renewed
Cheers Sheek – my old firey mate. This old bear has been stirred from his slumber. Like you I cannot believe that Rugby has devolved to the extent it has in Australia. It would appear that the lunatics are running the asylum!
Vale the ARU - and SANZAAR
Hey Brett,
Well researched, well written and making a whole lot of sense!
For me the greater issue for Rugby is to go to a commission to run the game and consign the befuddled leather patch brigade to drown in their g&ts.
Cheers Rickety
Sorry Melbourne. If the ARU is genuine, the Force must stay
Hi Guys – I submitted the following to the Roar – which at this stage has not been published. I welcome any discussion.
Dan Vickerman – a victim of our society
I have been running “men’s” courses and a men’s group for more than 15 years, which includes working with men “at risk”. In my travels I have taken the time to study consciousness and now have a degree in Metaphysical Science (investigating the fundamental nature of being and the world that encompasses it). I have studied indigenous cultures through the Metaphysical lens.
A point of separation between the so called “civilised” world and the indigenous is that our world is predicated on conditional behaviour, the indigenous world is not (which many in the western world frown upon). Our world is largely based on conditional love – if you do “this” I will love you – if you do “that” I won’t. The conditional love programming is instilled as soon as the child develops communication skills. And life’s emotional roller-coaster begins.
Through cultural programming, conditional love then translates to conditional self love/self esteem. If I achieve “this” I will love/approve of myself, if I don’t achieve “this” I won’t.
Status anxiety is an everyday curse of the material world – do I drive the right car, live in the right suburb, where the right clothes etc. For the famous sports star the loss of status is palpable. In the light one day and in darkness the next.
The personal markers (predicated on the person’s life story) then come into play and the gravity of the situation increases with the level of perceived status loss. The perception of status and its loss is an emotional process which is felt deeply. If not acknowledged and processed in a healthy way, it can and most times will envelop the individual.
I have read that Dan Vickerman was a very hard personal marker.
Australian rugby needs to address sport's mental health issue
of course Mana is a lot more – I have only looked at through the lens of rugby
There is method in Cheika's madness
Cheers Onside – I am well. Been off the Roar for a couple of years … do a lot of “Mens work” – really tough gig!
Cheika has been checkmated once again
Thanks PK – good players on become great when given the opportunity to perform at the highest level. Have to agree that NZ have many more good players than Australia
Cheika has been checkmated once again
As always – great article. However unlike Deans who was parachuted into the Wallabies – Gibson has served his apprenticeship in Australia and under Cheika at that. He has commented about the difference between NZ and Oz and has adapted accordingly. Should he be successful as a Super Rugby coach I am sure that he will receive many offers …. if he is the best coach around then he should have a shot at the Wallaby position, especially as he has been a head coach in the Australian system.
B52 Brumbies v Waratahs: This is the big one!
Rugby is now global – League still is regional. The IRB (or whatever they are called now) are not impacted in anyway by the NRL – so they would not be interested. Only Australia would benefit and that would be a good reason for nobody else to support such a merger. IMHO the Wallabies would be near unbeatable if that ever happened.
When will the rugby codes finally merge?
There will be much nashing of the teeth by the Northern Hemisphere unions lead by the RFU after this RWC. They are going to have to change their ways – it will be interesting to watch how they go about this. My gut feel is that it will take a generational change which certainly will not be effected before the next RWC.
Running rugby has as much to do with culture as it does with coaching
Cheers Gatsey – yeah changing the user pays (and tacitly segregate from the great unwashed) culture of the ARU is a bridge to far
The ARU must make rugby a game for all
3rd Grade Colts – the insult just gets worse
Rugby is withering on the vine