Australian Rugby / RA
- Thread starter Dave Beat
- Start date
It would seem that with a little bit of tweaking you could get a time that wouldn't be too bad for everyone. If they kicked of in Perth at 9pm it would be 1pm in the UK and 3pm in SA. Do all the games in WA and stuff the east coast elitists! Not sure what could be done about mid week games.
Dan54
Tim Horan (67)
Hang on a minute, not sure if you have read past posts on this forum where so many complained about times of SA games in super rugby! Personally I think if I was organising ,it would have only one option, play in SA or cancel it. Lions tours are special, they are not played in neutral countries or at home.
Ignoto
John Thornett (49)
I mean, its easier to watch a game at 6am/7am than it is at 1-3am which doesn't finish till 3-5am on a Sunday morning. It's also another to do it every year for some times a meaningless super game compared to something that happens once every 4 or 12 years.
For SARU though, the option to cancel it altogether might mean financial oblivion.
Holding the B&I Lions Tour in Australia would clearly be a last resort that would only happen if there is no other way to hold the series.
Postponing until 2022 could be impossible. I doubt the UK/Ire nations would want the tour to happen a year out from a RWC and take away games and training opportunities. South Africa would be fine with this option and would probably prefer it above everything else.
The one I am unsure about is whether SARU would prefer to play at home in empty stadiums or in Australia with crowds if it came down to a choice between those two.
Dan54
Tim Horan (67)
Understand that mate, was kind of meaning for Lion's or Boks supporters it not ideal so would surely impact big time on sponsorship arrangements. Mind you, I am a pretty tradionalist when it comes to these things in rugby and a Lions tour isn't a Lion's tour played in a neutral country. Even if it suits us, tell me honestly what would you think if the Lion's tour to Aus was moved to SA for whatever reason, admittedly rugby fans like all us would watch, but sure as hell the swinginging sports fan wouldn't.
Derpus
George Gregan (70)
depends if crowd money is more than TV money right?
An 8pm kickoff in Sydney is midday in South Africa and 11am in London. I doubt that would force you to reduce the existing TV deals by much.
8pm in Perth is 2pm in South Africa and 1pm in London.
Gate takings would be substantial. I think the spectacle for TV viewers is also much better when there's a crowd.
If RA made it that they were providing the warm-up/midweek games and taking the gate of those that would more make it worthwhile for RA.
Even then I'm sure we could give SARU a cut of that and it would still be highly profitable for RA.
Adam84
Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Twiggy Forrest talks about rugby union and the need for RA to change their corporate structure. Some interesting comments, and can’t say I disagree with any of them:
“We started to lose touch with our shareholders, our boys and girls and mums and dads. They‘re the real owners of the game, when we started to lose touch with them and just consider ourselves as the rugby leaders, as the rugby board, the rugby administration,” Forrest said.
“When you started to do rotten corporate governance like structure things so board appointments could only really be made by the chairman — so at the end of the day it was one person’s rule — that is just shocking governance.”
“I saw what was happening there and I saw the poor judgment. And you could put it down easily to that they’d lost touch for the shareholders, they’d lost touch with the mums and dads that were no longer there for the good of the game or the more importantly, the good of the players and the good of the supporters, particularly the parents.”
“They were there for themselves or they were there for the preservation of the board. Whatever argument they put up, they were no longer there for the boys and girls and mums and dads.”
“We need another constitution. Our current constitution has allowed a chairman to unilaterally select directors
“This game could be as popular as the AFL,” Forrest said. “It needs to change. It needs to have visionary leaders. It needs to have a new constitution and it needs to build it from the grassroots.”
“We will never create one of the most popular sports in Australia just by backing the most senior talent and by taxing the grassroots. We’ve got to build it as Aussie Rules is done, as soccer’s done from the grassroots up. And we have the vision to be patient and have the character strength to have the vision.
“I’m delighted with the new direction and work being done by the new chairman Hamish McLennan and recently appointed CEO Andy Marinos,” he said. “I support the new direction and note Hamish doesn’t take a cent from the organisation and has really put his back into the gigantic task ahead.”
“We need a national constitution equal to, if not better, as the best in the world. I don’t say world class. I say something which is world leading,” he said.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...t/news-story/f9fc23d73866e1f98f56cca984f62709
“We started to lose touch with our shareholders, our boys and girls and mums and dads. They‘re the real owners of the game, when we started to lose touch with them and just consider ourselves as the rugby leaders, as the rugby board, the rugby administration,” Forrest said.
“When you started to do rotten corporate governance like structure things so board appointments could only really be made by the chairman — so at the end of the day it was one person’s rule — that is just shocking governance.”
“I saw what was happening there and I saw the poor judgment. And you could put it down easily to that they’d lost touch for the shareholders, they’d lost touch with the mums and dads that were no longer there for the good of the game or the more importantly, the good of the players and the good of the supporters, particularly the parents.”
“They were there for themselves or they were there for the preservation of the board. Whatever argument they put up, they were no longer there for the boys and girls and mums and dads.”
“We need another constitution. Our current constitution has allowed a chairman to unilaterally select directors
“This game could be as popular as the AFL,” Forrest said. “It needs to change. It needs to have visionary leaders. It needs to have a new constitution and it needs to build it from the grassroots.”
“We will never create one of the most popular sports in Australia just by backing the most senior talent and by taxing the grassroots. We’ve got to build it as Aussie Rules is done, as soccer’s done from the grassroots up. And we have the vision to be patient and have the character strength to have the vision.
“I’m delighted with the new direction and work being done by the new chairman Hamish McLennan and recently appointed CEO Andy Marinos,” he said. “I support the new direction and note Hamish doesn’t take a cent from the organisation and has really put his back into the gigantic task ahead.”
“We need a national constitution equal to, if not better, as the best in the world. I don’t say world class. I say something which is world leading,” he said.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...t/news-story/f9fc23d73866e1f98f56cca984f62709
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
Sorry to disagree, I think that interview is just a mixture of cliches and impossibilities. And the headline? Newscorpse continues to kick us in the guts.
If Twiggy wants the game to grow, he has to have a much better understanding of our history and the realities of international sport.
If Twiggy wants the game to grow, he has to have a much better understanding of our history and the realities of international sport.
agree. I don't understand the "they've lost touch with the shareholders" statement? What does that mean? I feel more engaged than ever.
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
I read the twiggy Australian article yesterday. Nothing new in that and more want to see continued efforts to build on recent momentum.
I am fine with the concept of reform and new body particularly if twiggy will then make an investment.
Key is we want twiggy and his team inside the tent which accept needs reform for that to happen which if ever going to happen now is the time to make it happen. Put twiggy and his team in a reform working group...is my view of what needs to happen as need twiggy inside the tent..not outside throwing stones.
Probably like many want to see less criticism and more actions/solutions but also appreciate need for patience as focus been on rugby survival which done good job of with recent broadcast deal and cuts to RA, néw collective bargaining agreement etc.
I am fine with the concept of reform and new body particularly if twiggy will then make an investment.
Key is we want twiggy and his team inside the tent which accept needs reform for that to happen which if ever going to happen now is the time to make it happen. Put twiggy and his team in a reform working group...is my view of what needs to happen as need twiggy inside the tent..not outside throwing stones.
Probably like many want to see less criticism and more actions/solutions but also appreciate need for patience as focus been on rugby survival which done good job of with recent broadcast deal and cuts to RA, néw collective bargaining agreement etc.
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
There is absolutely no way that rugby will ever be the dominant code in Australia. Twiggy's money is welcome, some of his ideas are screwy. He needs to surround himself with better advisors, people who are realistic and grounded, not just yes men.
Most Australians would not watch rugby even if we paid them to. Money cannot do the impossible.
Most Australians would not watch rugby even if we paid them to. Money cannot do the impossible.
Adam84
Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Some of his ideas might sounds screwy to traditionalist, but maintaining status quo clearly isn’t working. I also don’t think he simply surrounds himself with yes man, that situation better describes the Rugby Australia board of recent years.
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mst
Peter Johnson (47)
I will always welcome the likes of Twiggy who are willing to support rugby and was optimistic about his involvement.
One thing we don't know is the level of politics and other "influencing factors" between RA and those like Twiggy. Alas, even with the best of intentions I always suspect dealing with RA to be difficult.
But with Twiggy I don't get why, with his money and supposed desire to see Rugby, and especially WA rugby succeed, that he would have his team(s) only really "filling in" in the RA and Hybrid Super Rugby completions?
Noting the impact of COVID on travel and his GRR comp being O/S centric, he could have funded and rolled out a NRC MkII. It would take one season to get entrenched in the domestic rugby patch if he did it well, be viewed in a much more positive light across a wider rugby community, potentially bring a lot of positives to the game nationally right now and going forward, and have further leverage with RA noting he would essentially control the destiny of the comp. The Force and WA teams(s) would be far more active and far more integrated in to the Australian Rugby set up.
Disappointingly, all we seem to get is words. If only....
Adam84
Nick Farr-Jones (63)
He has bankrolled the Force the last two seasons for $millions and kept a professional rugby pathway alive in WA, but you think all we get is words?
Why do you think Twiggy should fund a NRC comp as well, given it was RA who cut it and a big reason which it never succeeded was because the clubs in NSW never got on board with it. if anything it risks creating more friction because there’s a sizeable chunk with voting power who oppose it.
Whilst I think the current RA board members are solid, I think that the design of the organisation as a whole is broken and is only one or two individuals away from turning south again. I found it frankly embarrassing the way Castle was dealt with, how the Force decision was made, and how those before her were elected and the transparency of decisions.