Brumbies 2013

[SealClubber77]

I disagree. That's just when the real hope of the right type of Force revival will commence.

The core structures governing Australian rugby mitigate against accountability and responsibility for results. The Boards of the RUs and ARU effectively are able to self-excuse and self-perpetuate until such a large external shock and/or internally induced crisis occurs that they have no choice but to reform and effect genuine change of all of board, management and operating philosophy.

If Pocock leaves, the Force's board will I suspect recognise that the ONLY model that's both proven and well-suited to their needs is that of, approximately, the late 2009 Reds and the late 2011 Brumbies. Namely (1) top flight coach happy to build up a team of low-profile, low-ego 'unknowns' and (2) the consistent quality of developing players high on potential but requiring excellence of team culture and technical coaching support to mature into more accomplished players and (3) positive team environment emphasising selfless team work over star plays and flashy one outs.

When the Force board is able to appreciate that their 'Hollywood' model of star recruitment coupled with poor coaches has been a disaster for them, only then can they genuinely embrace where the most recent, relevant evidence of how you get successful rugby franchise revival, points.

This actually changed my outlook, as a force fan i was devastated when i heard news of Pocock's departure however this was lessened when i heard he was moving to the Brumbies. The Brumbies have built up a strong team and Pocock will be a valuable addition, the news that Hooper was moving the the Waratahs just made me cringe. Hopefully the force will develop talent as the Brumbies have so that i can start watching some quality rugby like back when they first introduced the young gun James O'Connor.

 

[Viking]

I agree. Good post by RedsHappy. I never thought about it like that. Still hope for the Force.

 

[SuperGrover]

If the rumour comes to pass and Pocock joins the Brumbies, what does that mean for Colby Fainga'a.

With Mowen and Pocock certainties for 2 of the 3 spots in the back row and Jake White's penchant for playing Kimlin at 6 and both Vaea and Auelua providing considerable impact in their own right, could Colby be on the outer for 2013?

 

[Viking]

It does mean a significant drop in game time for Fainga'a. I do however see White playing him occasionally at 6 with Pocockat 7, as well as when Poey needs rest. A back-row of Mowen/Poey/Fotu or Vaea does sound Test-quality in my eyes.

 

[Caputo]

Not sure it is a done deal yet but hate that we are waiting on the decision. Hope it does not turn out like LeBron James decision. Not 1 not 2 etc.

I am more interested in what we are going to do about replacing EPS
Hooker and Prop. I would like to see Hugh Roach back.
At Prop what are the choices last years U20 JP Praudad, Tim Metcher or this years U20 group Les Makin, Latu or Parawaka

 

[RugbyReg]

I wonder if the Reds are in the market for a potential blindside flanker. Potentially one with family ties to them?

 

[tranquility]

Why? Is he that much better than Hooper?

Surely it will make a difference to the Brumbies but you're getting too excited.

Sorry Blue, but I think you are neglecting the impact he could make. Sure his onfield ability may only be slightly more influential than Hooper, however the standards that David would bring over would improve the whole squad. I would say that he is the most dedicated and professional athlete in Australia, to the point of almost unhealthy obsession. Early on at the Force they had to instruct him to take days off because it was constantly overtraining.

I do not think it will ensure a super title, or infact ensure the Brumbies make the finals - however it would be a signifigant boost for the Brumbies organisation that would secure the culture of the squad and add serious accuracy and grunt to an already effective forward unit.

 

[Jnor]

I wonder if the Reds are in the market for a potential blindside flanker. Potentially one with family ties to them?

Rocky?

 

[Slim 293]

The Brumbies depth just gets deeper this year...

Golden era of Brumbies revived​

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Chris Dutton​

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June 10, 2012​

Click for more photos ​

Wests legends​

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Troy Latter of ACT Legends tries to stop a rampaging Geoff Larkham of Wests. Photo: Stuart Walmsley​

CLYDE RATHBONE busting tackles, Joe Roff running the length of the field and Stephen Larkham delivering pinpoint 30-metre passes - the ACT Brumbies' golden era roared back to life at Jamison Oval yesterday.​

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And while the hits weren't as brutal and the speed definitely not as quick, the blood was real and so were the aching muscles after a 40-minute Legends match.​

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Brumbies fans got a treat when they were taken down memory lane in a Wests Legends clash with the ACT Legends, with some of the club's greatest players on the field as part of 50th year celebrations.​

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Everyone arrived keen to see whether Larkham still had his silky skills after Super Rugby coach Jake White tried to lure him out of retirement last month.​

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But it was Rathbone who was the ''party pooper'' at his ''electric'' best to score three tries.​

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''I don't think anyone told Rath that you're supposed to slow down a bit when you play in these sorts of matches - he's genuinely still electric,'' Larkham said.​

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White asked Larkham to come out of retirement with the Brumbies' two first-choice playmakers suffering season-ending injuries.​

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He declined, but yesterday's match lit a competitive fire deep inside the World Cup-winning flyhalf.​

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He's not ready to hang his boots up and is keen to test himself in a more physical contest to see if he can still match it with some younger opponents.​

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''That was very enjoyable … I've enjoyed the whole atmosphere, the camaraderie and it felt good,'' he said.​

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''I think a more serious game would be something I would want to do now … I'd have to start low in the grades, though.​

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''I just got an adrenaline buzz … I got to play with some of the guys I looked up to as a Wests ballboy like Andrew Stanford and Peter Bennett and that was fantastic.''​

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Players with more than 300 Test and Super Rugby caps ran onto the field for a blockbuster battle of former teammates and Wallabies and Brumbies greats.​

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It was supposed to be a bit of fun but it took just one tackle for blood to start flowing from Rathbone's nose. It must have fired the Test winger up because moments later he was powering through some veteran tacklers on his way to his first try.​

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He scored the match-winner just before full-time and his tally could have been four had he not stepped out on another blistering break down the sideline.​

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But while White tried to lure him out of retirement at the start of the year, Rathbone said he's happy to stick with the exhibition games.​

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''I feel a bit embarrassed by it actually, I didn't know whether to run or not,'' Rathbone laughed.​

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''It felt good, I haven't played since 2009 … having to cover for Roffy's missed tackles reminded me of the old days.​

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''I didn't get a chance to bash Bernie [Larkham], but maybe next time.''​

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Roff was playing his first game since 2008 and wore his Brumbies shorts from the 1996 season.​

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He swooped on one of Larkham's loose passes early in the match, but was run down by his former teammate in a race to the line.​

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The day wasn't just about the Brumbies' greats.​

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Some Wests stalwarts dusted off their boots to help celebrate the club's 50th birthday.​

Geoff Larkham powered through the match and kept beating his son to the ball.​

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For 65-year-old Wests legend Ron Moloney, it was his 438th match for his beloved club.​

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''The last time I played was 20 years ago, I was a bit worried going out there but it was a slow pace which was good,'' Moloney said.​

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''Just playing with the guys I used to play with made my day.​

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''I was fast enough … but I think that's it for me.''​

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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/golden-era-of-brumbies-revived-20120609-203gz.html#ixzz1xKkIzDCv​

 

[Slim 293]

PS I do like those jerseys the ACT teams have been wearing...

 

[rugbyskier]

Good to see a report on the ACT Legends v Wests Legends match. I missed the game as I was working at Thredbo and doing some preparation for an instructor exam next week. The bloke in the photo, Troy, is a teammate at the ACT Vets.

 

[Brumby Jack]

An independent review was undertaken to look at the running of the ACT & Southern NSW rugby union. The recommendations of this review have come back and the key recommendations are as follows:

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· The Brumbies (team and commercial business) be managed through a wholly commercial entity separate from ACT&SNSWRU, to which ACT&SNSWRU leases the intellectual property and management rights for the Brumbies, while retaining ownership of those rights.​

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· ACT&SNSWRU be conducted as a volunteer driven organisation, focused on actively managing the health and growth of Community Rugby in the ACT and Southern NSW.​

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· The licence fee from the new Brumbies organisation is set as a proportion of its revenue, at a level that ensures a substantial increase in resources available to Community Rugby.​

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· The licensing arrangements also include a share of any increase in the value of net assets of the Brumbies organisation (including net of any capital contribution by other parties).​

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· ACT&SNSWRU decide whether to seek private investors to manage the Brumbies or to establish a Rugby community aligned entity for that purpose.​

This looks to be a similar setup to what the Waratahs and NSW Rugby Union have.

The last point is very interesting considering the ACT market where main sponsors have been difficult to obtain in recent times. Both the Brumbies and Canberra Raiders (league side) struggled to gain a naming rights sponsors for 2012 and at one point both were in discussion with Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company, with the Raiders ending up with them after the Brumbies missed out due to factors outside their control, namely the inability for Huawei to gain a contract as part of the NBN rollout.

The problem with Canberra is that there are no coal miners/oil barons or the like with deep pockets ready to unload a huge chunk of cash to support a team.

The history of teams playing in national competitions hasn't been to great in the last 15 years or so with only the Brumbies and Raiders the only teams to survive, albeit with some very generous help from the ACT Government.

 

[TOCC]

An independent review was undertaken to look at the running of the ACT & Southern NSW rugby union. The recommendations of this review have come back and the key recommendations are as follows:

​

This looks to be a similar setup to what the Waratahs and NSW Rugby Union have.

The last point is very interesting considering the ACT market where main sponsors have been difficult to obtain in recent times. Both the Brumbies and Canberra Raiders (league side) struggled to gain a naming rights sponsors for 2012 and at one point both were in discussion with Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company, with the Raiders ending up with them after the Brumbies missed out due to factors outside their control, namely the inability for Huawei to gain a contract as part of the NBN rollout.

The problem with Canberra is that there are no coal miners/oil barons or the like with deep pockets ready to unload a huge chunk of cash to support a team.

The history of teams playing in national competitions hasn't been to great in the last 15 years or so with only the Brumbies and Raiders the only teams to survive, albeit with some very generous help from the ACT Government.

Im not sure this is the best option, the concept of private equity and removing the commercial arm(Brumbies) from community rugby isn't as flawless as one would hope. I mean you only have to look towards the Waratahs to see that its not a key to success.

The QRU went down this path a few years ago but have since reconsolidated the commercial arm and community arm back together as in reality, the two are mutually conducive to each other.

Also im not sure this is the best option especially for a smaller union like the ACT Brumbies, economies of scales allow companies to minimise costs and balance workloads. Its one thing to say that the community rugby arm should be run primarily by volunteers, but this can only achieve so much. At some point you will need to appoint full time and part time workers to effectively and professional manage the accounting and administration, this could be conceived as a duplication of efforts in some regards as their may be people within the 'commercial arm' of operations already filling this role within their other roles.

If alternatively its a case of the Brumbies seeking greater equity and investment in the organisation, then that makes a lot more sense, but as it stands i don't think they should proceed down this path.

 

[RugbyReg]

· ACT&SNSWRU be conducted as a volunteer driven organisation, focused on actively managing the health and growth of Community Rugby in the ACT and Southern NSW.

This whole decision surprises me. But specifically the above. What sort of numbers are we looking at here? How many players/clubs etc?

 

[mudskipper]

Im not sure this is the best option, the concept of private equity and removing the commercial arm(Brumbies) from community rugby isn't as flawless as one would hope. I mean you only have to look towards the Waratahs to see that its not a key to success.

The QRU went down this path a few years ago but have since reconsolidated the commercial arm and community arm back together as in reality, the two are mutually conducive to each other.

Also im not sure this is the best option especially for a smaller union like the ACT Brumbies, economies of scales allow companies to minimise costs and balance workloads. Its one thing to say that the community rugby arm should be run primarily by volunteers, but this can only achieve so much. At some point you will need to appoint full time and part time workers to effectively and professional manage the accounting and administration, this could be conceived as a duplication of efforts in some regards as their may be people within the 'commercial arm' of operations already filling this role within their other roles.

If alternatively its a case of the Brumbies seeking greater equity and investment in the organisation, then that makes a lot more sense, but as it stands i don't think they should proceed down this path.

I agree with TOCC here, economies of scale are a reality… More importantly ACT rugby doesn’t need to be over administrated to be fruitful… but possibly the Brumbies could do it better.

Its notable here that the administrative review answer is to add more administration not be more efficient with the same resources… its all sounds very political… NSWRU & the SJRU are hopeless… ACT rugby cant be any worse

 

[TOCC]

interesting that one thing NSWRU is considering is incorporating Waratahs ltd back into NSWRU in an attempt to replicate the sort of administration that the QRU has established with the Reds.

 

[Lisa]

I think the selectors will do well to keep a couple of extra backs up their sleeve. Speight is here to stay and has his heart *firmly* set on selection for test rugby but may have trouble playing a full game for the rest of the season due to knee problem that will need attention at the end of the season. I had a chat with him this week and found him to have the maturity, composure and focus usually found in a seasoned veteran. Highly suited to the Gold jersey and under Bernie's watchful eye Henry seems to have everything going in his favour.

 

[Slim 293]

Robbie Coleman has extended his contract until 2015.......

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rug...ay-at-brumbies-until-2015-20120712-21z51.html

 

[Empire]

Rumour coming out of England that Jerry Yanuyanutawa has signed with London Wasps.

Sincerely hope that Jerry is able to go to a Pro club and grab some more game time - he is capable of much more than club rugby in Australia.

Should it be true, they will be getting a solid player on the field and a gentleman off it. Not a bad mix.

 

[Slim 293]

From the Crimes today:

The players are on a 10-day break before they'll begin their season reviews.

White said a possible trip to South Africa during the pre-season had been canned due to player unavailability, with post-season surgeries and Wallabies duties ruling out a majority of the squad.

Instead, White will concentrate on finalising his squad for next year.

He's still waiting for Western Force openside flanker David Pocock to decide whether he'll join the Brumbies next season.

Until then White won't know who else will fill the final few squad and extended-player spots up for grabs.

''I'm just waiting on a couple of chaps I've approached to see if they'll come and join us, if they do then I'll be able to finalise the rest of the squad,'' he said.

''The balance of the squad is very important to me … what I'm doing is waiting on a couple of guys, and Pocock being one of them, and then I know what positions I need to put around him and players I have in the system already.

''If I don't get him then we have to look at someone else and that has a domino effect over the three or four positions we've still got available.''

But White did rule out signing Ireland flyhalf Ronan O'Gara, who had been linked with the Brumbies.


Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/finals-heartache-made-worse-by-thoughts-of-super-run-white-20120717-228kz.html#ixzz20ut1XErn​

I didn't exactly believe this rumour as the Brumbies already have 3 flyhalves in the squad.......

Also, as reported in the Tahs 2013 thread - Cam Crawford will be released by the Brumbies and join the Tahs next year.......

Good luck to him, but he surely must be a masochist?