Making rugby No 1

[Dan54]

Ok now that rugby for us is over for the year, I would like to ask some opinions.
The reason I ask is a comment someone on board made when I commented that I though it was not great to have Qld club finals being played at same time as Wallabies were playing their World Cup opening game, when it was said quite waspishly "we are hear to develop players ,not for your social life'. I though about comment for awhile, and didn't really take it personally or anything and it struck me one of great problems in my opinion of making game here more popular is this very opinion. If QRU's job (and I assume the chairmen of premier clubs) is to develop players for Reds etc, who's job is it to actually promote the game as one for everyone etc. That in my humble opinion is where QRU (can't speak about others as no experience of them) has it wrong, look at Aussie rules, they seem to bend over backwards to promote their game as one for ALL kids to play ,and do a bloody good job of getting it into schools etc, where as it seems (and I maybe wrong) that in rugby if it is not a GPS school,or one of 'old school clubs', I not sure anyone feels they are particularly wanted in the code. I think if we want to develop players etc in Australia, the best way is getting as many people of any standard playing the game, the cream almost always rises and eventually their will be a depth of rugby talent here to rival NZ's. It one of the biggest differences I have seen between Aus and NZ on how game is administrated, in my experience which admittedly is only at club level (and a little higher in NZ). I not trying to start shitfights or anything ,just a good discussion whilst in off season.

 

[Ruggo]

If rugby was to promote itself across the broader social spectrum it will be amaized at how much raw talent it will unearth. Rugby needs to sell its biggest strength in that its's a sport that can take you all over the world while having the opportunity to develop a career after rugby during your playing career. The game needs to connect with the fundimentals of community which are health, education and social wellfare. AFL do a great job at this and the results are evident. It is our national game as it has promoted itself in every nook and cranny across the country. AFL gets the lions share of funding because it is so interwined into the community and the game is proven to be a good tool in acheiving results in the fundimentals of a community.

 

[Hawko]

So if Ruggo is right, what's the pathway. One pathway that uses the advantages that AFL and Mungo don't have is the Olympics participation in Sevens. As a kid my dream was to find a sport I could be good enough in to go to an Olympics. Sadly I never could find one. If we start now to promote Sevens from U-14's up in a nationwide schools competition we will hugely widen the selection pool while at the same time getting kids to participate in a game that is a good introduction to 15-a-side rugby. Right now, Sevens is only a feeder comp for backs for Super Rugby. But if we thought about it differently, it could be the wedge that broadens rugby's support at the expense of AFL and League. I don't think it will put a dent in football, but football players in general tend to be shorter and slighter than rugby players so we are dipping into a different gene pool.

We need some way of getting rugby beyond the private school system at the teenage level - you can't grow to love something you have never played. Sevens is that opportunity.

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

It may be the way forward Hawko.

 

[Jets]

Also sevens is a great opportunity to introduce women to rugby.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

If rugby was to promote itself across the broader social spectrum it will be amaized at how much raw talent it will unearth.

But in all honesty is this what is wanted? My collective opinion from reading GAGR is that it isn't.

 

[Schadenfreude]

But in all honesty is this what is wanted? My collective opinion from reading GAGR is that it isn't.

Then that's a pretty good reason to broaden the spectrum IMHO.

Yeah - I'm thinking I'll get the boy to play 7s. Less injuries, more exciting, more rugby, good for fitness.

 

[yourmatesam]

Prediction - This thread will turn into a disaster...

 

[Joe Mac]

Its a great idea Hawko. I was speaking to a Welsh lad about Rugby and he said that Rugby was promoted in Wales in a different way.

He said that Rugby was invented so that no matter what shape of size a kid was, they had an equally important role to play in the team. Small kids, fast kids, tall kids all had an important part to play and because no other game could be so inclusive, it was promoted as the game of choice for young kids. Not a bad angle...

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

Also sevens is a great opportunity to introduce women to rugby.

I know that this is a terrible thing to say. I won't watch it and i never will.

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

Its a great idea Hawko. I was speaking to a Welsh lad about Rugby and he said that Rugby was promoted in Wales in a different way.

He said that Rugby was invented so that no matter what shape of size a kid was, they had an equally important role to play in the team. Small kids, fast kids, tall kids all had an important part to play and because no other game could be so inclusive, it was promoted as the game of choice for young kids. Not a bad angle...

I don't think the wales method will work here. The thing we are always going to suffer from is our saturated sports market.

 

[Karl]

The use of the Rugby 7's and the Olympics is a fantastic concept. I have never seen Rugby 7's promoted at a Junior Level, let alone as an Olympic Sport. It's Brilliant. Seriously, someone from this site with some type of influence at the ARU needs to work up a plan for pitching that as a whole new thing to create a new pipeline of talent into Rugby. I'd like to see a whole separate thread on that it's so damn good an idea - "Promoting a separate Rugby 7's Comp at Senior and Junior levels and using the Olympics connection as a new player pipeline for Rugby in Australia"

The other idea, the Welsh approach, I think has legs. Going out to ALL schools and promoting Junior Rugby as a sport where any kid can find a slot. Imagine the words "RUGBY - For kids of all shapes and sizes" across a picture of a bunch of misfit looking kids in the foreground (little, big, tall, short, chunky, etc) and some famous player analagous to that kid ghosted in in the background, standing over his shoulder, like that's what the player looked like when he was a kid starting out. Vary the poster for the location and use Super Rugby players from the relevant area with high profiles (and Wallabies too obviously).

They need to do something that can grab the kids like AusKick does in School Holidays as well. My boys are Rugby players, but they still like AusKick. Every kid likes to actually KICK a footy when they're younger. I know Rugby has a more challenging set of rules and skills, and that works against us at the Junior Level. Lineouts, Rucking and Mauling etc are harder to get the hang of and play casually compared to Kick, run, chase, repeat, or touch footy with a tackle chucked in. Rugby 7's might be good for that too and use the whole "We're looking for the 2024 Olympic Rugby 7's Team - Interested?"

 

[Schadenfreude]

I don't think the wales method will work here. The thing we are always going to suffer from is our saturated sports market.

You don't think there's a massive amount of Football saturating the UK market?

 

[EVERYFWDTHINKTHEYREA6OR7]

You don't think there's a massive amount of Football saturating the UK market?

Yes there is however staying on subject and speaking about Wales specifically there is 3 million people in Wales.

They have Football and Rugby for winter sports. (Tinyest sprinkling of League that aint worth talking about)

We have 20 odd million people and we have

AFL
Rugby
Rugby League
Football

and the weather for kids to play summer sports in winter here all competing for numbers.

 

[Ruggo]

Its a great idea Hawko. I was speaking to a Welsh lad about Rugby and he said that Rugby was promoted in Wales in a different way.

He said that Rugby was invented so that no matter what shape of size a kid was, they had an equally important role to play in the team. Small kids, fast kids, tall kids all had an important part to play and because no other game could be so inclusive, it was promoted as the game of choice for young kids. Not a bad angle...

This is what I was taught. Also that it was one of the safest team sports if taught and played properly.

 

[ON85]

If rugby was to promote itself across the broader social spectrum it will be amaized at how much raw talent it will unearth. Rugby needs to sell its biggest strength in that its's a sport that can take you all over the world while having the opportunity to develop a career after rugby during your playing career. The game needs to connect with the fundimentals of community which are health, education and social wellfare. AFL do a great job at this and the results are evident. It is our national game as it has promoted itself in every nook and cranny across the country. AFL gets the lions share of funding because it is so interwined into the community and the game is proven to be a good tool in acheiving results in the fundimentals of a community.

Cough, splutter, choke, regurgitate........'It is our national game'? It is popular on the cobbled streets of some grimy Melbourne suburbs and two states that are best known for peculiar nightlife and iron ore production. The beating heart of Australia is the east coast and very few people here care for either South Melbourne or Fitzroy. Have a look at the TV ratings for 2011 in Syd/Bris. We only have one National game and that's cricket

 

[Ruggo]

Cough, splutter, choke, regurgitate........'It is our national game'? It is popular on the cobbled streets of some grimy Melbourne suburbs and two states that are best known for peculiar nightlife and iron ore production. The beating heart of Australia is the east coast and very few people here care for either South Melbourne or Fitzroy. Have a look at the TV ratings for 2011 in Syd/Bris. We only have one National game and that's cricket

And this has to do with rugby?

 

[Scarfman]

But in all honesty is this what is wanted? My collective opinion from reading GAGR is that it isn't.

I like the fact that rugby has limited appeal. I don't like the way it's confined to private schools, though. I went to a state school that played rugby, and we were learnt rugby values along with the game. If you broaden the rugby playing base, you compromise rugby values, and that's essentially the death of rugby right there.

P.S. Cheers for the signature. Keep spreading the word.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Sevens is the vessel in my opinion particularly to introduce the game to young children as it's open, free flowing and ball in hand orientated format of the game. However, I'd introduce the format as a Summer sport. That way you can run it over the 1st and 4th school terms free from opposition of the other football codes. Giving the game a vital leg up and some clean air so to speak to build the necessary links with children. You'd likely find you'd get a great deal of transfer from Rugby League and AFL playing kids.

Key to this will be the active promotion of clubs outside of school attempting to funnel as many kids as possible in regular weekend Rugby.

 

[Army_Gav]

The Troup will make Rugby #1.