S18 on its way

[Braveheart81]

I think the view of how one or two people in this thread view the Wallabies in world rugby isn't really matched by reality.

Maybe 15 years ago we had that sort of reputation and interest but I certainly don't think it is the case now and definitely isn't historically.

I'd say the All Blacks v South Africa is comfortably the biggest rivalry in world rugby as viewed by the rest of the world.

 

[Quick Hands]

I meant go on their own. Scrap the Premiership/Championship split and do a double round robin.

I think that is exactly what they would do.

 

[Quick Hands]

Every country cares more about their own country's rivalries. Outside of SANZAR the game everyone is interested in, excluding their own country, is New Zealand v Australia. I am not from either country and I talk about this through experience.

In Dublin, when Autumn internationals come around, the big ticket in town is the All Blacks game. The Wallabies game is a distant 2nd. The Springboks game is a very distant 3rd. From playing the game in Britain and socialising in those circles the interest and demand is the identical.

I guess it depends on one's definition of "everyone". I know plenty of rugby followers in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France who aren't any more interested in Wallabies V ABs than they are in any other game in which their country isn't playing. Unless of course these people have a perverse delight in watching the Wallabies lose.

 

[LeinsterRebel]

I think the view of how one or two people in this thread view the Wallabies in world rugby isn't really matched by reality.

Maybe 15 years ago we had that sort of reputation and interest but I certainly don't think it is the case now and definitely isn't historically.

I'd say the All Blacks v South Africa is comfortably the biggest rivalry in world rugby as viewed by the rest of the world.

There is a difference between that and traditional rivalries. The highest ranked sides are the current competitive rivals at any moment in time. South Africa v New Zealand is the clash of the top ranked sides. In the Southern Hemisphere New Zealand has been the top placed side in recent Tri Nations. It's a just a trend. Those games do not capture the imaginations of the rugby public outside of the nations involved.

South Africa has been ahead of Australia the last 2 year but aside from that I would love to see the average standings as I have no doubt that South Africa are regular wooden spoon-winners.

If you think that in Europe that South Africa v New Zealand has the same pull as Australia v New Zealand then from my experience, based on decades living there, I strongly disagree.

To draw a parallel with football, the latest EPL rivalries at the top of the league would still not compare to the global interest in the traditional rivalries (Manchester United v Liverpool etc).

 

[LeinsterRebel]

I guess it depends on one's definition of "everyone". I know plenty of rugby followers in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France who aren't any more interested in Wallabies V ABs than they are in any other game in which their country isn't playing. Unless of course these people have a perverse delight in watching the Wallabies lose.

That is definitely the case, many are only interested in their own sides. Hardcore rugby fans watching more games eagerly anticipate the Bledisloe Games/. My father, for example, while completely neutral had a life long ambition of seeing Australia v New Zealand live and the opportunity was a big factor in traveling half way across the world to see.

Rugby lovers love this game.

The clash between the top ranked sides in the world will always be big (currently NZ v SA) but the NZ v AU game will always be big.

 

[Quick Hands]

That is definitely the case, many are only interested in their own sides. Hardcore rugby fans watching more games eagerly anticipate the Bledisloe Games/. My father, for example, while completely neutral had a life long ambition of seeing Australia v New Zealand live and the opportunity was a big factor in traveling half way across the world to see.

Rugby lovers love this game.

The clash between the top ranked sides in the world will always be big (currently NZ v SA) but the NZ v AU game will always be big.

Just as rugby lovers enjoy seeing England beaten by anyone.

 

[Omar Comin']

I am all for expanding Super Rugby. I want teams in Asia, South America and hopefully one day on North America.

Amen. Think about Asia alone for a second. If the first Japanese team is a success then that paves the way for an Asian conference. Additional Japanese teams and teams elsewhere. We've already seen how close the Singapore based Dragons got to getting the license this time. They clearly have the financial backing. Then there's the very wealthy Hong Kong Union. They weren't interested in being part of the South African group this time around but the Chairman said they may have been interested if it was in an Australian group. You can imagine if it's an Asian or Asia-Pacific group that the interest will be greater. All of a sudden a 5 team Asian conference doesn't seem pie in the sky.

Same deal in South America. If the first Argentinian team has some moderate success (on and particularly off the field), then it opens the door for more South American teams and potentially not just in Argentina.

 

[PaarlBok]

I meant go on their own. Scrap the Premiership/Championship split and do a double round robin.

The model I'd love to see if the cc/npc/nrc is part of the compo and replace the conference system. let the top teams of this competition play at the business end. add u20s into this to develope future talent.

 

[PaarlBok]

Everyone wants South Africa involved. The difficultly is the South African sense of entitlement which is holding back the game. I am sure many public quotes from rugby officials are just paying lip service to that.

I think you have a problem with Saffers and dont tell me you have no ties with Aus, only yourself believe your bull.

 

[Sully]

Guys. This has probably gone as far as it needs to. Give it a rest.

 

[USARugger]

I don't hold any particular attachment to the view that the Springboks are more popular than the Wallabies, so I don't mind one way or the other if your results are accurate or not. I am intrigued by how you picked the terms and how you obtained the stats (emphasis mine above).

Terms are all the same structure, ie: 1) team name 2) team name + "rugby" 3) nation + team name + "rugby". So simply starting at the most basic level and working down to capture the other most obvious related searches while keeping things uniform between the three groups being compared.

The data is directly from Google's Keyword Planner.

I too, couldn't really care less about the pissing contest but I thought it would be nice to at least add something quantitative to the pissing contest. I would have to say that based on my own personal experience the relative dominance of the Wallabies brand in the American market is very much a reality, though. I might be a Sharks/Springboks supporter otherwise!

 

[Jagman]

Why aren't the Wallabies playing sellout test matches in USA then? From my experience Americans love the Allblacks because of the Haka. We could get our Tongan contingent to do a haka for them. If would be cringe worthy for everyone else but id gather Americans wouldn't know the difference.


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[TOCC]

When was the last time the wallabies didn't sell out a test in the USA?


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[Quick Hands]

When was the last time the wallabies didn't sell out a test in the USA?


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When was the last time the Wallabies played a test in the US? I just tried to google it and nothing came up. I did notice that in news reports on the recent ABs match some US media thought the ABs were Australian. If we do go there, maybe they'll want to know why we're wearing yellow jerseys?

Seriously, the US is a sleeping giant in terms of rugby. A large portion of the population will never play NFL because of the physical requirements needed, but rugby caters for all different body types.

Probably a matter for its own thread, but rugby should really be looking at China and Russia as well. Putin for one strikes me as being much more a rugby type of guy than a soccer type. Soccer world cup there is 2018, so they would have all the grounds ready made for a subsequent RWC.

 

[TOCC]

Yes I was been cheeky about the last US test, it was a rebuttal for the comment above...

US has potential, but I firmly think Australia should set its main effort on assisting Japan in the next 5 years culminating with the 2019 RWC..




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[Jagman]

I know they thought the Allblacks were australian. That's why we should turn up and do some sort of pacific island haka and maybe wear a predominantly really really dark green "away" Jersey.


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[Quick Hands]

Yes I was been cheeky about the last US test, it was a rebuttal for the comment above.

US has potential, but I firmly think Australia should set its main effort on assisting Japan in the next 5 years culminating with the 2019 RWC..




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I agree with that.

I have a vague recollection of the Wallabies playing in the US, but just couldn't remember it. I think it might have been as far back as the Alan Jones/Nick Farr-Jones era.

 

[Westie]

Yes I was been cheeky about the last US test, it was a rebuttal for the comment above.

US has potential, but I firmly think Australia should set its main effort on assisting Japan in the next 5 years culminating with the 2019 RWC..




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How about we assist ourselves first

 

[Wilson]

They're not mutually exclusive. One of the few good things the ARU has done in recent times is working for a closer alignment with Japan, it's a good fit and generally speaking Japanese growth will help to temper the influence of French clubs. That said Eddie Jones may have forced some of this good work on the ARU, and they should be scheduling a test against Japan soon to consolidate.

 

[Westie]

They're not mutually exclusive. One of the few good things the ARU has done in recent times is working for a closer alignment with Japan, it's a good fit and generally speaking Japanese growth will help to temper the influence of French clubs. That said Eddie Jones may have forced some of this good work on the ARU, and they should be scheduling a test against Japan soon to consolidate.

Yeah I agree with most of that but I don't trust steady Eddie. However, given our finances, I think they need to assist us.