Australian Rugby / RA

[cyclopath]

I find myself in agreement with Fitzsimmons more and more.
It worries me.
Did anyone get the message from Ms Castle that QC (Quade Cooper) is playing club because he refuses to go to another franchise? If that message was conveyed it’s a little indiscrete.

Maybe a bit tough to mention it, but the ARU has copped some heat (here and elsewhere) about Cooper being paid a lot and playing club rather than at another Super team. Fair enough that he has exercised his option to do that, no reason why he shouldn't, but also fair enough to mention that the option had been looked at for another franchise.

 

[Derpus]

So, the two biggest issues of Raelene's tenure so far have been met with relative inactivity. Not sure the passive approach will really cut it, given rugby is currently being bent over and fucked without lube from all angles.

 

[Slim 293]

Maybe a bit tough to mention it, but the ARU has copped some heat (here and elsewhere) about Cooper being paid a lot and playing club rather than at another Super team. Fair enough that he has exercised his option to do that, no reason why he shouldn't, but also fair enough to mention that the option had been looked at for another franchise.

I posted it in another thread, but Larkham has now come out and said Quade has no chance of playing for the Wallabies if he doesn't go to another Super team.........

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sp...r-wallabies-says-larkham-20180509-p4ze8m.html

BJ mentioned the Brumbies had tabled him an offer which he refused, so I'm sure it's partially in response to that.

 

[wamberal]

Maybe Quade is opting for early retirement. That's what it looks like to me.

 

[Rebels3]

She clearly indicated it was an issue between the Reds and Quade, of which the it's hard to see who is at fault. Part of me thinks it was initially stubbornness from the Reds and now it's stubbornness from Quade. RA hands are completely and utterly tied on the issue, which is another question all together in how they can sign contracts that give the entire power to the state body etc.

In my eyes both he and Hunt should still be running around for an Australian franchise, Hunt to the Brumbies to play 12 and Quade to Rebels to play 10, would improve both sides.

 

[sidelineview]

Unfortunately politics is what needs to be discussed in Australian rugby.

Not this kind ..... it's ugly ...Castle identified it as a difficult problem to resolve.... saw both sides of it.

 

[Rebels3]

Not this kind ... it's ugly .Castle identified it as a difficult problem to resolve.. saw both sides of it.

I was meaning all issues in the game in general.

 

[I like to watch]

I posted it in another thread, but Larkham has now come out and said Quade has no chance of playing for the Wallabies if he doesn't go to another Super team...

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/sp...r-wallabies-says-larkham-20180509-p4ze8m.html

BJ mentioned the Brumbies had tabled him an offer which he refused, so I'm sure it's partially in response to that.

Cheika has made his opinions clear,I totally understand why QC (Quade Cooper) won't leave his home, family and friends to be injury cover,

 

[sidelineview]

I was meaning all issues in the game in general.

Yes of course. There's been plenty of that going on but Castle has taken over for a fresh start and was commanding a lot of time to the social media issue which was unfortunate.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Encouraging comments from Raelene:

Talking from her perspective at the Bulldogs, Castle said there is an “organised plan to steal rugby talent” within rugby league, which is something she has seen first hand. This apparently has contributed to the decline of the code.
However, when she spoke on Kick & Chase, she admitted that there was a plan being created at HQ to encourage youngsters to stay in rugby.
“[This is] something I’m particularly passionate about, having understood from [my] previous role how there might be an organised plan to steal rugby talent, we need to make sure we lock it up and capture it,” Castle said.

“[We need to] ensure that we back ourselves to secure that talent to contract it and grow and develop it.
“Call it a junior Wallabies scholarship, call it an early contracting thing, that’s what we’re looking to try and implement.
“If we can pick our four best rugby stars every year and that becomes eight and becomes 12 and becomes 16, suddenly very quickly you’re actually seeding that best talent and securing it and selling the dream.
“Being a Wallaby, playing internationally, going to a World Cup; those are things perhaps the other codes can’t discuss.
“[We are] looking to see if it’s something we can implement next year.”
The plan is as yet unclear, but for all the crap we give Castle, it is a positive that she has come over from League and seen what they are doing.
On a side note, Castle also commented on the rise of World Series Rugby over in WA over the weekend, which she admitted to really enjoying after finding Australian performances in Super Rugby “incredibly difficult to watch.”
“It was great to see it finally hit the airwaves. It was a great success, they had a really good crowd there.
“It was interesting to see the Fijian team there. We are absolutely supportive of anything that continues to promote rugby in the west and we’ll continue to work closely with Andrew [Forrest] and Minderoo.”
What was a really interesting comment that she mentioned was the potential link-up that Twiggy may have with the NRC.
“The NRC will stay as a competition because we believe that is a really important part of our pathway to make sure there is a step from club rugby into the NRC into Super Rugby.
“We would like to see Andrew get involved in helping to supercharge the NRC and that’s certainly some of the conversations that we’ve had with him. That’s a way where the Western Force players can have a way to be in that pathway.”

I'd love to find out what supercharging the NRC actually would entail.

 

[charlesalan]

I'd love to find out what supercharging the NRC actually would entail.

its her way of asking Twiggy for money to pay for the NRC that the ARU booted his team out of. She has a lot of hide

 

[Slim 293]

its her way of asking Twiggy for money to pay for the NRC that the ARU booted his team out of. She has a lot of hide

Although Perth were never booted out of the NRC.........

 

[Rebels3]

I'd love to find out what supercharging the NRC actually would entail.

A Pacific expansion?

I do like the Kiwi model of have 2 divisions.

Could have

Sydney
NSW Country
Brisbane
QLD Country
Melbourne
Perth
Canberra

with
Fiji (world rugby sponsored)
Samoa (world rugby sponsored)
Tonga (world rugby sponsored)

Split into 2 divisions of 5 teams, play everyone twice (8 games), with relegation and promotion.

Plenty of room to expand around that, building to a semi pro level, where non professional players are compensated $30-40k for the duration.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

its her way of asking Twiggy for money to pay for the NRC that the ARU booted his team out of. She has a lot of hide

Not her doing. Again, she's inherited many of these issues. Let's at least give her time to fuck up herself before blaming her for everything.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

A Pacific expansion?

I do like the Kiwi model of have 2 divisions.

Could have

Sydney
NSW Country
Brisbane
QLD Country
Melbourne
Perth
Canberra

with
Fiji (world rugby sponsored)
Samoa (world rugby sponsored)
Tonga (world rugby sponsored)

Split into 2 divisions of 5 teams, play everyone twice (8 games), with relegation and promotion.

Plenty of room to expand around that, building to a semi pro level, where non professional players are compensated $30-40k for the duration.

What have been good after the Force was cut would have been for RA to have actually tried to make peace with Forrest and work with him to start putting the pieces together for the IPRC. I actually think much of the NRC could have been used for this. Not sure about the country squad but certainly Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth alongside the Drua. Perhaps they could have been replaced with an Adelaide team. From there they could have added two or three Asian teams and that would form the basis of the IPRC.

 

[Rebels3]

I'm not convinced by Asian teams getting involved, it just comes across as a gimmick more than anything. NRC-ITM-Currie Cup, etc. are all about regional, so there needs to be players from that area actually capable of filling the spots. Hong Kong is probably the only one capable of putting something down but their future is probably more in their own region, also for NRC it's just simply too far and too expensive to send teams there for little return. At least world rugby is willing to cover the costs for the pacific teams (well at least seen in the Drua). Japan has it's own competition and we need to stop trying to leach off them.

Let's get the comp to semi-professional before we look at anything moderately professional with multi-facet teams etc. At the end of the day it's an Australian competition, and the Australian rugby audience has zero to no interest in Asian teams, where as we have a massive Pacific Islander rugby community.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I'm not convinced by Asian teams getting involved, it just comes across as a gimmick more than anything. NRC-ITM-Currie Cup, etc. are all about regional, so there needs to be players from that area actually capable of filling the spots. Hong Kong is probably the only one capable of putting something down but their future is probably more in their own region, also for NRC it's just simply too far and too expensive to send teams there for little return. At least world rugby is willing to cover the costs for the pacific teams (well at least seen in the Drua). Japan has it's own competition and we need to stop trying to leach off them.

Let's get the comp to semi-professional before we look at anything moderately professional with multi-facet teams etc. At the end of the day it's an Australian competition, and the Australian rugby audience has zero to no interest in Asian teams, where as we have a massive Pacific Islander rugby community.

I'd prefer to see something like you suggested but don't know if that would be what Forrest would envisage.

 

[sidelineview]

Not her doing. Again, she's inherited many of these issues. Let's at least give her time to fuck up herself before blaming her for everything.

She seems like a smart cookie.
I'd be pretty dumb not to throw her hat in the ring with Twiggy.
At least she's repairing the ill feeling between WA and RA.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Maybe a bit tough to mention it, but the ARU has copped some heat (here and elsewhere) about Cooper being paid a lot and playing club rather than at another Super team. Fair enough that he has exercised his option to do that, no reason why he shouldn't, but also fair enough to mention that the option had been looked at for another franchise.

It’s strange. My point was only that she hung him out to dry - if it was already common knowledge then not so much.
Her job is a bit like herding cats. I got the feeling she is more than a little troubled by the lack of ARU control over it - I thought these were 3 way contracts and, if so, some residual power for the ARU to direct players would seem possible, desirable and essential.
Presumably Larkham was authorised to make his point about selection, but that being so entails cheika having changed his mind.

 

[cyclopath]

It’s strange. My point was only that she hung him out to dry - if it was already common knowledge then not so much.
Her job is a bit like herding cats. I got the feeling she is more than a little troubled by the lack of ARU control over it - I thought these were 3 way contracts and, if so, some residual power for the ARU to direct players would seem possible, desirable and essential.
Presumably Larkham was authorised to make his point about selection, but that being so entails cheika having changed his mind.

I think they're really (effectively) 2-way contracts but the ARU / RA has to rubber stamp them, so to speak. At the end of the day, they are primarily contracted to their Super Team. It would be frustrating from the POV of the peak body. Maybe the Kiwis are onto something, but I've banged that drum enough times.
Did Larkham say he "could not" or probably "would not" get selected? Semantics, I know, but a subtle difference.