Ideas for Australian Rugby Union

[wamberal]

The goal of the ARU should be to make rugby Australia's national sport. This is done by boosting popularity, which is done by winning more, specifically become the best in the World.

With the greatest of respect, and as much as I would love to see this happen, it is a totally unrealistic goal under any forseeable circumstances. One of the easiest ways for an organisation to fail, is for it to set itself unrealistic objectives.


Rugby will never be the dominant winter sport, that would be a lower level objective, but equally unrealistic.



For a few fleeting moments, in the early noughties, when the leaguies were still embroiled in the aftermath of their internecine war, our national team was going well, the rugby was reasonably entertaining to the average punter, and we were attracting some huge names to our sport, things did look promising, I must admit. However, we missed the boat - partly because we just cannot get the rules of the game right (unlike our two main competitors, both of whom can change the rules of their game at will to suit local preferences) and partly because of the failure of the rugby community to support the ARC.


The only person on the planet who can change this outlook is Uncle Rupert. If he decided to put huge bucks into a hybrid code, a game called rugby could dominate Eastern Australia. But it won't happen - probably cannot happen.

 

[Lee Grant]

I'm not fussed by what model is used but we need a layer of rugby in between Super Rugby and club rugby.


As Link said in the 10 Questions blog: Developing another tier is complicated politically but unless we develop something in this space, our middle tier players are going to leave prematurely and we won’t get the development of players as we should.


The 5th team will delay some players leaving for a while but it will rear it's ugly head again soon - but the more important thing is the 2nd bit: the development of players.


Oz Super coaches must roll their eyes when they see some of the cattle coming into their squads and their low level of skill. Part of the problem is poor coaching at a young age but another part is that they have not been exposed to a Currie Cup or an NPC for a year or two to get their skills to the appropriate level to enable them to prosper in Super Rugby. Too many of them learn their trade on the job compared to Kiwis who tend to enter Super Rugby older, on the average.


There is another important negative about not having that missing tier which Link was probably too diplomatic to mention: sometimes the fellow cherry-picked from club rugby was not good enough for the Super level anyway, but they didn't know because he had not been assessed at a high enough level; so they took a punt.


From a rugby point of view the ARC was fine and even from a fan point of view I was starting to identify with my team, the Rays, and went to all the games at Gosford - and even went to some games at NSO and Parramatta Stadium to watch other teams.


But if they want to have a club system as in the Aviva Premiership, I'm OK with that. There could be an ACT and Melbourne team as they had before and club teams from Sydney and Brisbane - maybe the strongest 3 from NSW and the strongest 2 from Qld.


Those teams have to be able to pay their way as they do in other sports in other countries. There should be some relegation game at the end of the season wherein the lowest NSW or Qld team is challenged by the best of the others in their state who can afford to finance their step up. If they can't, bad luck, the next best team who can finance the step up will get the chance.


Teams could fly in and out on the day but the costs of involving Perth could be crushing.


Having been involved in a business that had considerable travel and accommodation expenses for it's participants I probably realise more than many what the Perth marginal costs will be. It may be best to exclude them for a year or two. I know every forum member will object to that and good on them, and so do I from many points of view. It stinks, but I can't see how the financial elephant in the room can be got rid of. Not even 100 suggestions to get a sponsor to cover the marginal costs will help.


Players from Perth and players from clubs in NSW and Qld whose clubs are not in the new comp may have to move around the country to participating teams if they want to get involved. This happens in England and France.


This post is full of holes and I can spot them as well as anybody because it's easy to do. But if the old ARC model didn't work because of it's financial problems something different must be tried.


Surely we want something different.
.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Cheaper tickets for games. Plain and simple. Juniors under 12 who wear their club rugby jersey get in free.

Open the oval to the kids after the game to allow them to emulate their heros.

 

[Bardon]

I would say that for Aus the Pro12 & HEC model probably would have been a better fit for the playing numbers. It would mean players could be blooded in the league comp and the top players rested during the season. But you've got the S15 format and you've got to work with what's there. I'm sure at some stage the Super competition will expand to include teams for Argentina and Japan. I would be shocked if those running Super Rugby weren't looking at ways to get a foothold in the very lucrative Asian market. Actually I take that back I wouldn't be too shocked if Rugby administrators were inept, but despite this I would still expect it to happen in the future.

So for Aus rugby as it stands maybe a national competition a tier below Super level that allowed the 5 existing franchises to play an "A" team in it. Then fill out the other spots with teams from places, that in the future, might have a S15 franchise.

This would give the extra benefit to the Super rugby teams of a competitive place for their fringe players and players returning from injury to play. But also would mean that players on developmental contracts could play together regularly and build up the understanding that will benefit them in the future. It would also make it easier to determine who's best equipped to step up to Super level.

Also if in the future Aus decides to have a 6th and 7th Super franchise there's a pool of players to choose from. Plus if it's in a non-traditional rugby area the 2nd tier comp could lay the foundations in terms of building a fan base.

 

[Joe Mac]

A third tier would be ideal but it is a huge step up from nothing to a whole new comp. I think the key is incremental progress for it to be financially sustainable.

1. How about in entering the academy team for each Super franchise into their local rugby competition as phase 1. Let them play as the curtain raiser before the main franchise team whenever their is a home game. Eg Tah's academy enter the Shute shield... This will increase the amount of participation at the penultimate level of rugby, increase the standard of each competition (especcially in states like Vic and WA where the Rebels rising etc will be playing in the current compeition against other Victorian locals) and ensure these academy players are getting regular game time together.

2. Structure it so that each competition finishes earlier than Super XV and then the winner of each state competition plays against each other state champion as a curtain raiser in the final home games of Super XV. While it will be unlikely that local teams in the fringe states will beat the academy, in NSW and QLD this carrot will push teams like Sydney Uni to push the local (Tah's) academy for that single spot, which will inevitably mean they need to pay a little money to retain and attract top talent to their club. From the players perspective if they missed out on an academy spot, they will get an opportunity to impress selectors at the Super level (because they will regularly get to play against the current academy teams). Hopefully this means the current clubs will be able to better retain players who didnt make the academy and feel that their best path is an alternative to our game (such as rugby league).

For the final rounds when each state champion plays each other (apart from playing Perth), make all trips interstate a day trip so costs are small. The ARU can then pay for each state champion club to travel to Perth once to play their champion team... A small cost relative to setting up a whole new competition.

Ensure Foxsports puts these games on Tele as the curtain raiser and you will attract viewers interested in the future of Australian rugby which is largely why the NPC and Currie cup attract viewers.

3. Without adding any new teams or allocating a huge amount of money to the risky idea of starting a competition from scratch, we will have created a new tier of rugby (albeit a short one) with very small costs, a huge potential audience and a great pathway for players in or out of a academy...


It sounds so easy!

 

[Roundawhile]

Our game will never flourish until it is back on FTA!

The only way to encourage the kids at grass roots is if they can WATCH their heros.

It will always be seen as an elitest game if it is not on FTA.

End of rant

 

[rugbysmartarse]

Step 1: reprise the old "I wanna be a wallaby" ad from the late 80s.
Step 2: ?
Step 3: profit

 

[It is what it is]

We need to ensure that high potential young players are not cocooned away in Academies and/or used as training fodder for Super Rugby teams.
These 'next generation' players need to be playing with and against men, on a regular basis, in the highest level of competition possible.
Key learnings in rugby are achieved 'doing', under physical and mental pressure.
For the young player this means they will get knocked on their arse and at times they will feel intimidated, but they'll learn from experienced journeymen and former rep players and become seasoned more rapidly.

 

[p.Tah]

^^^
TPN calls this kinesthetic learning and says it's the only way he can learn to play rugby.

 

[The_Riddler]

I haven't trawled through the previous posts so forgive me if I'm repeating others.

In my opinion, the ARU needs new management, you need to get rid of the blazer brigade at the state level, and the professional product needs to be revamped or diversified in some way to make it relevant and more appealing to a broader base of people in the major domestic markets.

By analogy, look at cricket and how commercially successful the Big Bash has been. While we will always have the Wallabies and Super Rugby, Sevens rugby if marketed correctly could produce new revenue streams domestically if done right.

Replicate the atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens and you have a winning formula. Too much focus has been placed on trying, and failing, to restructure second tier (amateur) rugby when frankly if you focus on making more money at the professional level there will be more means for developing things at the grass roots.

Unfortunately, i havent seen anything from the ARU or any of the state provinces since the 2003 world cup which indicates that they have the ability to think laterally or with intestinal fortitude.

 

[kronic]

Mine's simple, be more supportive of fans attempting to organize at test matches.

You attempt to provide better support for the team, which is widely acknowledged as being, well 'shit', only to he stopped at every corner.

 

[It is what it is]

Mine's simple, be more supportive of fans attempting to organize at test matches.

You attempt to provide better support for the team, which is widely acknowledged as being, well 'shit', only to he stopped at every corner.

You've lost me here kronic, what are you trying to say?

 

[Groucho]

We need a new animal. Something fierce: the drop bear.

And why QANTAS, a shrinking company run by a midget Irishman? We need a tougher jersey sponsor.

The Chesty Bond Drop Bears has a very nice ring to it.

 

[kronic]

You've lost me here kronic, what are you trying to say?

Home ends, specifically for Bledisloes. Not those "supporter areas" that they had against the Welsh. Let supporters stand at the back & sing. Australian supporters only also. Too often there were Welsh in the supporters bays.

If the ARLC can do them for the SOO, the ARU can do it for a similar capacity at Bledisloes. No wigs or gold suits, just give everyone a flag or even a green/gold A2 piece of cardboard.

There would be nothing better then hearing a couple of thousand leading Waltzing Matilda at full voice, while the All Blacks do their haka.

 

[wamberal]

I haven't trawled through the previous posts so forgive me if I'm repeating others.

Replicate the atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens and you have a winning formula.

And forgive me for picking this point out of your post. I know a fair bit about the HKG Sevens, I attended my first Sevens there in 1977, the second year. In those days it drew nobody on the first day (the Saturday), and about 3000 max on the Sunday. It stayed like that for quite a few years, but gradually, especially when it moved to the bigger stadium, and then the stadium was upgraded, it grew in size and popularity, to the plateau of popularity that it has enjoyed for, what, 15 years?


Three points. Firstly, it took 20 odd years to build popularity. Secondly, Hong Kong is the centre of a region where there are a lot of rich expats looking for an excuse to visit a place like Hong Kong for a long weekend. Thirdly, it works for one long weekend a year, it would not work for a whole season.


It would not be possible to replicate the atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens. Hopefully the Gold Coast Sevens will become a minor attraction in these parts, as the rest of the IRB Sevens (bar Hong Kong) has become.

 

[FiveStarStu]

Home ends, specifically for Bledisloes. Not those "supporter areas" that they had against the Welsh. Let supporters stand at the back & sing. Australian supporters only also. Too often there were Welsh in the supporters bays.

If the ARLC can do them for the SOO, the ARU can do it for a similar capacity at Bledisloes. No wigs or gold suits, just give everyone a flag or even a green/gold A2 piece of cardboard.

There would be nothing better then hearing a couple of thousand leading Waltzing Matilda at full voice, while the All Blacks do their haka.

Don't get your problem with the supporter bays. I thought they were a bit of a laugh.

 

[John Coffee]

Put rugby in every State primary and high school and stop the elitist class distinction in the game. Like some other well-known rugby nations, the game is not accessible here to all if you dont have the doe-ray-me. The best players in the world are not always born with silver spoons in their mouths. Kudos to Robbie Deans and his predecessors for the browning of the Wallabies. Maybe the Qld GPS may catch on (but I doubt it).

 

[Groucho]

And forgive me for picking this point out of your post. I know a fair bit about the HKG Sevens, I attended my first Sevens there in 1977, the second year. In those days it drew nobody on the first day (the Saturday), and about 3000 max on the Sunday. It stayed like that for quite a few years, but gradually, especially when it moved to the bigger stadium, and then the stadium was upgraded, it grew in size and popularity, to the plateau of popularity that it has enjoyed for, what, 15 years?


Three points. Firstly, it took 20 odd years to build popularity. Secondly, Hong Kong is the centre of a region where there are a lot of rich expats looking for an excuse to visit a place like Hong Kong for a long weekend. Thirdly, it works for one long weekend a year, it would not work for a whole season.


It would not be possible to replicate the atmosphere of the Hong Kong Sevens. Hopefully the Gold Coast Sevens will become a minor attraction in these parts, as the rest of the IRB Sevens (bar Hong Kong) has become.

Also they boo Australia, like we were a pantomime villain.

 

[wamberal]

Another point about the HK Sevens is that it has led to very little growth in real terms of the game in Hong Kong. After 35 years of the Sevens, the last 15 or so being very successful in every respect, there were two "locals" in the Hong Kong international side that I saw a couple of weeks ago. (Racism alert: by "local" I mean Hong Kong Chinese. It is possible, but not likely, that some of the caucasians in the team were born in Hong Kong, but I think we would all agree that for the game to be widely appreciated and played in the wider PRC, it would be a good thing for local Chinese to be seen succeeding).

 

[John Coffee]

Racism alert???? ... funny .

No, I think you are alluding to the best use of resources (the players) at the nations disposal. Which is exactly a strand of thought I have entertained over the years. Its sport? do we really want everyone to play it? or just some of us? If you think of it in those terms Australia has a huge advantage because this country didn't need a quota to give 'a lot' of players a shot at the gold jersey. Australia can expand on that and take a page from the AFL and NRL handbooks in developing the game in challenging socio-economic areas of our cities where there lies a host of untapped talent awaiting recognition of their skills. I give you an example. This years regional comp will cost my 3 boys $1800 collectively and thats before we leave home. Up 50% from last year. There maybe 3 better players than my boys in those positions. But guess what? ... they're not going, because they can't afford it. And there is no contingency to have them compete short of someone giving them the money. I played my rugby at a time when if you made the reps, they provided everything for the privilidge of having you on their team. And that was a very very long time ago. It would cost my boys 1/2 of the Union annual fee to play RLeague. There it is. We need the state schools behind the game. Because League learned a long time ago to tap into every resource. I sometimes think that Union in Australia abides by a covert system of protectionism, but for whom? ... certainly not 'everyone' ...