ARU making big cuts

[RugbyReg]

No Australia A in the Pacific Nations next year! And no Australian Rugby Shield (Qld Cntry, NSW Cntry, Mel, Adelaide etc).

Global economic meltdown blamed.

Fuck!

 

[TOCC]

Re: ARU making bih cuts

Pacific Nations Cup

December 17, 2008 AUSTRALIA A will not compete in next year's Pacific Nations Cup, the Australian Rugby Union has announced.

The ARU board announced a "strategic decision" to pull out of the competition amidst the current economic environment.

Australia A finished second in the past two years of the tournament, which has given fringe players a chance to stake their claims for Wallabies selection.

The ARU said in a statement: "There are alternative playing options for fringe Wallabies currently under consideration."

The ARU also announced it would suspend the 2009 Australian Rugby Shield, a round robin tournament involving teams from Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, NSW Country and Queensland Country.

Despite the global economic crisis, the ARU said it would still deliver full core funding to its state affiliates next year.

The ARU said it would "continue rolling out almost $8 million in allocations for grassroots development nationwide in 2009, on top of more than $17 million in Super 14 grants."

It was bound to happen, some cuts had to come, the NFL cut 10% of there staff, the AFL has postponed AFL matches in South Africa..

I suppose at the end of the day, im more happy to see the Pacific Nations matches go rather then cuts at grassroot levels, i am dissapointed about the ARU Shield, but i imagine it is a costly competition with flights all over the country..

To be honest, i am quite glad that it is JON in charge at the moment and not Flowers, Flowers would have waited until he was almost broke before making cuts. JON is one of the most shrewed sports administrators in the country, and 90% of the time i think he makes the right decisions..

 

[Scotty]

No Australia A for 09

The ARU seems to be going on a cost cutting drive:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24815571-23217,00.html

AUSTRALIA A will not compete in next year's Pacific Nations Cup, the Australian Rugby Union has announced.

The ARU board announced a "strategic decision" to pull out of the competition amidst the current economic environment.

The ARU also announced it would suspend the 2009 Australian Rugby Shield, a round robin tournament involving teams from Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, NSW Country and Queensland Country.

They mention alternative playing options for fringe Wallabies. I wonder what these are? Are they about to announce a post S14 tournament with the 4 Oz sides? What else could it be, and would it actually cost less?

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Re: No Australia A for 09

Also the word is that the Aust Schools UK tour is off as well.

 

[naza]

Re: No Australia A for 09

Tim Tam Tahu will be shattered.

 

[TOCC]

Re: No Australia A for 09

thats a shame about the Aus Schoolboy tour, that would have being awsome for them.. but i suppose it is a costly exercise

 

[disco]

Re: No Australia A for 09

Sporting companies are cutting costs everywhere look at motorsport & now some Texan billionaire has also pulled out of cricket.

 

[RugbyReg]

not fussed about the Australian Rugby Shield. I don't know how much the ARU put into it, but I am sure it would be a bit and it contributes absolutely nothing to the pathway. Has anyone ever come from it?

 

[disco]

This economic meltdown might fark the Kiwis RWC plans they may even have to sell us some pool stages.

I hear the stadium upgrades aren't going to plan & budgets are already blowing out at Eden park & jade stadium, could be wrong as this is just chatroom gossip on PR.

 

[TOCC]

^^ hope thats true, that would be awsome, sell us the pool which has the Wallaby matches in it

 

[Scotty]

They would make themselves broke before they would do that!

 

[TOCC]

They would make themselves broke before they would do that!

it is a distint possibility, especially if they dont have the stadiums ready in time, it would need to be confirmed by the start of 2010 though, give time for the ARU to organise it in Australia and to actually make it feasible.

 

[Scotty]

They will have them done in time, they will just be not quite as good as what is expected.

My old (English) engineering firm recently tried to poach me to work on them. (One of the biggest stadium architects in the world has an office in Brisbane - one of only 5 world wide and it covers their work in the Asia region). So a lot of the design work for these stadia are being done here.

 

[Moses]

Vodafone UK have just dumped 14 million pounds worth of English and Wales cricket sponsorship.

Vodafone AU is a major sponsor of the Wallabies. Co-incidence?

 

[Gagger]

Don't know if anyone listened to the Ruggamatrix http://ruggamatrix.podbean.com/ podcast (same guys who used to do TahTalk), but on it Link McKenzie made an interesting point about the PNC (Pacific Nations Cup).

He wasn't too worried to see it go as it didn't really give us the experience where we needed it. I.e. plenty of pill being thrown around, but not enough pressure up front in the set piece and at the breakdown. He seemed to think the plan would be to bulk up the Euro tour instead.

 

[RugbyReg]

I know a number of people around the traps, when it was announced the ARU was decreasing Wallaby match payments, asked what about the ARU itself. Well the below is the tip of the ice berg. Its 2nd hand information but I have been told there have been significant staff cuts at the ARU. This on top of the same about a year or so ago (when Patty Howard started there) when there were equally significant cuts. The place must be run by skeleton staff.

ARU recognises contributions of former Wallabies
January 23, 2009 - 9:22am
Story by: ARU

Australian Rugby Union acknowledges the massive contribution former Test captain Geoff Shaw has made to the game as he leaves ARU next week after an extended period in administration.

A former Community Rugby General Manager at state and national level, Shaw was most recently employed by ARU in the role of Project Manager for a proposed National Rugby Academy at Ballymore.

ARU?s involvement in the planned Ballymore redevelopment ceased after anticipated funding for a National Rugby Academy was not forthcoming following a Federal Government budget review.

Shaw has accepted an offer to end his contract early and will remain in Brisbane to source further business opportunities.

Peter Rowles, also a former Wallaby, is preparing to leave ARU after serving as Head of Rugby Services.

His role has been absorbed in a consolidation of commercial operations.

Among other responsibilities, Rowles was deeply involved in the running of Super 14 during ARU?s term as SANZAR Secretariat.

He has given outstanding service in an administrative capacity with NSW Rugby Union and ARU for more than a decade.