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Australian Rugby / RA

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
hmm, unless she turns the joint upside down, nothing will improve.

No criticism of her, but I don't see that's ever been a style that she has employed previously.

Expect more of the same.
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
hmm, unless she turns the joint upside down, nothing will improve.

No criticism of her, but I don't see that's ever been a style that she has employed previously.

Expect more of the same.

It’s the boards (ARU and the State RUs) that need turning upside down. Little, I suspect, that the CEO can do about that. Going to war with the board is a rare event. I dont disagree this needs doing, just not by Raelene.

No, I’d like to see just the opposite from our new CEO. Go to the SRU, QRU, RWA looking to support them and open doors. Ditto Mindaroo. The ARU board has pretty much set the professional side at this stage. Like it or lump it. Get back to listening to, and building, grass roots.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
The grass roots don't need motherhood statements, they need cash.

To give it to them, you have to take it off someone else.

She's going to have to upset some people, or she will have no impact.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
hmm, unless she turns the joint upside down, nothing will improve.

No criticism of her, but I don't see that's ever been a style that she has employed previously.

Expect more of the same.


That would require the most drastic step which would be to appoint an Executive Chairman. That is the role that JON wanted, and the Board refused, so he left.



This is a nuclear option, analogous to giving a virtual stranger the keys to your house.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
I have to say this Raelene Castle is certainly impressing me with the things she saying, etc. I know critics will say it all just talk, but that's all she is able to do at this stage, and she appears to talk very intelligently, with what seems pretty well thought out comments.
Am I getting a bit previous to feel hopeful she will do some good stuff?


We all need to understand and accept that there are limits to what any Chief Executive can achieve. And without the active and genuine support (and sometimes sacrifice) of all stakeholders, very little will be achieved.


Are we ready for that? All of us? I doubt it, but will watch and wait.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
That would require the most drastic step which would be to appoint an Executive Chairman. That is the role that JON wanted, and the Board refused, so he left.



This is a nuclear option, analogous to giving a virtual stranger the keys to your house.
There's been plenty of examples where incoming CEOs have completely transformed their businesses.
It requires the support of the Board,not control of the Board.
Alan Joyce is a good example, you would also recall "chainsaw" Dunlop who did The dirty work in re aligning some of Packers business interests.
Certain segments of Australian Rugby just don't see they aren't deserving of the cut they are receiving from the game, and won't ever agree to a reduction of funding or influence.
You've got to break some eggs to make an omelette.
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
That would require the most drastic step which would be to appoint an Executive Chairman. That is the role that JON wanted, and the Board refused, so he left.



This is a nuclear option, analogous to giving a virtual stranger the keys to your house.

We've already seen the impact of effectively having an Executive Chairman at the EARU during the entire cutting an Aussie Super Rugby team debacle. Clearly Pulver was only a bit player as every time he faltered before the media Clyne jumped in and took control. For good Corporate governance this is NOT the way an organisation needs to work. The executive needs to maintain its independence from the day-to-day activities. Clyne was obviously up to his arm pits in the whole sorry saga. Particularly with his involvement with Clarke et al. Pundits were advising how a merger of two teams was never going to happen. However, with the >45 player group at the Rebels with about a third from the axed Western Force the merger has effectively been achieved. The IP for the Western Force only gets rented back to the West AFTER its playing group has been decimated....... Of course the Force can continue to have a professional team BUT now have to completely rebuild its squad and find somewhere to play. With absolutely ZERO assistance from the EARU. Try and tell me that THAT wasn't all part of the EARU's strategy. Interesting how we're told that the EARU has "relaxed" the salary caps for the 4 remaining franchises. The rebels must be running $1.8 - $2.0 Million over the $4.5 Million cap. I understand that the EARU is covering the difference. I understand also that 3 Aussie franchises are a bit miffed from missing out on the $1M that was promised to them as their cut from the 1st year savings resulting from axing the Force. Does that constitute a "brown paper bag" or just a "windfall" benefit? Meanwhile the EARU continues to direct its largesse towards the Rebels. So much for those reported savings for grass roots rugby. The EARU - so quick to make the wrong decisions but so fast to make the right ones. I'm hopeful that the new CEO can turn at least that aspect around but not when she's still reporting/responsible to the current EARU Board.
 

stoff

Trevor Allan (34)
Maybe as a director, he has significant experience as an AFL commissioner, as well as some relevance from other board roles. He would definitely bring a different perspective on things.

He is not a CEO though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ruggo

Mark Ella (57)
Doesn't need to know fark all about the game. Needs a knowledge of the business environment and an ability to manage complex stakeholder networks, including unifying them in the same direction. Less known about the game actually equates to a more objective reform agenda which the game is in dire need of. The excess would also be cut at ARU HQ because this bloke has never been one for indulgence unlike the usual inner circle rugby crowd who think their shit don't stink and are very much of the mindset of self entitlement.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Doesn't need to know fark all about the game. Needs a knowledge of the business environment and an ability to manage complex stakeholder networks, including unifying them in the same direction. Less known about the game actually equates to a more objective reform agenda which the game is in dire need of. The excess would also be cut at ARU HQ because this bloke has never been one for indulgence unlike the usual inner circle rugby crowd who think their shit don't stink and are very much of the mindset of self entitlement.
That last sentence could describe a number of union officials so you might need to actually identify Kelty’s qualities rather than relying on his background.
Recent managing of “complex stakeholder networks” in the industrial context seems to have involved trading the benefits of individual workers for union donations - kind of mirrors the “participation fee” imposed by the ARU to fund their excesses.
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
I’ve been stewing over Wayne Smith’s article in The Australian , 12 December 2017 in which he quotes Brett Robinson of the EARU.
The article was published day before the EARU was meeting with Minderoo personnel.

Every time I read the article it makes me as angry as hell. It’s taken nearly 3 weeks to be able to write without expletives.

"Pulver will depart carrying much of the credit/blame for reducing Australia’s Super Rugby footprint from five teams to four.
While it may take years to repair the relationship with RugbyWA, there are indications RA is prepared to work with Forrest."

Can anybody direct me towards a single outcome which indicates that the EARU has “worked with Forrest”.

"The IPRC had expressed concern that RA was reluctant to give a long-term commitment to the competition but Robinson yesterday indicated RA was looking at whether Forrest’s competition might be worked into the post-2020 landscape."

The EARU was reportedly prepared to give limited sanction to the IPRC but for 2 years only. This is totally impractical and unrealistic. As highlighted by Michael Lynagh, nobody is going to make this type of financial commitment for only 2 years! Andrew Forrest has stated that it is likely to take at least 3 years for the competition to become financially viable.

“The issue around the term (of the agreement) we’re certainly open to discuss but really what we’re seeking to achieve is a trigger for a conversation around alignment going into the next broadcast deal,” Robinson said.

There’s a big difference between being ‘open to discussion’ and actually agreeing upon anything. Rhetoric and platitudes as usual from the EARU.
The EARU action, or total lack of action, indicates that it has NO INTEREST in maintaining a professional team in WA.
Why should WA playing in the Indo Pacific region have any impact on what’s planned for the East Coast teams? Any broadcast deals will be impacting very different audiences.
I for one have absolutely ZERO interest in a Super Rugby competition which doesn’t include a Perth team.

"What that means is Australia is looking to a time when South Africa might decide its future lies in Europe, at which point RA would be looking at how Super Rugby evolves. The proposal is that New Zealand and Australia each would field five teams, which presumably would mean the Western Force would be revived, and that the trans-Tasman partners would join Forrest’s five Asia teams to form a 15-team time-zone friendly competition."

It’s totally gobsmacking that Robinson can be talking about a return to 5 teams in the 4th season after axing the Western Force.
Having built up a good playing squad, including significant numbers of local talent, the Western Force get decimated and spread far and wide only to have to go back to rebuilding a squad from scratch.
Can anybody direct me to any reference where the EARU has talked about reaching out into Asia BEFORE the possibility was raised by Andrew Forrest?

"By the time of the next broadcast deal, the IPRC would have been running for two seasons. It makes sense that the IPRC is going head to head with Super Rugby in the February-July timeslot rather than taking on the ¬National Rugby Championship. If RA combines with the IPRC, the two competitions could gel in terms of playing schedules.
Head-to-head for timing was evidently World Rugby and the EARU’s preference in order to not compete during the Test “window” and the NRC. It seems that the IPRC was prepared to delay until 2019 to enable this timing to work.
It’s unlikely that RA will agree to Forrest’s request that it make all Australians playing in the IPRC — those spread throughout Asia and the Pacific — eligible for the Wallabies. And even in the case of those Australians who join the Perth club in the IPRC, Wallabies eligibility will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
That means that a Scott Fardy, for instance, could be considered for the Wallabies but any player who tries to negotiate a better contract by playing off Super Rugby against the IPRC might find the selection door shut."

The EARU has always talked about maintaining the pathway for WA based players. But players playing for a Perth-based team, playing in the IPRC, will only be considered for Wallabies on a case-by-case basis.

How can this be acceptable to RUPA? Why should this be acceptable to RugbyWA? We need to keep on with the good fight!!

"Then there is the issue of access to club players. NSW are understood to have slammed the door on IPRC interest in the Shute Shield, while Melbourne have not formulated an opinion either way. Queensland and the ACT are looking to see what sister-city relationships can be built with Forrest’s Asian clubs that would give their players access to a higher standard of football. For that to work, the IPRC needed to be staged from August onwards.
Robinson says all the states will have the opportunity to negotiate with the IPRC themselves. There will be no centrally monitored RA policy on player access."

Is this an example of how the EARU is prepared to “work with Forrest”? The EARU is not prepared to get any agreement with the Member Unions. IPRC – go and do your own negotiations!
Andrew Forrest was interested in attracting Australian players back to the Australian region. To increase the player pool availability for the Wallabies. The EARU appear to have no interest in this potential benefit.

“This process has been a good one. We’re into the detail of working through what the issues are, we have a term sheet that we are looking to discuss tomorrow and we don’t believe there is anything in that that we shouldn’t be able to resolve,” Robinson said.

Can the EARU actually advise any outcome to date which would indicate that “this process has been a good one”?
Has there been any points that have actually been resolved?

The EARU obviously believe that the only pathway that should be available to WA is for WA Club Players to show their stuff in the NRC and then move to East Coast Super Rugby franchises to get prepared for the Wallabies.

We have been told that the EARU is happy for the Western Force to be a professional team and play wherever it likes (but apparently NOT with the IPRC).

Where does the EARU suggest the Western Force actually plays during the February – July window?

Under what conditions would Western Force players be automatically eligible for Wallabies selection?

Can the EARU actually explain the pathway to National Team selection for WA based rugby players?

Andrew Forrest in clearly interested in growing rugby in WA.
We’ve heard the announcement regarding the Future Force and financial support for RugbyWA.
There is clearly opportunities to grow community rugby at all levels.

But RugbyWA has to develop its own strengths and not just rely upon handouts from Andrew Forrest.
Things have to change.
Nobody should be thinking that RugbyWA was blameless in the Western Force getting axed.

I've highlighted before how Michael Foley was white-anted by having team funding slashed by 50% over his 1st 3 years.
The accounts for his final year will probably never be made available
However, I suggest that this team funding was slashed even more in his final season..

Rugby in WA will only thrive by having a Perth-based professional team to attract and nurture rugby talent in WA.

And the sooner the better. As we continue to bleed our best playing stocks to the East Coast and OS. I hear that we may have lost Kane Koteka to Japan!!

Wayne Smith's comments today indicate that he has more faith in Brett Robinson than what is supported by Robinson's outcomes with the IPRC to date...

"Meanwhile, Andrew Forrest’s Indo Pacific Rugby Championship keeps ticking along. RA doesn’t want to antagonise him, especially because his Asia-based teams might well form the basis of life after Super Rugby, but equally it doesn’t want to give away the farm either. Thankfully, Brett Robinson is handling negotiations on behalf of RA so there is some hope of a diplomatic solution being reached."

What does "ticking along" actually mean?Where are the outcomes?

I can't understand why RUPA hasn't been more involved during their recent negotiations. Super Rugby players cut by 10-20%. No pathway to the Wallabies for WA-based players (But they can apply to be considered). RUPA should be up in arms about this restriction.

It seems that nothing has been agreed.
I reckon that Andrew Forrest should just do his own thing and find a way to get the professional team playing in 2018. But it better start happening soon otherwise there will be few players available.
Perhaps we need to let public opinion force the EARU's hand regarding Wallabies selection.
 

Aussie D

Desmond Connor (43)
2018 New Year, new hope. With a new CEO in control I would like to see RA adopt a 3 tier approach to rugby in Australia to commence as early as possible, at least within2 years.
The top is professional rugby made up of Wallabies + Super Rugby + IPRC.
2nd tier would be semi-pro SS - expanded to include a Campbelltown and Canterbury-Bankstown based clubs, Hospital Cup - expanded to include Qld country and Ipswich based clubs, JID - reformatted to have 5 ACT clubs (including Queenbeyan) + Snowy Mountains, Riverina and Far South Coast combined with 8 clubs from NSW country, in addition to this a Southern Australian competition with 3 clubs from VIC and WA, 2 fron SA and 1 each from TAS and NT. These clubs would each have 68 grade players (2 grades) in addition to U15, U17 & U20. The 2nd tier would be tasked with getting into the schools and forming tighter bonds with local clubs in the 3rd tier.
I would restructure the 8 clubs in the NRC (excluding the DRUA) to include 4 permanent clubs (one from each competition e.g. Ballymore Tornadoes madeup of HC players) plus the premier club from each competition.
The third tier is village club with acoordinated (all of Australian rugby) focus on assisting all clubs in having teams in every age group from U7-17.
The Australian Rugby Shield should be brought back (would be great to have an Australian Residents team formed that could tour annually to countries in SE Asia and the Pacific Islands as a potential lure for quality players. Thoughts on ways we can improve and grow Australian rugby?
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
Got any financial facts and figures for your plan?


All this would cost big bucks. Any idea how much? And where the money would come from?
 

Aussie D

Desmond Connor (43)
the pro teams are already established and need to be self funding. the middle tier will need some support whilst the bottom tier has been left to languish for far too long. an investigation aimed at passing on ideas from successful clubs to struggling clubs to help them grow could be a good start. I ran into an old club mate and coach of mine this morning who said he'd pulled the pin a couple of years ago as theclub was on its last legs and still doing tbe same things from 20 years ago. A little direction and guidance from the next level up would be a benefit to the club as the local development officer has been MIA for 30 years.
 

lou75

Ron Walden (29)
Got any financial facts and figures for your plan?


All this would cost big bucks. Any idea how much? And where the money would come from?
Cauterising the cash flow to super rugby franchises would be a start - building transparency into the administration so that the CEO doesn't hide behind "in confidence" clauses when he agrees to pay private entities $6 million would be a start - going to the gov with a mea culpa plead for national (read to include WA) grass roots funding - hell if vic gov can hand over $5 mil to the Rebels why not all state govs hand over $5m to thier teams - yep that's a start
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Cauterising the cash flow to super rugby franchises would be a start - building transparency into the administration so that the CEO doesn't hide behind "in confidence" clauses when he agrees to pay private entities $6 million would be a start - going to the gov with a mea culpa plead for national (read to include WA) grass roots funding - hell if vic gov can hand over $5 mil to the Rebels why not all state govs hand over $5m to thier teams - yep that's a start
Speaking of $ to private entities - rebels seem to be signing anyone with 4 limbs: don’t they have an ARU cap?
 
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