Dan54
David Wilson (68)
Me too Rebel, especially here in NZ where they were often on at 4-5 am, I didn't mind getting up early and watch them. Mind you I always got up for early morning tests in NH too when they were at bad times.
Australian Rugby / RA
- Thread starter Dave Beat
- Start date
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
I think a domestic comp with champions league to supplement may be where we are heading. The champions league though would probably need to involve all current oz and nz super rugby teams to ensure commercially (and competitively) it stacks up for all oz teams moreso (less so kiwi teams as have mitre 10).
PhilClinton
Mark Loane (55)
The more I think about it a champions league sounds great in concept and I'd love it, but I'm not sure how viable it will be.
For example, is it really worth running two tiers? Is it worth the cost to have the worst teams in Japan and OZ play the NZ teams? I fear the gap between them would be too large to make it fun, so the viewership and attendance at games will be atrocious. But if you don't, you're left with a bunch of teams who aren't doing anything for two months whilst the others play.
Are you better off simply running a comp where the top 3 teams in each league are involved? And have agreements within each country for profit share etc so the teams who are sitting on their couches can cash in. But if the top and bottom teams don't really change, you'd end up in a position where the champions league teams are carrying the shit teams financially... which I guess is kind of happening anyway.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how the games over the next few weeks go in terms of score lines, attendance and viewership.
For example, is it really worth running two tiers? Is it worth the cost to have the worst teams in Japan and OZ play the NZ teams? I fear the gap between them would be too large to make it fun, so the viewership and attendance at games will be atrocious. But if you don't, you're left with a bunch of teams who aren't doing anything for two months whilst the others play.
Are you better off simply running a comp where the top 3 teams in each league are involved? And have agreements within each country for profit share etc so the teams who are sitting on their couches can cash in. But if the top and bottom teams don't really change, you'd end up in a position where the champions league teams are carrying the shit teams financially... which I guess is kind of happening anyway.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how the games over the next few weeks go in terms of score lines, attendance and viewership.
You can't have a season where a bunch of the teams are only playing 5 home games.
PhilClinton
Mark Loane (55)
Not sure that even the best MLR team would be up for competing against Oz or NZ teams within the next couple of years, even the Japanese teams are far more established. That LA Giltini's side which was blizting most opposition last year was made up of washed up professionals, a couple of Super Rugby level guys and some third graders, and they gave everyone problems. Sounds a bit like the Force actually.
I take BH point though re not enough home games, maybe those bottom teams just play eachother another 3-4 times? That'd be fun!
I take BH point though re not enough home games, maybe those bottom teams just play eachother another 3-4 times? That'd be fun!
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
I would hope they would take a low risk approach with a Champions league. ie introduce smaller initial format to test and learn whilst full super rugby season on and outside of that window (probably when say traditional mitre 10 and NRC would be on say).
Then you don't have test players available.
I think it has to cut into the current Super Rugby season to make any sense.
AdelaideRugby84
Chris McKivat (8)
The big elephant in the room is not many care about their local Super Rugby franchise.
I was originally from Sydney so I'm a Waratahs fan (former member and season ticketholder) and while we got the crowds when we were winning most would retreat back to their Shute Shield club.
PhilClinton
Mark Loane (55)
I think it's more a question whether, if we are playing a two tier champions competition - is there enough support for the bottom three Oz franchises (currently Rebels, Force and Drua) to warrant putting them in front of an international comp?
How many fans will the Rebels get to a home game against a Japanese team? They'd be lucky to get 1000.
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
Yep with rugby already struggling in oz involving oz teams in a lower tier competition ain't likely to bring in the fans.
liquor box
Peter Sullivan (51)
I grew up in country NSW and then moved to Brisbane, I couldn't care less about club rugby in the capital cities and only follow Super Rugby because I have no affiliation to Sydney or Brisbane teams.
I would suggest that there are many others who also do not care about club rugby apart from knowing when injured Super Rugby players are coming back from injury through the club system.
I also followed the Ballymore Tornadoes in the ARC as I saw them as a feeder team for the Reds and then followed both QLD NRC teams for the same reason.
AdelaideRugby84
Chris McKivat (8)
That says there seems to be a divide between the Sydney & Brisbane rugby community and the rest.
If RA finally finds that Bermuda Triangle they keep missing between Melbourne and Perth (aka Adelaide & SA) it'd give me a Super Rugby team to support until then I'll be sticking with the Tahs.
Marce
John Hipwell (52)
Something similar here. I lived sometime in NSW, but before and after was/is impossible for me to follow Australian club rugby living overseas.
TBH, is more easy to follow NRL living overseas than follow club rugby. You got hundreds of pages talking about it, many online newspapers cover it and I can watch any full NRL game after 2/3 days in their youtube channel, so I don't even have to pay their app to watch it. For me is more easy to follow Argentinian club rugby, in fact, I'm an expert about that lol
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
waiopehu oldboy
George Smith (75)
^ that's a major achievement in a year with no Lions Tour or RWC dividend not to mention the mess Covid made of everyone's balance sheet. Hopefully indicative of the back-office getting their house in order which can only be good news for Aus rugby at all levels.
More details
Queensland Rugby stalwart Alec Evans has today been confirmed as Rugby Australia's eighth Life Member following the conclusion of Rugby AU’s 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Evans, a tough, no-nonsense front five forward with Queensland, played for and captained Queensland for over 11 consecutive seasons from 1959 to 1969, and again in 1973.
On retiring from playing, Alec became a coach of international renown - he is credited as being the unsung hero of the 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies tour of the UK, the first Wallabies side to return with victories over all four home nations.
Evans also coached three Queensland clubs to Hospital Cup premierships (Wests, Souths, Gold Coast Breakers) – his legacy is such that the annual Queensland's Premier Rugby player of the year award is called the ‘Alec Evans Medal’.
He finished his storied career as an assistant coach to Queensland's Super Rugby-winning team of 2011, and continued on as a mentor for many school and club sides (both male and female teams).
Alongside the confirmation of Evans’ membership, the business has also recorded a $4.5 million operating deficit for the 2021 year, significantly improved from the $27.1 million deficit recorded in 2020. Again, these losses can be largely attributed to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
RA's revenue for 2021 increased by $33 million (49 per cent) primarily due to an increase in broadcast, matchday and sponsorship revenue, while the business also increased its spending in Community Rugby (by $3 million), Member Unions (by $2 million) and Player payments (by $2 million).
The game saw an increase in participation across the board with an overall increase of 13% in club XVs compared to 2020, while female participation also increased by 28%. School competitions also saw considerable growth with a 10% increase in XVs and a 38% increase in Sevens.
The game's new broadcast deal with Nine and Stan saw record-breaking audiences with a total of 296,000 viewers tuning into free-to-air for the 2021 Super Rugby AU final between the Queensland Reds and Brumbies.
The 2021 Super Rugby season saw an average audience of 207,000 tune into regular-season matches on both 9Gem and Stan Sport. Furthermore, an average of 736,000 fans tuned in to watch the 2021 Test season.
Further commercial investment saw the signing of new partners in Mondelez-Cadbury, Harvey Norman and Stone and Wood. Additionally, eToro, Land Rover and Santos also retained or upgraded their commercial investments in rugby.
Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan said: "Australian Rugby has again been through a challenging year. However, I'm pleased to report the business is continuing on a path forward that will see us reach new heights.
"We have seen tremendous growth across the business, from the community right through to our TV viewership figures, all contributing to our goal of inspiring all Australians to enjoy our great global game.
"The growth in the community is a testament to the ongoing hard work with our Member Unions, seeing participation increases in six categories across our offerings. Most notably, we saw a 30% increase in schoolboy and girl participation.
"We're encouraged by the increased coverage of the game that our new partnership with Nine and Stan has produced. We're excited by what lies ahead as Stans platform continues to grow, resulting in greater coverage and the publication of more Rugby heroes.
"We also celebrated history, formally voting to induct Rugby stalwart Mr. Robert Alexander (‘Alec’) Evans as a Life Member of the business.
"Alec's contribution to our game extends to every level, as a world-class player and Queensland captain, he also holds the singular achievement of being an assistant coach to four Wallabies coaches (Alan Jones, Greg Smith, Rod Macqueen and John Connolly) across one of the greatest periods of our game's history.
“This will hopefully be further reinforced with our naming as host candidate for the 2027 & 2029 Rugby World Cup, as the board and wider game eagerly awaits this announcement on 12 May in Dublin.
"I know the Australian Rugby community shares my excitement for the year ahead, with an inbound England Series, the Wallaroos Tests against Fijiana and Japan as well as the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup for our Sevens teams, and the postponed Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand… It is a blockbuster year ahead,” McLennan said.
Rugby Australia Board Elections:
The AGM included the re-election of existing board members, Ms Pip Marlow and former Wallaby Mr Phil Waugh.
Joining the board in 2016, Ms Marlow serves as chair of the Board’s Human Resources Committee, having also previously served as a member of the Audit & Risk Committee. She also represents the Company on the World Rugby Council and is a member of World Rugby’s Audit & Risk Committee and the Rugby World Cup Board. Ms. Marlow is the CEO of Salesforce ANZ & ASEAN. Ms. Marlow’s re-election marks her third term on the Rugby Australia Board.
Prior to this she was the CEO of Customer Marketplace at Suncorp, and prior to that spent 21 years at Microsoft, in roles that included Managing Director of Microsoft Australia. She is the co-chair of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW), a member of the WEF Regional Action group for APAC and a Business Events Sydney Ambassador for Sydney. Marlow was previously on the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory at UTS and on the boards of Australian Business Community Network, Australian Information Industry Association and the Beacon Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in all forms and a member of Pride in Diversity. Ms Marlow was born and raised in Palmerston North, New Zealand where she developed a lifelong passion for Rugby. Mr Waugh was elected by the Board in 2018. He serves as a member of the Human Resources Committee, Governance & Policy Committee and Rugby Committee.
Mr. Waugh is a former Wallabies Captain and played 79 Test Matches for Australia. He is the Executive, Broker Distribution at National Australia Bank, having previously held senior leadership positions at both The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC), and served as a Director of the Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA).
Mr. Waugh is also a member elected representative on the Members Advisory Committee for the Sydney Sports and Cricket Ground (SCG) and a patron of Sydney Junior Rugby Union. Rugby Australia’s 2021 Annual Report is available here.
Queensland Rugby stalwart Alec Evans has today been confirmed as Rugby Australia's eighth Life Member following the conclusion of Rugby AU’s 2022 Annual General Meeting.
Evans, a tough, no-nonsense front five forward with Queensland, played for and captained Queensland for over 11 consecutive seasons from 1959 to 1969, and again in 1973.
On retiring from playing, Alec became a coach of international renown - he is credited as being the unsung hero of the 1984 Grand Slam Wallabies tour of the UK, the first Wallabies side to return with victories over all four home nations.
Evans also coached three Queensland clubs to Hospital Cup premierships (Wests, Souths, Gold Coast Breakers) – his legacy is such that the annual Queensland's Premier Rugby player of the year award is called the ‘Alec Evans Medal’.
He finished his storied career as an assistant coach to Queensland's Super Rugby-winning team of 2011, and continued on as a mentor for many school and club sides (both male and female teams).
Alongside the confirmation of Evans’ membership, the business has also recorded a $4.5 million operating deficit for the 2021 year, significantly improved from the $27.1 million deficit recorded in 2020. Again, these losses can be largely attributed to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
RA's revenue for 2021 increased by $33 million (49 per cent) primarily due to an increase in broadcast, matchday and sponsorship revenue, while the business also increased its spending in Community Rugby (by $3 million), Member Unions (by $2 million) and Player payments (by $2 million).
The game saw an increase in participation across the board with an overall increase of 13% in club XVs compared to 2020, while female participation also increased by 28%. School competitions also saw considerable growth with a 10% increase in XVs and a 38% increase in Sevens.
The game's new broadcast deal with Nine and Stan saw record-breaking audiences with a total of 296,000 viewers tuning into free-to-air for the 2021 Super Rugby AU final between the Queensland Reds and Brumbies.
The 2021 Super Rugby season saw an average audience of 207,000 tune into regular-season matches on both 9Gem and Stan Sport. Furthermore, an average of 736,000 fans tuned in to watch the 2021 Test season.
Further commercial investment saw the signing of new partners in Mondelez-Cadbury, Harvey Norman and Stone and Wood. Additionally, eToro, Land Rover and Santos also retained or upgraded their commercial investments in rugby.
Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan said: "Australian Rugby has again been through a challenging year. However, I'm pleased to report the business is continuing on a path forward that will see us reach new heights.
"We have seen tremendous growth across the business, from the community right through to our TV viewership figures, all contributing to our goal of inspiring all Australians to enjoy our great global game.
"The growth in the community is a testament to the ongoing hard work with our Member Unions, seeing participation increases in six categories across our offerings. Most notably, we saw a 30% increase in schoolboy and girl participation.
"We're encouraged by the increased coverage of the game that our new partnership with Nine and Stan has produced. We're excited by what lies ahead as Stans platform continues to grow, resulting in greater coverage and the publication of more Rugby heroes.
"We also celebrated history, formally voting to induct Rugby stalwart Mr. Robert Alexander (‘Alec’) Evans as a Life Member of the business.
"Alec's contribution to our game extends to every level, as a world-class player and Queensland captain, he also holds the singular achievement of being an assistant coach to four Wallabies coaches (Alan Jones, Greg Smith, Rod Macqueen and John Connolly) across one of the greatest periods of our game's history.
“This will hopefully be further reinforced with our naming as host candidate for the 2027 & 2029 Rugby World Cup, as the board and wider game eagerly awaits this announcement on 12 May in Dublin.
"I know the Australian Rugby community shares my excitement for the year ahead, with an inbound England Series, the Wallaroos Tests against Fijiana and Japan as well as the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup for our Sevens teams, and the postponed Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand… It is a blockbuster year ahead,” McLennan said.
Rugby Australia Board Elections:
The AGM included the re-election of existing board members, Ms Pip Marlow and former Wallaby Mr Phil Waugh.
Joining the board in 2016, Ms Marlow serves as chair of the Board’s Human Resources Committee, having also previously served as a member of the Audit & Risk Committee. She also represents the Company on the World Rugby Council and is a member of World Rugby’s Audit & Risk Committee and the Rugby World Cup Board. Ms. Marlow is the CEO of Salesforce ANZ & ASEAN. Ms. Marlow’s re-election marks her third term on the Rugby Australia Board.
Prior to this she was the CEO of Customer Marketplace at Suncorp, and prior to that spent 21 years at Microsoft, in roles that included Managing Director of Microsoft Australia. She is the co-chair of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum, is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW), a member of the WEF Regional Action group for APAC and a Business Events Sydney Ambassador for Sydney. Marlow was previously on the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory at UTS and on the boards of Australian Business Community Network, Australian Information Industry Association and the Beacon Foundation. She is a passionate advocate for diversity in all forms and a member of Pride in Diversity. Ms Marlow was born and raised in Palmerston North, New Zealand where she developed a lifelong passion for Rugby. Mr Waugh was elected by the Board in 2018. He serves as a member of the Human Resources Committee, Governance & Policy Committee and Rugby Committee.
Mr. Waugh is a former Wallabies Captain and played 79 Test Matches for Australia. He is the Executive, Broker Distribution at National Australia Bank, having previously held senior leadership positions at both The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC), and served as a Director of the Australian Finance Industry Association (AFIA).
Mr. Waugh is also a member elected representative on the Members Advisory Committee for the Sydney Sports and Cricket Ground (SCG) and a patron of Sydney Junior Rugby Union. Rugby Australia’s 2021 Annual Report is available here.
Rugbynutter39
Michael Lynagh (62)
So we had 10000 pages of where to super rugby and still left with a broken super rugby model with no end in sight. Ian Fosters view in article below just reminds me how a national team view dominates the thinking and hence no real end in sight to fixing the problem.
www.planetrugby.com
All Blacks: Ian Foster admits 'we miss South Africans'
All Blacks coach Ian Foster has been missing the clashes between New Zealand franchises and South Africa's in this year's Super Rugby tournament.
www.planetrugby.com
hoggy
Nev Cottrell (35)
So we had 10000 pages of where to super rugby and still left with a broken super rugby model with no end in sight. Ian Fosters view in article below just reminds me how a national team view dominates the thinking and hence no real end in sight to fixing the problem.
All Blacks: Ian Foster admits 'we miss South Africans'
All Blacks coach Ian Foster has been missing the clashes between New Zealand franchises and South Africa's in this year's Super Rugby tournament.
Nothing like a ringing endorsement from the National Coach, The problem the game has here moving forward is where are they going to get the players from.
With ever increasing loss of players to overseas cash especially mid-tier players, how do you sustain 5 teams to that level. Realistically where do the Rebels get there players from in the next 4 to 5 years to be more competitive, when the player pool is dwindling every year.
Which then begs the question of a competition without meaning, whats the whole point of it.
Ignoto
Peter Sullivan (51)
So we had 10000 pages of where to super rugby and still left with a broken super rugby model with no end in sight. Ian Fosters view in article below just reminds me how a national team view dominates the thinking and hence no real end in sight to fixing the problem.
All Blacks: Ian Foster admits 'we miss South Africans'
All Blacks coach Ian Foster has been missing the clashes between New Zealand franchises and South Africa's in this year's Super Rugby tournament.
We won't have to hear any more from Foster when the Wallabies win back the Bledisloe this year!!