Australian Rugby / RA

[stillmissit]

This hasn't been my experience but I'm not sure what age you are talking about when you say 'youngsters' as opposed to 'kids' I think it might be harder as kids get older to get them used to contact if they haven't had any experience previously..

In terms of the whole contact thing, there are always a couple of kids who don't like contact and just aren't built for rugby but this is no different to previous generations. In my opinion and experience, kids need:

good coaching that teaches them how to go into contact and how to deal with contact
good coaching that teaches ALL contact areas, not just tackling and ball running
good coaching that acknowledges and highlights the dirty work like great clean-outs and excellent scrummaging and connecting those parts of rugby with success and the 'glamourous' parts of rugby eg. tries.

In terms of the social aspects of rugby, I'm actually in a bit of an 'experiment' with this right now with my son's team who are U15s. Personally, I think boys generally just want to hang out and have fun. They don't need a lot of money (just a lot of food! LOL) but they want to make connections with kids their age and have experiences. Those experiences can be as simple as playing touch and having a couple of sausage sandwiches afterwards. Going around to one of the boy's house to sleepover and watch the Rugby World Cup semi and play some Playstation.

Finally, I just think kids want to feel valued in the groups they are in. Not just by their peers but also the adults and the parents in those groups. Personally, I've always tried to find the kids who do the 'unnoticed' work in games and make a point of going and telling them what a great job they are doing after games. Being specific about a particular clean-out or tackle or even just if I've seen them encourage another kid or take leadership in a situation. Make sure they know that it was seen and acknowledge it.

Quite honestly, I have no idea if any of this is as effective as I think it is but I should have a better idea by this time next year hopefully. So maybe I'll be back telling you that I'm full of shit! LOL

Agree with the highlighted bits.
My experience was first with senior Colts then 1st grade Subbies and then with 3rd grade Subbies. It was a struggle to get enough Colts to play and then there were some who thought we should abandon the 1st colts we had, demote them to 2nd grade and bring in another bunch to play 1st grade. This went down like a lead balloon and most of the colts left.
In Subbies 1st grade was fine, it was 3rds and 4ths where it was a struggle to get the required number of players on the park on Saturday We ended up with usually 4 at training for 3rds and had to get players to play 2 games to fill the team. There were dire situations in terms of player numbers at that time, from what I hear it has not changed.

P.S. In 3rd grade Subbies we had 30+ players signed and paid subs which dropped to about half a team within 4 weeks of season starting.

 

[Wilson]

So Leinster don't earn any more if they win the Champions Cup?

Also why are Leinster the richest/most dominant if centrally run?

Because Irish centralisation is and always has been a hegemony with Leinster at its head. As the most populous and richest of the provinces to start they crafted a system where Leinster sits as the tip of the spear with most of the pathways pointing there first. That's also part of what feeds into the resistance of talk of an Irish model here, there is genuine concern that RA would try and do the same with the tahs.

 

[Dctarget]

Because Irish centralisation is and always has been a hegemony with Leinster at its head. As the most populous and richest of the provinces to start they crafted a system where Leinster sits as the tip of the spear with most of the pathways pointing there first. That's also part of what feeds into the resistance of talk of an Irish model here, there is genuine concern that Rugby Australia would try and do the same with the tahs.

I do understand the worry of the Brumbies fans. Despite being the most consistent and best Aus team they still draw in fuck all crowds. That success is wasted at the Brumbies. Now if the Rebels had a bit of success....

 

[Bullrush]

Agree with the highlighted bits.
My experience was first with senior Colts then 1st grade Subbies and then with 3rd grade Subbies. It was a struggle to get enough Colts to play and then there were some who thought we should abandon the 1st colts we had, demote them to 2nd grade and bring in another bunch to play 1st grade. This went down like a lead balloon and most of the colts left.
In Subbies 1st grade was fine, it was 3rds and 4ths where it was a struggle to get the required number of players on the park on Saturday We ended up with usually 4 at training for 3rds and had to get players to play 2 games to fill the team. There were dire situations in terms of player numbers at that time, from what I hear it has not changed.

P.S. In 3rd grade Subbies we had 30+ players signed and paid subs which dropped to about half a team within 4 weeks of season starting.

Colts and Subbies all happen after leaving school yeah? Sorry - I'm a little unfamiliar with the different grades.

I think there's a good chance you've missed the boat with a lot of youngsters if you're trying to get them into rugby by this time. Due to religious reasons, I didn't get to play or really follow rugby much as a kid and the only reason I got into playing as an adult was because I'd played league even as a U21.

I think getting into a collision sport at Colts or Subbies age is harder than at school age but let me know if I'm wrong about how old Colts and Sbbies players are.

 

[Derpus]

I do understand the worry of the Brumbies fans. Despite being the most consistent and best Aus team they still draw in fuck all crowds. That success is wasted at the Brumbies. Now if the Rebels had a bit of success....

What numbers do the Storm post?

 

[Derpus]

Because Irish centralisation is and always has been a hegemony with Leinster at its head. As the most populous and richest of the provinces to start they crafted a system where Leinster sits as the tip of the spear with most of the pathways pointing there first. That's also part of what feeds into the resistance of talk of an Irish model here, there is genuine concern that Rugby Australia would try and do the same with the tahs.

They'd be better placed to do it with Queensland I would have thought. More interest, more talent etc.

 

[Dctarget]

What numbers do the Storm post?

average is 17,000 this year

so not quite Collingwood's average crowd of 64,000. Man I hate the AFL.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Is there more talent? Most rep fixtures in age groups have gone the way of NSW from my memory (selective)

Im in no way advocating for NSW to be a tip of any spear. We would round it.

 

[Derpus]

average is 17,000 this year

so not quite Collingwood's average crowd of 64,000. Man I hate the AFL.

Yeah not massive for such a successful side hey.

I don't hate AFL it's just baffling to me. I can get into League and I think SoO is the pinnacle of rugby at the moment. But AFL is just so... uncoordinated?

 

[stillmissit]

Colts and Subbies all happen after leaving school yeah? Sorry - I'm a little unfamiliar with the different grades.

I think there's a good chance you've missed the boat with a lot of youngsters if you're trying to get them into rugby by this time. Due to religious reasons, I didn't get to play or really follow rugby much as a kid and the only reason I got into playing as an adult was because I'd played league even as a U21.

I think getting into a collision sport at Colts or Subbies age is harder than at school age but let me know if I'm wrong about how old Colts and Sbbies players are.

The colts are under 21 from memory but subbies are classed as senior players, although some young players play 1st grade, not sure how old Jorgenson was when he started at Tahs but there are several examples. I played 1st grade seniors in the UK at 19.

 

[Wilson]

They'd be better placed to do it with Queensland I would have thought. More interest, more talent etc.

Theoretically, or you'd do Canberra for a history of excellence and relative neutrality.

But I think it's more likely to end up as Sydney under that model because they're lazy and cheap rather than particularly conniving or malicious - if you run everything out of Moore Park with all the jobs in Sydney the focus is naturally going to land there, or at least it will if they don't put in the effort to broaden it.

 

[stillmissit]

Colts and Subbies all happen after leaving school yeah? Sorry - I'm a little unfamiliar with the different grades.

I think there's a good chance you've missed the boat with a lot of youngsters if you're trying to get them into rugby by this time. Due to religious reasons, I didn't get to play or really follow rugby much as a kid and the only reason I got into playing as an adult was because I'd played league even as a U21.

I think getting into a collision sport at Colts or Subbies age is harder than at school age but let me know if I'm wrong about how old Colts and Sbbies players are.

Rugby in Australia need more people like you involved with young teams. Thanks a lot...

 

[Bullrush]

Man I hate the AFL.

AFL and soccer for me.

I don't hate the sports.....I hate how popular they are. I don't get. Why? For god's sake.....WHY?!? LOL

 

[Derpus]

AFL and soccer for me.

I don't hate the sports.....I hate how popular they are. I don't get. Why? For god's sake.....WHY?!? LOL

Football is easy to explain. Its easy to understand, play and follow. Its cheap. Anyone can play it just about anywhere.

Then throw in the fact that the EPL is the best produced sporting league in the world and its pretty easy to understand why its popular.

 

[Bullrush]

Rugby in Australia need more people like you involved with young teams. Thanks a lot...

Bro....for the most part, it's actually a pleasure.

Just picked up the kids from school and my young fella asked me if a few of the boys from his team can come around on Saturday night. I said we have to get it past Mum but sure....so long as we all watch the All Blacks win on Sunday morning LOL

I think these are the kinds of experiences that young boys want. They'll play PlayStation until some ungodly hour, we'll get up early and watch some rugby, I'll cook up some B&E rolls and we might go down to the park and play some touch. They are great kids.

For me, I know where my boy is and who he is with and from from a rugby POV, we can start building the foundations for the team next year.

I know there is a HEAP that RA can do to help and support and drive rugby in our areas but I'm just trying to control what I can control and make rugby as enjoyable as I can for my own son and hopefully the other boys in the team as well.

 

[Bullrush]

Football is easy to explain. Its easy to understand, play and follow. Its cheap. Anyone can play it just about anywhere.

Then throw in the fact that the EPL is the best produced sporting league in the world and its pretty easy to understand why its popular.

Sure, sure, sure.

But don't you want to hit someone?!?!

 

[Dan54]

Football is easy to explain. Its easy to understand, play and follow. Its cheap. Anyone can play it just about anywhere.

Then throw in the fact that the EPL is the best produced sporting league in the world and its pretty easy to understand why its popular.

Things have changed, you are right with all things except cheap to play. FFS fella that worked for me in Oz who had 2 boys playing was paying subs of $700 to $1400 a year, plus $5 a game for the ref. Any coaching days seemed to be an additonal $100-150 at least. Meeting a few parents at a couple of dinners etc, I was gobsmacked how elitist the game seemd.

 

[Derpus]

Things have changed, you are right with all things except cheap to play. FFS fella that worked for me in Oz who had 2 boys playing was paying subs of $700 to $1400 a year, plus $5 a game for the ref. Any coaching days seemed to be an additonal $100-150 at least. Meeting a few parents at a couple of dinners etc, I was gobsmacked how elitist the game seemd.

Yeah that's pretty fucked actually.

But that seems like an us problem. Doubt they are paying $1400 to play in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

[MarkJ]

I do understand the worry of the Brumbies fans. Despite being the most consistent and best Aus team they still draw in fuck all crowds. That success is wasted at the Brumbies. Now if the Rebels had a bit of success....

In their heyday back in the early 2000's they did draw half-decent crowds, averaging over 20K in some years. They just never came back after some of the leaner years, though I think in part that was just part of the general malaise surrounding Australian rugby for the last 15 or so years. Also greed on the part of management, with memberships prices going up and seats being reclassified at higher prices, didn't help. Raiders being a bit more successful of late hasn't helped either.

 

[Bullrush]

Things have changed, you are right with all things except cheap to play. FFS fella that worked for me in Oz who had 2 boys playing was paying subs of $700 to $1400 a year, plus $5 a game for the ref. Any coaching days seemed to be an additonal $100-150 at least. Meeting a few parents at a couple of dinners etc, I was gobsmacked how elitist the game seemd.

Basketball is just as bad. It's almost $400 per season. And there is a winter and a summer season each year.

Rugby is cheap compared to some of the popular sports.