Australian Rugby / RA

[Braveheart81]

^ I always find that if you're gunna tear someone a new one it's important to Get. Your. Facts. Right. If Jones writes "Penney" when he means "Rennie" wtf else has he mis-written?

The Defamation Cases section of Alan Jones' wikipedia page suggests that getting his facts right has never been his highest priority.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^ here's hoping that next time he gets sued & loses his employer(s) wash their hands of him. We have some real cock-heads in our media too, of course, but none of them are so utterly & deliberately unpleasant as Jones.

 

[wamberal]

Far better for our mental health to just ignore the old bugger.

 

[formerflanker]

I wondered the same WOB, but thought it might have been an error, meaning Rennie.

He definitely meant Penney, as he went on to say "the latter having presided over woeful results with a gifted NSW side"

 

[Slim 293]

This is not a media report, it is an unverified, and biased, opinion piece.

The ACMA should force him to prefix every article with this statement.........

 

[RugbyReg]

Garry can we stop spamming every thread please?

 

[Muzza]

with everything that is happening with AFL, NRL and Rugby ie money issues. Will this be the turning point for rugby to get back on top?
It seems like we have some good young players coming through. If it continues and we start getting some wins etc. Will we be able to start to compete for the NRL for players? The NRL is talking about reducing the amount of teams. They also won't have a lot of money to throw around. Whats everyone's thoughts?

 

[formerflanker]

From Jamie Pandaram in the Telegraph:


Rugby nations around the world face insolvency amid the pandemic, and Rugby Australia is particularly vulnerable, with some staff expected to lose their jobs on Monday and Wallaby players to take hefty pay-cuts on Tuesday.
RA will hold its annual general meeting on Monday, and will outline the shocking scenario of losing up to $80 million this year from cancelled and lost games.


His whole article is worth reading. He advocates all countries working together to rebuild a unified world rugby package that would attract broadcasters and viewers.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

From Jamie Pandaram in the Telegraph:


Rugby nations around the world face insolvency amid the pandemic, and Rugby Australia is particularly vulnerable, with some staff expected to lose their jobs on Monday and Wallaby players to take hefty pay-cuts on Tuesday.
RA will hold its annual general meeting on Monday, and will outline the shocking scenario of losing up to $80 million this year from cancelled and lost games.


His whole article is worth reading. He advocates all countries working together to rebuild a unified world rugby package that would attract broadcasters and viewers.

I think that's quite plausible. There could be the opportunity to significantly overturn how Rugby has operated since the introduction of professionalism. It just depends on who are the active players in the scenario. I suspect CVC will be one if not the primary player. They have already purchased stakes in the Premeirship and Pro14. And are said to be in talks with the SANZAAR nations as well as World Rugby in regards to a renewed push for the Nations Championship concept.

If the above turns out to be the case I think we could see with the notable exception of the French an alignment of seasons across the major and potentially emerging leagues from January - July. Alongside the introduction of some kind of Club World Championship as the end of it. It's something that CVC is dais to be imterested in. I would like to see the current regional/major championships maintained. But operated a little differently. At present all the games count toward rankings. I think that should end. Each championship should instead be run in isolation of them. The goal would be to just win them. Nothing more. Bragging rights over the others.

I think rankings should be the sole domain of the Nations Championship. A far more expansive Nations Championship than the original proposal. Instead of a closed shop or two pools of 6 with promotion/relegation I'd like to see WR (World Rugby) take the brave step of implementing a 32 team structure that borrows the Cup, Plate,Bowl and Shield set up of 7s to implement progressive divisions based on results.

Start by splitting the 32 two divisions and into two groups of 8 within each division . Then randomly draw competitors against one another from the corresponding group within their division. This would determine the 1st round of games. Winners of the 1st round would progress in the Cup division while the losers would fall back into the Bowl.

Rould two would pit the winners from the respective divisions against the winners from the other. Same for those in the Bowl. Winner from the Cup division continue while the losers fall into the Plate. While the winners in the Bowl continue and the losers fall back into the Shield. At this point you'd have 4 x 8 divisions. Each team would then play again winners moving forward in the quest for silverware while the losers will then shift focus to rankings. This would continue until the final game for everyone would ultimately determine their rankings for that year. So the Cup Championship game woulf be to determine the No.1/2 ranked teams. While the 15 other games in that round of games (which would be the 5th) would be to determine ranks 3-32.

 

[Crashy]

Watching the NRL squirm and squeal with their current predicament means ( i dearly hope) they'll stop trawling and offering ridiculous amounts of money to NZ and Australian teenage rugby players to make up for their lack of depth.

hopefully they'll leave us alone while they fight over their dwindling reserves.
Yes I know rugby in australia is equally as fucked but at least world rugby ( allegedly) has $500 million in the bank that we helped build.....
Its funny how league will be without money - christ union has had none for a century and a half - has a culture and doesn't pay suburban players. Look at the comp on Sydney's northern beaches - 2019 - goooone
sucked in

 

[wamberal]

For all those who love bagging RA, there is an article in the Sydney Morning Herald today headed "NRL spends $500,000 a day before any payments to clubs or players".

 

[formerflanker]

Sky News reports that Justin Harrison, CEO of RUPA, has blasted RA for locking them out of conversations about the future of the game.
He claims RA have refused to share any information for some weeks.

 

[hoggy]

From Jamie Pandaram in the Telegraph:


Rugby nations around the world face insolvency amid the pandemic, and Rugby Australia is particularly vulnerable, with some staff expected to lose their jobs on Monday and Wallaby players to take hefty pay-cuts on Tuesday.
RA will hold its annual general meeting on Monday, and will outline the shocking scenario of losing up to $80 million this year from cancelled and lost games.


His whole article is worth reading. He advocates all countries working together to rebuild a unified world rugby package that would attract broadcasters and viewers.

Be careful what you wish for. The whole reason why the game struggles in Australia is the top down approach and using the wallabies as your primary driver of funding/growth/content, the lack of a domestic presence is the primary reason of the games continuing niche status here.

A top down wallaby recovery package driven by the RA Great, just what the game here needs.

 

[gel]

^^^ is that really the reason it struggles? Or is it the only reason it still exists?

If you listen to the complaints from non rugby fans, they never say "it's fucked that I have to watch representative sides play against foreign teams all the time", or "there's too many test matches".

The complaints are always that the game is too complicated, too many rules, too many stoppages, too many penalties, too much kicking etc. That suggests the problem is the game itself or the Australian fan culture.

AFL and NRL have decades of Australian spectator specific development that rugby just can't have. Just about the only strength rugby has over them is that it can offer an elite competition that far surpassed what the other two can - internationals.

Top downs can definitely work, they just need to ensure that the bases are funded adequately to ensure they produce the raw product the elites can use to make more money. Sounds a bit brutal - but that's the way it can and does work in some organisations.

I would contend that it is the elite offering that is rugby's greatest asset.

(I know AFL and NRL have internationals, but either both of them don't take it seriously or they are truly fucked at their sports - because there is literally no reason either of those codes should ever lose given the player base, professional game and the history of each games development... The AFL crew should be fucking embarrassed that amateurs should ever be able to win against high paid "professionals" - round ball or not.)

 

[wamberal]

A top down wallaby recovery package driven by the RA Great, just what the game here needs.

The only major drawcard we have is the Wallabies. If the Irish tour had gone ahead it would have brought in a financial bonanza.



We had the chance to build a national competition back in 2007. It was flawed but it was worth persevering with. But it was sunk by JON as soon as he took the reins. Maybe it would not have worked in the long run, but it had a chance. Top down support went missing when it was needed most.



There is no chance that we can turn the NRC into a viable, financially productive, money-spinner. For all the talk about the popularity of club rugby, only a relative handful of contests draw reasonable crowds, and they are held on Saturday arvos, usually in very convivial surroundings, and admission is cheap. They are a nice little source of entertainment, but will not lead to the saving of the game. Nobody outside Sydney cares about the SS. Ditto for all the various domestic comps.



So what is your alternative?

 

[hoggy]

Of course the Wallabies are the only drawcard in Australia, every part of the game here is sacrificed to ensure no alternative is possible. Look at the calendar from July onward the prime three months of the winter you give exclusivity to the Wallabies, yet then whinge that no alternative is possible.

We have 5 professional teams already, so is it beyond all possibilities that you can't add 1-3 teams and guess what you have a domestic league, so slash budgets 50/60/70%, try to attract private money, scheduling,FTA, who knows brainstorm a few different ideas.

No ones saying stop the Wallabies, but imo they must be operated as a separate entity, match payments, none of this central contracting.

So after all this cov-vid stuff blows over what is Sanzaar's alternative and then ask yourself where that will get the game here.

 

[wamberal]

I would be pretty confident that all these options, and more, would be being canvassed behind closed doors. I know that the prevailing wisdom is that RA is populated with dimwits, but I actually suspect that they are all, or mostly, very capable people, who know and love our sport, and are trying desperately to come up with solutions.



It is pretty obvious that we have been in a downward spiral for a long while. It is bloody hard to make "brave" decisions when you are facing oblivion, the instinct for survival is strong.



Personally, I will support any new or revamped endeavour which RA implements. If all true rugby supporters do, we have a chance. Otherwise, it will be park rugby only.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Of course the Wallabies are the only drawcard in Australia, every part of the game here is sacrificed to ensure no alternative is possible. Look at the calendar from July onward the prime three months of the winter you give exclusivity to the Wallabies, yet then whinge that no alternative is possible.

We have 5 professional teams already, so is it beyond all possibilities that you can't add 1-3 teams and guess what you have a domestic league, so slash budgets 50/60/70%, try to attract private money, scheduling,FTA, who knows brainstorm a few different ideas.

No ones saying stop the Wallabies, but imo they must be operated as a separate entity, match payments, none of this central contracting.

So after all this cov-vid stuff blows over what is Sanzaar's alternative and then ask yourself where that will get the game here.

Or look to patch things up with Forrest and merge with GRR. Open up the eligibilty rules for Wallabies selection to having to compete in GRR. Fairly simple.

 

[papabear]

Watching the NRL squirm and squeal with their current predicament means ( i dearly hope) they'll stop trawling and offering ridiculous amounts of money to NZ and Australian teenage rugby players to make up for their lack of depth.

hopefully they'll leave us alone while they fight over their dwindling reserves.
Yes I know rugby in australia is equally as fucked but at least world rugby ( allegedly) has $500 million in the bank that we helped build...
Its funny how league will be without money - christ union has had none for a century and a half - has a culture and doesn't pay suburban players. Look at the comp on Sydney's northern beaches - 2019 - goooone
sucked in

Given that the original reason for rugbys split into union and league (paying players) no longer exists.

It is a wonder why they dont rejoin forces. Then you would be watching the same sport as all the unwashed masses.

 

[hoggy]

Or look to patch things up with Forrest and merge with GRR. Open up the eligibilty rules for Wallabies selection to having to compete in GRR. Fairly simple.

Agreed, however maybe not that simple, but the one thing you can't do is involve all these people and the give them a list of terms & conditions.