Australian Rugby / RA

[Rebels3]

I don't think this is necessarily true. The Wallabies generate enough revenue that RA would always at least be able to fund 2 or 3 professional domestic sides that could compete with wages overseas. Even if those 2 or 3 sides continue to play in a further condensed Super Rugby competition with limited appeal.

But even if they go with the kind of scenario you mention, I think RA would probably be able to help fund a fully professional competition where players make enough money to be full time. There isn't an unlimited number of spots available overseas so while almost all the Wallabies level players would leave (and the Wallabies would become like the Socceroos), there'd still be a reasonable standard of player in the competition. Something like this may well work out okay.

100% agree professionalism will always be around in Aus. It might be less fruitful than it is now but the Wallabies generate enough money and there is enough demand to guarantee this.

 

[wamberal]

Maybe we need to be a bit more creative, offering scholarships for tertiary study, for example, and making semi-professionalism a bit more accessible. Create situations where good footballers do not have to choose between a profession and a rugby career.


Surely not every good young prospect is motivated only by how much money he or she can earn in the short term? Let's try to culivate kids who want proper careers after rugby.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Maybe we need to be a bit more creative, offering scholarships for tertiary study, for example, and making semi-professionalism a bit more accessible. Create situations where good footballers do not have to choose between a profession and a rugby career.


Surely not every good young prospect is motivated only by how much money he or she can earn in the short term? Let's try to culivate kids who want proper careers after rugby.

All for this if you back kids who choose rugby because of benefits in developing a post playing careers. Means we look after are own and do fuss and fret over losing kids to rugby league. Kids who are signed to rugby league clubs should not be considered for Rugby Union pathways there is too little money in the game to entertain them. How many kids with league contracts have been successfully recruited to Rugby Union let alone made it to the top level. Also has the benefit of cleaning up the scholarship dramas around private schools to an extent.

Fact is most who get a sniff of professional rugby league are cast aside by the age of 23 with not much to fall back on. At least Rugby Union as a sport can aim for something better setting young players up with an education and post playing career.

Also can anyone name a league player that has crossed over to Rugby Union and left Rugby Union a better sport, they all leave in various levels of disgrace diminishing rugby union.

 

[Highlander35]

Brad Thorn? Andy Farrell? Jason Robinson?

 

[liquor box]

Maybe we need to be a bit more creative, offering scholarships for tertiary study, for example, and making semi-professionalism a bit more accessible. Create situations where good footballers do not have to choose between a profession and a rugby career.


Surely not every good young prospect is motivated only by how much money he or she can earn in the short term? Let's try to culivate kids who want proper careers after rugby.

I thought I once read that a contracted player gets a scholarship as part of the contract to attend study up to their initial degree at university, if they want it.

I may be wrong, but I thought this was a major tool for recruiting players from lower socio economic areas as the parents want an education for their kids, not just football.

 

[liquor box]

If RA goes into receivership, what happens?

Does an outside company come in and try to sell it off?

Could News Limited long term plan be to own RA and all of Rugby in Australia? No more TV contracts to negotiate and total control of the game and how it is run.

 

[wamberal]

Brad Thorn? Andy Farrell? Jason Robinson?

Peter Ryan? Andrew Walker (okay, he did start in club rugby before going to the dark side), Mat Rogers did okay for us without any huge controversies, there are a few now in Australian Soup teams who look promising and have behaved themselves. Rocky Elsom played Jersey Flegg.

 

[dru]

If RA goes into receivership, what happens?

Does an outside company come in and try to sell it off?

Could News Limited long term plan be to own RA and all of Rugby in Australia? No more TV contracts to negotiate and total control of the game and how it is run.

I don't see how this can be practical - a purchased RA is relying on the good will of WR (World Rugby), SANZAAR and continued membership from the unions. None of that is a lock without further negotiations.

 

[wamberal]

I am no expert, but my understanding is the receivers would take over the running of the organisation in the first instance. I assume that their main priority would be to keep it going in some form, while working out how to pay outstanding creditors (at a loss to the creditors).


I assume that the aim would be to keep the boat afloat somehow, in some form. One assumes that WR (World Rugby) would become involved, and hopefully some of the squillionaires that we are told are waiting on the sidelines just for an opportunity like this.

 

[Lindommer]

Rather than ask for receivers to be appointed the current board should navigate towards liquidation if things go really bad. That path would negate the possibility of another party buying RA as well as option of establishing another national rugby body. And leave Izzy whistling in the wind for the balance of his $3 or 4 mill.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

And leave Izzy whistling in the wind for the balance of his $3 or 4 mill.

OH SHIT, Izzy hasnt been paid yet?? Damn shame!​

If RA goes into receivership, what happens?

Does an outside company come in and try to sell it off?

​

 

[Lindommer]

OH SHIT, Izzy hasn't been paid yet? Damn shame!

Not all of it, apparently there was an agreement he be paid his $3/4 mill (NOT $8m as constantly quoted by the News empire) in instalments. Critically, there's been no mention of Izzy taking a haircut in concert with other Oz rugby players.

 

[Quick Hands]

If RA goes into receivership, what happens?

Does an outside company come in and try to sell it off?

Could News Limited long term plan be to own RA and all of Rugby in Australia? No more TV contracts to negotiate and total control of the game and how it is run.

News Ltd tried owning a sport once and did billions on it.

Why would anyone want to own RA?

In the space of 15 years they've gone from $31 million in the bank to the verge of being in administration. With, I might add, almost no prospect of turning it around. Certainly no prospect if they keep with the current business model.

No money in the bank

No assets to speak of

No income in the current environment - profit only coming during home world cups, BIL tours and NH series (which are played as a series - might be something in that)

No prospect of any international rugby this year - even a series against NZ unlikely

 

[ForceFan]

.........but leave laws out of it, WR (World Rugby) writes the laws for rugby!!!

WR (World Rugby) still does and always will. WR (World Rugby) has to approve everything that's under the "rugby" banner - otherwise it can't be called rugby.

The law changes for Global Rapid Rugby were approved by World Rugby but only after they were ratified by every team involved and every national union involved in Global Rapid Rugby.
This is the same for every aspect of GRR.
It has never been a break-away or rogue competition.

I understand that in some instances some of the law changes were changes which WR (World Rugby) wanted to trial before broader application.

 

[RugbyReg]

If RA goes into receivership, what happens?

Does an outside company come in and try to sell it off?

Could News Limited long term plan be to own RA and all of Rugby in Australia? No more TV contracts to negotiate and total control of the game and how it is run.

I think the states are more likely to go first I'm afraid. They pay the bulk of the player salaries (about 70% apparently) and don't have the cash reserves that RA have (however small they are). The impact of the states going down is significant because they generally run the grass roots competitions etc. So the players' greed is very much directly impacting the future of the game's existence.

RA will have some solace in that, as the national body, they are likely to receive some sort of support from the Fed Govt (as most high level national sports will I expect). It will come with certain caveats around governance etc.

 

[Quick Hands]

Not all of it, apparently there was an agreement he be paid his $3/4 mill (NOT $8m as constantly quoted by the News empire) in instalments. Critically, there's been no mention of Izzy taking a haircut in concert with other Oz rugby players.

Folau isn't a contracted employee of RA or any of its affiliates. He's not an Oz rugby player. He's a person who was involved in legal dispute with RA and by mutual agreement the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. This means that the amount of the settlement is legally enforceable.

Should RA go into administration, there is normally a process by which debts are paid; for example the tax department get first go at the the $$$.

I would also assume that if RA did in fact go into administration then the state RUs would follow as they rely on RA for their funding????

Lucky we've had former directors of the big 4 banks and other alleged corporate high flyers on the board of RA in the past decade or we'd be in real financial strife.

 

[formerflanker]

Anyone gleefully celebrating Izzy's potential loss of payout must be mindful of the collateral damage to other Australians.
If The Telegraph is correct, many small business people will also not be paid.

Depending on what assets RA could muster, he’d likely be paid out only a few cents in the dollar.​

As one observer put it, he would be paid the same rate as the pest controller or jersey supplier.​

 

[wamberal]

Anyone gleefully celebrating Izzy's potential loss of payout must be mindful of the collateral damage to other Australians.

As one observer put it, he would be paid the same rate as the pest controller or jersey supplier.​

Errr, yes, that's how it works. But I have to be honest, as much as I would regret genuine suppliers and so on being dudded, I would be extremely happy for the weirdo to take a big fat haircut.

 

[dru]

I think the states are more likely to go first I'm afraid. They pay the bulk of the player salaries (about 70% apparently) and don't have the cash reserves that RA have (however small they are). The impact of the states going down is significant because they generally run the grass roots competitions etc. So the players' greed is very much directly impacting the future of the game's existence.

RA will have some solace in that, as the national body, they are likely to receive some sort of support from the Fed Govt (as most high level national sports will I expect). It will come with certain caveats around governance etc.

This post needs more recognition!

Reg, are you sure? I only ask because I had thought the unions would survive as RA drowned. The unions failing is another matter altogether. RA pretty much becomes irrelevant at that point, though we should probably respect the unions with no Super franchise - and not just WA.

I presume that the clubs would mostly stand but how that works is another matter.

This is a VERY scary prediction.

 

[wamberal]

Lucky we've had former directors of the big 4 banks and other alleged corporate high flyers on the board of RA in the past decade or we'd be in real financial strife.

Similar types were at the helm during our boom years. The biggest boomer of all, JON was the archetypal banking high flyer.