Australian Rugby / RA

[Pfitzy]

Manly wasn't a particularly affluent area when I grew up there. My parents were only able to afford to buy their in the early 60s because there was a gasworks located about 400 metres from the semi that they bought. You could have bought a whole block back then for less than the price of a single house there now.

Workmate of mine said her parents (kiwis) got a house up near Collaroy back in the 60s because it was basically a day trip / holiday shack area for people from the lower north shore etc

 

[Gnostic]

I said nearly 12 months ago my only real concern in the collapse of RA is the fate of real community rugby. I don't give a shit at all about the Wallabies or NSW or any of the others now. They could disappear up their own arses tomorrow, or preferably tonight for all I care. I will give a brief moment of sadness for the broken history of once great traditions, but remind myself that for a decade selection in these sides has been on nepotism and paid up contracts as primary selection criteria.

No my only concern is that community rugby can be separated from the self interested, arrogant, out of touch parasites that surround the upper echelons of the game in this country. Without that separation we cannot insure players, officials and club to run our community games. If "Wallabies" or other players want to have "sabbaticals" good F^%$% OFF and stop stealing money from my kids game and portraying yourselves as professionals when you can't pass, kick or behave in a professional manner.

Officials RA, NSWRU et al - just all of you F^%$# OFF. Since 1996 there has been not one person I can name who has not used the position to enhance the game. They have all enriched themselves and in following years the game has directly declined. Castle inherited this shit show and we will never know her real abilities because as I have said time and again the structure the great JON put in place has been the biggest reason why we are in this position. That Banker (read thief) is still out blowing his own trumpet years later despite this fact. Every failed CEO & board has failed in part because of their own hubris and greed and because of the base structure. The players fail because they get paid regardless of their actual performance at rugby and the ridiculous contracting scheme that see school boys signed on potential before they have learnt the base skills. If they want to play league, fine let them, if they want to play an international sport they will stay and learn the required skills.

I could continue on my rant but one final point that reflects on both Officials and Players, Beale - I won't go through the saga again, but given what happened how is he still around despite his actual performance on the field never in his whole career having been consistently good let alone good enough to deserve the special treatment and forgiveness he has received (though in the interests of real justice such performance should have no bearing on it). This proves beyond any doubt that the morals and ethical processes of RA are malleable for the outcomes the executive want to achieve for whatever self interested reasons they have. All this shit happens at the pro level, people being paid outsized pay packets for zero performance while they screw over the community game in a myriad of ways, endangering the future of the gae in very real ways. JUST F%$#$ THEM ALL.

 

[formerflanker]

Workmate of mine said her parents (kiwis) got a house up near Collaroy back in the 60s because it was basically a day trip / holiday shack area for people from the lower north shore etc

Mrs Former Flanker's parents did exactly the same thing.
Moved all their worldly possessions from Crows Nest to Collaroy for a 4 week annual beachside holiday.
Simpler times. And no Warringah Rats either.

 

[Dctarget]

Yeah I will always follow the Wallabies but they’ve lost my fanatical support & obsession. Time to jump ship to my better half’s country, vive la France bebe

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

This is a fucking joke, If Phil Fucking Kearns gets the job that's me done.

 

[Teh Other Dave]

Fuck's sake. Some of the anti-Castle vitriol and nuffiness makes the Where to for Super Rugby? thread seem like Chatham House.

Is the Kearns thing a fait accompli?

 

[Slim 293]

Rugby Australia's Mosman connections continue to deliver for the game, with Peter Wiggs one of the leading candidates to fill the governing body's leadership void following the sudden resignation of Raelene Castle.

Wiggs, an economics graduate of Sydney University who went on to found private equity fund Archer Capital, has been on the RA board for just three weeks. Yet in that time the former Mosman winger, who counts former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns and Australian Olympic Committee boss Matt Carroll among his associates, appears to have made himself indispensable to the organisation.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sp...-rugby-s-leadership-void-20200423-p54mk5.html

 

[James Pettifer]

This is a fucking joke, If Phil Fucking Kearns gets the job that's me done.

I’d be stunned if he doesn’t.

Next steps - Rennie walks (as he threatened to do) and the promising coaching team mostly pull out. Qantas also will decide that they have had enough of this crap and with the company under threat from COVID pull their sponsorship as soon as possible. I doubt RA will survive in time to see Super Rugby start up again.


At least when it all falls apart everyone won’t realistically be able to blame Raelene. Of course they still will.

 

[Micheal]

Imagine if they'd just given Stephen Moore a job without having asked him to go through a proper process with an external recruitment company.

Imagine if Lynaghs name hadn't been included against his wishes (kind of?).

Then we'd only have 9 ex-Captains who signed, and everyone knows you need at least 10 concussed signatures to form a populist quorum.

 

[Rebels3]

As much as we should always respect those who have been in the game for a long time, played the game at a high level or have extensive links to the game, I sometimes wish it was possible to have an entire new board and leadership who have no links and no favours owed to anyone who could come in and shape the game for the future.

I fear the game will never progress unless people are willing to give up their egos and actually think of the sport.

I was a long suffering Rabbitohs fan for many years, and to me rugby is the equivalent of a George Piggins run club prior to Russell Crowe becoming involved.

Whilst we pretend that we love a game, we have to accept that we are now in love with a business.

Pro Rugby is a business that happens to trade in a game we love, if we run it as a game then we will get amateur results, if we run it as a business then we will get pro results.

This x100

 

[Teh Other Dave]

I’d be stunned if he doesn’t.

Next steps - Rennie walks (as he threatened to do) and the promising coaching team mostly pull out. Qantas also will decide that they have had enough of this crap and with the company under threat from COVID pull their sponsorship as soon as possible. I doubt RA will survive in time to see Super Rugby start up again.


At least when it all falls apart everyone won’t realistically be able to blame Raelene. Of course they still will.

Worse, half the morons will make it all about her appearance or gender. Meantime, most of the damage has been done by pricks in check shirts and RMs. Go figure.

 

[Quick Hands]

The process to select and appoint Castle's successor will reveal a great deal. If it's a traditional ARU/RA jobs for the boys appointment then we'll know that nothing has changed and the death spiral will continue.

Who can forget the international recruitment company being paid hundreds of thousands to conduct a worldwide search, only to come up with the Chairman's neighbour, best mate and school buddy as CEO?

 

[Teh Other Dave]

The process to select and appoint Castle's successor will reveal a great deal. If it's a traditional ARU/RA jobs for the boys appointment then we'll know that nothing has changed and the death spiral will continue.

Who can forget the international recruitment company being paid hundreds of thousands to conduct a worldwide search, only to come up with the Chairman's neighbour, best mate and school buddy as CEO?

Yeah man, they went half way around the world. To Aspen.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

From the brisbanetimes article quoted by Slim above:

"Rugby Australia's Mosman connections continue to deliver for the game, with Peter Wiggs one of the leading candidates to fill the governing body's leadership void following the sudden resignation of Raelene Castle."

From GRob's SMH article:

"Wiggs runs private equity firm Archer Capital and is chair of Supercars after Archer bought the business for a reported AU$180 million from SEL in 2011. It is now reportedly worth about half its purchase price and is in the middle of difficult broadcast negotiations to renew its deal with Fox Sports and Ten."

Next candidate, please.

 

[KOB1987]

I doubt Rennie and the new coaching setup will jump ship, they either want to coach the Wallabies or they don’t. DR did the diplomatic thing and expressed huge admiration in RC and her ways, but I highly doubt it was her schmoozing that got him over the line. What’s more important to him (them) is they they are given the resources to be successful, they won’t give a fuck who gives it to them. Plus they are contracted to RA, not Castle.

 

[Scooter]

I doubt Rennie and the new coaching setup will jump ship, they either want to coach the Wallabies or they don’t. DR did the diplomatic thing and expressed huge admiration in RC and her ways, but I highly doubt it was her schmoozing that got him over the line. What’s more important to him (them) is they they are given the resources to be successful, they won’t give a fuck who gives it to them. Plus they are contracted to RA, not Castle.

Fair point KOB1987. Although sometimes players have "Get out clauses" in their contract if the coach leaves or is sacked. Could Rennie have a get out clause re: Castle?

 

[KOB1987]

Fair point KOB1987. Although sometimes players have "Get out clauses" in their contract if the coach leaves or is sacked. Could Rennie have a get out clause re: Castle?

Anything can be written in to a contract within reason, but what would be the logic of that? It may be that RC promised him certain things but the crucial element would be the delivery of those things, not the person who promised them. Anyway, we will see, but her interview on the 7.30 report which was recorded prior to her resignation would indicate he won’t walk. This from the Aus this morning:

 

[KOB1987]

Also, I saw someone’s comment last night that this will be the end of the QANTAS sponshorship, but can’t find it now. Firstly, that sponsorship preceded RCs tenure so if they ditch it because RC left then that will be a telling sign. Secondly, Joyce came out and gleefully maintained that the existing sponsorship will be fulfilled - I suspect that is acknowledgment that it’s already been paid and they won’t be getting it back. After that I can’t see QANTAS sponsoring anything beyond tourism for quite a while. Private equity will become the norm for sports ‘sponsorship’.

 

[fatprop]

I have generally thought Castle would rate a "B" (she did some good things and some stuff I was less enamored with) but I think it is unlikely we could find someone who would have performed better honestly, she was polishing a turd.

We have a leading side with no from ground, our best side can't get anyone to watch them ............... there are real issues. As well as the key issue, our sides lose too much to gain any traction or interest

But I was amazed to with the dally vitriol in New's outlets, and from writers well outside sport let alone RA. I don't know if it was orchestrated of just a pile on the dead woman walking, but it was crap. I don't think a man would have been treated as badly

Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before real change can occur . My brother is a massive Eels fan and he is adamant that being put into administration was the best thing that happen to them. The Ferrier Hodgson guy cleaned house and cleared out the cronyism. They now have a board and CEO who are adults and professionals

To me, the Captain's letter is a clear symptom of the problem, not the solution, they are just a younger version of the blazer brigade that infest rugby. I am not sure the captains realise this, but I am quite certain they are not the answer.

 

[John S]

NO, have you, matey? but why haven't they been signed off? It isn't because of COVID and that was the previous comment

Ok so what's the reason they haven't been signed off yet?