A thought -- in podcasts and articles over the last year, I've read how Ireland completely transformed their rugby program and national results over a number of years by embracing and investing in it's private school system.
Since hearing this, it's bounced around my head a lot.
I went to a Sydney GPS school (graduating in 2012) and I'm generally pretty frustrated by the private school system in Sydney and the type of people that it produces.
I've likewise always hated the private schoolboy culture and classism that permeates Australian rugby union, and I used to be a firm believer that the game had to move beyond private schools in order to succeed, grow and develop. I am literally physically embarrassed when attending Shute Shield games, and geriatrics at Waratahs games make me want to cry.
However, it seems that these days that rugby union is facing existential threats in these schools themselves, as parents look towards soccer (a safer sport) and the AFL continues to invest within programs inside these schools.
If this continues, and if rugby union loses it's place in these schools, what else does it have remaining?
So, I suppose I'd evoke some devils advocate thinking here and pose a question -- should Rugby Australia double down on investment, partnerships and programs within the private schools of our capital cities?
Some thoughts --
[1] We talk a lot about rugby league stealing union players out of highschool, but the reality of the situation is often that these players were poached from rugby league clubs whilst in highschool by way of scholarships to these schools. In this manner, and if this 'poaching' can be imbued, it'd allow rugby union to compete with league in terms of professional recruitment in the younger age groups.
[2] The financial situation of some of these schools absolutely dwarfs our rugby administrators. For instance, Shore School purchased Graythwaite in 2013 for ~$40 million without financing. They just had that cash sitting around, likely because they own an insane amount of property in North Sydney, and their student fees exceed $50 million per year. For reference, RA had a profit of $8M in 2022, and the NSWRU had a profit of $200K for the same year.
The balance sheets and P&Ls of individual schools in this country likely dwarf even Rugby Australias.
For all the talk of grassroots funding, we have a very strong grassroots system that would be self-funded (to an extent not possible by RA) if properly incentivised.
E.g. if RA could work with a broadcast partner to secure a deal to televise school rugby competitions, and then some sort of national Champions Cup style competition at the end of the season, it'd create an arms race within these systems (beyond that which already exists), causing insane levels of investment that would not be possible anywhere else.