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do they? Which have come through the ARS?
grievous
Johnnie Wallace (23)
Off the top of the head, Jerry Yanuyanutawa, Syd Uni, Ofa Fainga’anuku Easts. There was a 5/8 that trialled with the Reds in circa 2001/02 from Perth Gold side. There is a smattering in the Brisbane and Sydney grade comps from NT, WA, Vic and SA.
Remember Brock James and Billy Millard (Oz7s coach, CARDIFF) have come out of SA without the ARS. With our resources still relatively thin can we afford to ignore the non rugby states?
Ruggo
Mark Ella (57)
Brad Hunt moved into Brisbane premier rugby from playing for the Darwin Mozzies. Chris Ratai also. I don't know where he is these days but he was playing for Wests.
Tangawizi
Peter Fenwicke (45)
The game of rugby is thriving in France, South Africa and NZ.
So the question is, what do they have in those 3 countires that we don't? The answer clearly is Cheergirls! Our Super Rugby teams need them!
But more seriously, if Rugby wants to thrive in areas such as Western Sydney, it can't continue to be viewed as an elite sport played almost exclusively in Private Schools. The ARU needs to bring the game to the people -all of them, not just those with wealthy parents.
So the question is, what do they have in those 3 countires that we don't? The answer clearly is Cheergirls! Our Super Rugby teams need them!
But more seriously, if Rugby wants to thrive in areas such as Western Sydney, it can't continue to be viewed as an elite sport played almost exclusively in Private Schools. The ARU needs to bring the game to the people -all of them, not just those with wealthy parents.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Good luck trying to convince those that run the game that there's a world outside northern Sydney...
RugbyFuture
Lord Logo
at the same time as our administration is very closed minded on the grographical and socio economic base of our game, one other problem is the fact that league does build it up more as an us versus them thing, we cant change much about that. they'll always try and be the working class game, they're very proud of that, and then in that we become the white collar game.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
What the ARU needs to do in Western Sydney is targert certain area's. Concentrate efforts towards the area's with a relatively high PI and NZ populations. Many of these kids are familiar with Rugby and their parents don't see it as an elitist sport. Start small and simple. Begin with Summer 7s Competition run out of Clubs and if necessary schools. That way its in the off-season of both Rugby and League and could draw a reasonable participation. Market the game to them via these Competitions with a City Champion crowned at the end. Look for a flow on effect and capitalise on it. Once you get more interested in actually playing the 15 man game ( and I actually think this is happening) become far more flexible with scheduling. Play games on Thursday, Friday nights and Saturday and Sunday mornings. Becoming creative in our competition structures will see real benefit to our game.
Ruggo
Mark Ella (57)
I agree with what you are saying RF but rugby does very little to counter it and take the game to the people. The next time the ARU wants to go and poach a league person, maybe they take a look at the administration. Simple fact is they know how to grow and promote a game. For a CEO, I would take Gallop over O'Neall any day of the week.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
I agree with grevious. Bring back the ARS. Enter both NSW and QLD Suburban alongside the likes of NSW/QLd Country, ACT/SNSW, The Axemen, SA Black Falcons, The Mozzies and Perth. Keep it amateur. And run it on a tight leash. It can be done. If Tier Two nations of the likes of the USA can run annual National Club Championships so can we. If it slowly evolves to something bigger then great. Personally this has in my mind alaways been the best avenue to some sort of meaningful National Competition anyway.
AngrySeahorse
Peter Sullivan (51)
Completely agree.
For those questioning the talent coming out of the ARS I’m not saying the ARS wouldn’t create talent but I don’t think that’s the main concern for a lot of people like me who want it back. It’s more about the poor long suffering Rugby communities in regional/rural areas that have to put up with, in the case of NSW, a Sydney comp (shute shield) most people born outside of Sydney don’t care about and a NSW Tahs team which really should be the “Sydney Tahs”. When I talk to people in the Rugby community where I’m from you get the sense people are far more passionate about NSW Country than they are about NSW Tahs even though they support the Tahs.
I have watched the shute shield and some of the games are great but no amount of flair, skill or entertaining play can get someone passionate about something they have absolutely no personal connection to. That in a nutshell is how it is, I feel, for a lot of people outside Sydney who are Rugby tragics they need something like the ARS to represent them.
todd4
Dave Cowper (27)
Make merchandise more accessible and affordable.
I went into a 'Big W' store here in Perth and they had official Cricket Australia polo shirts for sale at $29.76. No Wallaby or Force shirts and I didn't really expect to see any either.
My local K-Mart store was selling Eagles and Dorkers gear but no rugby stuff.
If I want to buy any Wallaby or Force gear I need to go to a specialist sports store and hand over my first born.
Anybody who wears Wallaby or S14 apparel is a walking billboard for the sport.
Why not cut the profit margins on merchandise and link up with one of the large national retail chains and put the product out there where the mums and dads go to buy their kids clothes.
Give the masses the option to buy Wallabies (or S14) gear at a competative price.
I went into a 'Big W' store here in Perth and they had official Cricket Australia polo shirts for sale at $29.76. No Wallaby or Force shirts and I didn't really expect to see any either.
My local K-Mart store was selling Eagles and Dorkers gear but no rugby stuff.
If I want to buy any Wallaby or Force gear I need to go to a specialist sports store and hand over my first born.
Anybody who wears Wallaby or S14 apparel is a walking billboard for the sport.
Why not cut the profit margins on merchandise and link up with one of the large national retail chains and put the product out there where the mums and dads go to buy their kids clothes.
Give the masses the option to buy Wallabies (or S14) gear at a competative price.
waratahjesus
Greg Davis (50)
i dont think thats fair at all really, the ARU does focus its attention to crowds it knows it can pull, the white collar aspect of rugby is true and promoting it beyond that is very tough. The promotion of games is easier for rugby league as they have the free to air television deal and Fox owns half there game meaning they get return on investing in printed and televised news for them.
the simple fact of the matter is for it to change people need to watch channel 7 (or 9 when it changes) when test matches are on, no free to air station is going to go after super rugby or any other form when there unlikely to attract the same numbers as an old movie.
the NSW RU take big games out to the olympic stadium and spend a fortune on advertising to attract greater sydney to the game and rarely get a number beyond what the game would attract at the sfs, its not through lack of trying its a total image problem. Until they can strengthen the membership and crowd numbers in areas they already have taking on league in selected areas is a rather stupid idea when unions are regularly being bailed out or going close to being.
with super rugby coming in, they really need to blitz and dare i say even reinvent what game day is, maybe have a curtain raiser, advertise two matches for the price of one, get club rugby regularly involved, have an ad with a song thats catchy so people relate to it. the only way to combat league claiming glass roots and working class and pushing union into suit wearing territory is to say, alright, fine your working class, were exclusive, you cant come watch cos your an outsider and what were doing is uber cool, like when super league came in and everyone got excited about it, then when it started people went "ohhh, its just league" we need to make sure on round one a few more thousand people stick there heads in, then maybe a few of em will stay.
RugbyFuture
Lord Logo
tahd for life to the tune of scarred for life by rose tattoo, big rugby festival and outside activities outside the stadium would be awesome
chequebalance
Bill Watson (15)
Unfortunatley $$$$$ is the reason.
Blue
Andrew Slack (58)
Nope. You need more than babes although I admit they beat Tahman. Every time.
They have no league and no AFL and Rugby is the defacto contact sport and is culturally cemented into the fan's psyche. The end.
Australian rugby not only has to deal with League and AFL but with the most fair weather rugby fans on the planet.
When the Wallabies win the jerseys are out in the streets. Same with the Tahs. Leading into the finals last year when they were a chance people were wearing their gear, ready top talk about rugby. When they fell short it was like rugby? What rugby? There's too much quickly divert their attention.
Hugh Jarse
Rocky Elsom (76)
Gentlemen,
I love your argument, but only as it relates to NSW and QLD.
The Mexicans, Taswegians and Sandgroupers manage to maintain their religious dedication to their Ping pong teams thru good and bad times.
Ping Pong is the dominant sport without question in their catchment areas. League is almost unknown, and Rugby, whilst recognised, is a minority sport earning less column inches than Netball.
Fair Weather Fans indeed: This is not a national characteristic. Questioning a Mexicans loyalty to their AFL team is about as sensible as calling someone the "K word" in Soweto, Safferland, or the "N word" in the public bar of the Waikickamookau Hotel, Noo Zillund. On second thoughts, it is probably worse than that.
Somehow, Rugby has to tap into that passion for the masses in NSW and QLD. It is probably already there for the leatherpatch wearers, but they are the minority.
Crow
Jimmy Flynn (14)
It's not even limited to QLD/NSW. I know plenty of Rabbitohs supporters, for instance, who have never known success. Yet they show up week after week. There seems to be a culture missing amongst rugby fans.
It's not something that the NSWRU is unaware of, it seems to have had a couple of different strategies over time. Nothing seems to have had a great deal of success. The only comment I can really make is that there can be no 'quick fix' for culture, it needs to grow and evolve. Like, uh, mold.
Thin Thighs
Ted Fahey (11)
I agree. Apart from a small minority of dead set fans, no sydney sider turns up to watch a battler lose. Sydney people will go along way to be seen, talked to and about, when Sydney/NSW are winning. As soon as the victories dry up, we find something else to become obsessed with, usually ourselves.
For a while the Rabbitohs were flavour of the month when they were battling the NRL to be reinstated and shortly afterwards. Big crowds and lots of support for a while. Now it is back to the base level, and not too many of them travel out west to Homebush for their "Home" games.
This characteristic must drive the promoters insane. It is a tough market.
The glow of the Sydney Swans permiership didn't last too long through the turnstiles before crowd numbers started falling at home games.
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