Is it time to change the name of the Waratahs?
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rugbyskier
Ted Thorn (20)
Wikipedia, what an authoritative source. They can call themselves whatever they like but the fact is they do not represent the state of New South Wales. I live in NSW (and have done for most of my life) and the Waratahs do not represent me.
I'm pleased that the New Zealand television coverage recognises the correct boundaries of the franchises, Fox Sports should follow suit.
I'm pleased that the New Zealand television coverage recognises the correct boundaries of the franchises, Fox Sports should follow suit.
That was really the point I was making.
The NSW rugby team has been known as the Waratahs for over 120 years from what I can gather. The advent of professionalism and the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies slicing up territory such that the Waratahs didn't represent the entirety of NSW (and the Brumbies represented more than just the ACT) doesn't re-write history or necessitate the removal of NSW from the name. The Waratahs are still that same team.
rugbyskier
Ted Thorn (20)
Great selective quoting, are you a Labor politician? Note the 'but' - the fact is the Waratahs do not represent at least a third of the state of New South Wales. I have no problems if they called themselves the Sydney and Central-Northern NSW Waratahs as that would accurately reflect the situation. They should be honest and just call themselves Sydney - playing NSW Country in trial matches reflects their view of who they represent, country people aren't part of their constituency.
rugbyskier
Ted Thorn (20)
Giving it some more thought, the most accurate name would be the Uni-Randwick Waratahs.
rugbyskier
Ted Thorn (20)
not the players, the management.
Stands
Jimmy Flynn (14)
Hi Wamberal thats sounds interesting, what was the old name?
I've managed to get out to the SFS for a couple of games, and will probably go to the Stormers game. Not to0 enamoured with Homebush, though.
I wish they had a few less night games, and more afternoon ones though - even if they started at 430 on Sunday after a good lunch.
Tom Ando
Fred Wood (13)
Homebush is a shocker. No tahs games have atmosphere at Homebush. Even Wallabies games. I would much rather watch the wallabies at the SFS. Close to the action. Smaller, but as people have said, a larger crowd in relation to generation of noise. Canberra Stadium has more atmosphere than any Tahs game I have been too. And I know this is a bit off topic, but can the ARU PLEASE BRING BACK WALTZING MATILDA! If you want atmosphere, start the game with that. You really know its a Test match when you hear that in the background while the commentators are announcing the team lineup, and when you are at the field, surely it gets the Aussies fired up. It's little things like this that build enormous atmosphere. Sorry I know I went a little of track but smaller crowds and attention to detail fix atmosphere. Tahs could learn from this. Like when the opportunity for fans to run out onto the field to meet the players happen usually round 1, the Tahs to my knowledge are the only team that have a fence around their players with security. the Reds players stay back almost an hour after their games, going around to fans; and even at away games as I went to the brumbies v reds game in canberra this year! The Brumbies do a similar thing and when fans get to go on the field, players just walk around within the crowd! It makes the Tahs look like to seem they are too important to be "walking amongst the peasants" that are their fans. I'm sure the players don't have that mindset but maybe the admin do. Just a thought.
wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
The state team was just known as "New South Wales", they had the waratah emblem, but the "Waratah" name was not used at all.
jay-c
Ron Walden (29)
dont mean to have a dig at ya dude, but this is just about as bad of an idea as the fan forum
changing the name would be a disaster and do nothing but alienate fans
the warratahs are on the up i assure you> they have a fantastic coach who has done amazing things in a short amount of time > the teams performances in the last few weeks have made me so proud to be a waratahs supporter, and its the first time ive felt this way in recent years
win or lose the way they are playing the game now makes me want to watch, makes me want to be there to celebrate the wins live!
cheika
“The opportunity to coach the Super Rugby team of my home state and the responsibility to make all our supporters and all people from NSW proud of their team is one that motivates me immensely."
changing the name would be a disaster and do nothing but alienate fans
the warratahs are on the up i assure you> they have a fantastic coach who has done amazing things in a short amount of time > the teams performances in the last few weeks have made me so proud to be a waratahs supporter, and its the first time ive felt this way in recent years
win or lose the way they are playing the game now makes me want to watch, makes me want to be there to celebrate the wins live!
cheika
“The opportunity to coach the Super Rugby team of my home state and the responsibility to make all our supporters and all people from NSW proud of their team is one that motivates me immensely."
Hell West & Crooked
Alex Ross (28)
1874... 139 Years Of History - and you propose changing it for what?
Not only is it a brilliant name for a Rugby Team, it is wholly unique, and has a history behind it which VERY Few can challenge...
Its insulting enough to have to sit watching the Tahs play Queensland, and have to listen to the muggins in the commentary box give Win/Loss Records that began only with Super Rugby. phhhhhht!...
Yes I know about the Franchise Deal with the NSWRU, and I know the Aukland Blues are not exactly the same province that played in the 70s - but I dont give a Flying F*** , The Blues are the Blues, and The Reds are the Reds... Its the Waratahs - and its bad enough they are allowed to F*** about with the Jersey.
Worse still, a name change would not bring One Single new Spectator through the gates - (why would it?).. but it might drive a few away.
As to the anme falling into dis--use - by whom??? I go back quite a long way, and the Waratahs have been the Waratahs as long as I have been alive...
By the way, this talk about what areas are/are not represented... If Super Rugby should ever fold - (and technically, even if it does not) the name 'WARATAHS' remains with the NSWRU and reverts to them. The NSWRU Provincial Team will always be known by that name...
Not only is it a brilliant name for a Rugby Team, it is wholly unique, and has a history behind it which VERY Few can challenge...
Its insulting enough to have to sit watching the Tahs play Queensland, and have to listen to the muggins in the commentary box give Win/Loss Records that began only with Super Rugby. phhhhhht!...
Yes I know about the Franchise Deal with the NSWRU, and I know the Aukland Blues are not exactly the same province that played in the 70s - but I dont give a Flying F*** , The Blues are the Blues, and The Reds are the Reds... Its the Waratahs - and its bad enough they are allowed to F*** about with the Jersey.
Worse still, a name change would not bring One Single new Spectator through the gates - (why would it?).. but it might drive a few away.
As to the anme falling into dis--use - by whom??? I go back quite a long way, and the Waratahs have been the Waratahs as long as I have been alive...
By the way, this talk about what areas are/are not represented... If Super Rugby should ever fold - (and technically, even if it does not) the name 'WARATAHS' remains with the NSWRU and reverts to them. The NSWRU Provincial Team will always be known by that name...
Stands
Jimmy Flynn (14)
139 years of history and we probably now have less people watching it than than 139 years ago!
I propose we discuss whether we should change the name for the sake of the team, believe it or not to some people the name of the team is relevant to whether they follow it or not (not that this is right or wrong). Similarly just because you dont think a name change "would'nt bring one extra spectator to game - (why would it) " doesn't make it correct either. Look at the following the Western Sydney wanderers got in 2 years, part of that following had to do with the name of the team etc.
Personally, I hate seeing my team lose its following to other sports or activities (if you compare it to the crowds league AFL and soccer are getting) like it or not our team and our game (i.e. junior level funding etc) is fighting for those spectators for attendance and gate takings.
By discussing factors like the name it may help our team.
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
Stands I disagree with the comment about the Wanderers being a fan success because of the name. From what I know of the team set up and fan base it was a targeted "this is your team, not that other sydney team that is based in the east and don't care about you westies" campaign that built their support. They could have been called Penrithinaykos or Rooty Hill Athletic and still had the same support.
Tom Ando
Fred Wood (13)
I'm not personally a fan of the Tahs, but I agree it should have nothing to do with the team name. Results need to come first, then better media coverage. The difference between the Wanderers and the Waratahs is that the Wanderers had massive successful year and TV and newspaper were all over the hype of the team and the sport. Next time you look at the Sydney Morning Herald, tell me how many pages there are on league and then how many pages there are on Rugby. That is where I problem lies. No FTA coverage, no publicity and no success.
Perception is usually key. You have to make people believe that Rugby is an exciting and interesting sport. I'm not a personal fan of league, I find it really boring. But they (being The Footy Show and sports reporters) preach that tries equals entertainment. You could still have 6 tries in a game that aren't very exciting tries and actually add no real X factor to the game like the current Reds v Brumbies game was. But people believe that tries= exciting, even if they aren't; because the tv shows and newspaper feed this to their audience and readers. So the challenge is to highlight and change the perception that a game like the Reds and Brumbies is way more exciting than the recent Kangaroos and Kiwis game! It was full of attacking rugby, massive tackles and it was a close contest! But everyday people tossing up which sport to follow, aren't willing to give watching a game of union go because they have been told that penalty kicks are boring, scrums are boring and kicking is boring. Sure, in large quantities, those aspects can be boring; and we have the 2007 world cup to thank for that. But if the Waratahs can continue their form with attacking flair, and the wallabies can beat the Lions and All Blacks, the perception changes. Thats how you get you fans back. Not changing the name.
rugbysmartarse
Alan Cameron (40)
also, lets not forget that a rebranding of the scale required to rename the waratahs would likely run into the millions, which the NSWRU just couldn't fund
Hell West & Crooked
Alex Ross (28)
Stands... One can DISCUSS anything one likes... The Offside Rule, Quantum Physics, Gay Marriage - anything one likes - but unless one has infinite time on one's hands, there ought to be some point to it...
I would posit that there is probably only 1 or 2% of Waratahs supporters who even consider the name of the Team is an Issue - having grown up with that name - (as did their fathers - and in many cases, grandfathers), its just IS the name of the Team - and a perfectly good one, with a sense of being local, and unique...
The success of the WSW probably had alot more to do with the fact that a Western Sydney Football Team in the A-League was an idea years overdue, and should have been there from Day One...
It probably equally has to do with the (for mine) mystifying appeal of an excrable sport to the masses - and the fact that the cost & time of a commute to the City to watch Sydney FC makes them less than accessible to many people in the Western Suburbs who would like to follow Football...
If anything, the term 'Wanderers' proves my point, that a name has little to do with the success of any club - 'Wanderers' means almost nothing in the Australian Sporting Landscape, it is lifted directly from English Football Club - (god know which one - not interested), and therefore will always be 'derivative'....
As a name, WS Wanderers is right down there with horrendous examples like the GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 'GIANTS', Melbourne 'HEART' and wanna-be american names like the 'COWBOYS' and the BRONCOS... (But then, the NRL have apprarently really wanted to be the NFL, since the 1970s)...
Oddly to me, Cricket has often been more successful at selecting team names in Australia... The 'Bushrangers', The 'Redbacks', The 'Bulls' The 'Tasmanian Tigers'...
it is personal taste, but whatever their faults, these names do not seem to have been wholly and artifically lifted from a foreign country and imposed here at home...
Union is fighting for spectators - and Dollars. It always has, it always will. It will only survive by providing an attractive spectacle, and giving its followers good value for money.
Union has on on its side, Tradition, and the Suburban Club structure (which has provided the Social and Community skeleton of the game). It used to be less a sport - and more a way of life. Perhaps the major reason it is struggling to draw crowds now, is that it has in many ways turned its back on its Clubs - and at the same time, failed to provide a quality of Rugby that is attractive on its own.
If the Waratahs (and the Wallabies) want to be more successful, they need to play a more attractive brand of Rugby. and they need to Win...
If they do that, You could call them the NSW "High Luminosity Large Hadron Colliders" and people would still turn-up to watch them play.
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