Olympic 7's
- Thread starter waiopehu oldboy
- Start date
waiopehu oldboy
George Smith (75)
Pending the Ruby Tui interview here's some highlights
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Not a great look for a program which is due for a review and failed badly, first reports of rugby and hockey players trashing their room, which they were reprimanded for. And now reports of drunken behaviour on the flight home.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...behaviour-on-flight-home-20210803-p58fkw.html
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/pretty...o-left-hole-in-room-wall-20210803-p58fgd.html
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...behaviour-on-flight-home-20210803-p58fkw.html
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/pretty...o-left-hole-in-room-wall-20210803-p58fgd.html
PhilClinton
Mark Loane (55)
This is the type of shit that really annoys me.
If it’s all proved true, it shows these guys have no respect for their positions as Australian representatives which just rubs salt in the wound of how crap their results as a team have been over the last few years.
There aren’t many roles currently across any industry where you can go abroad and represent your country, let alone at an event as special as the Olympics. To finish it off like this is really poor and reflects on the management of the players as much as the players themselves.
If it’s all proved true, it shows these guys have no respect for their positions as Australian representatives which just rubs salt in the wound of how crap their results as a team have been over the last few years.
There aren’t many roles currently across any industry where you can go abroad and represent your country, let alone at an event as special as the Olympics. To finish it off like this is really poor and reflects on the management of the players as much as the players themselves.
PhilClinton
Mark Loane (55)
There were two groups on different flights. A bunch of them landed yesterday and into Darwin for quarantine, they would be the naughty ones I assume.
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Matt Carrol, AOC CEO has confirmed these stories. RA apologised to the AOC for the room damage and said any damage will be paid for, RA have said they’re investigating the flight but AOC confirmed rugby was one of the sports involved, just don’t know who specifically.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
I heard third hand, that they were quite miffed they had to suffer the indignity of cattle class on the journey home, whilst the swimmers displaced them from their rightful place up the front.
Entitled much?
after all they were ranked third in their pool of four……
So a few players ALLEGEDLY got on the turps on the plane home, and we should disband the whole program? Feel like that's a slight over-reaction.
Meh. This happens every Olympics. It's an old trope, 'athletes go wild in the village'. There's no suggestion they did anything criminal. They should face the music for being a bit wild on the plane, but after everything they went through I am a bit sympathetic if they wanted to blow off a bit of steam.
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Did you miss the part where i said "lets wait and see what comes out of the investigation"..
And if true It's not an overreaction, this program is already due for review after failing to deliver results, not just this year but the preceding 4 years compounded by the $5 million PA it costs a year to run. Thats more than the size of the grants that RA provides Super Rugby clubs. Two behavioural incidents from the AOC team, and both times it has included rugby players.. All the other athletes seem to be 'blowing off steam' well enough.
I said prior to this little incident that the mens program should be scrapped with only the women retained, and if this incident is true then its the nail in the coffin i'm afraid. At best a handful of mens players should be retained(Longbottom etc), with the remainder of funding diverted to Super Ruby squads, come 7's World Series tournaments the handful of players should be supplemented with Club and Super Rugby players.
Isn't it a case of working out how to fix the program going forward?
Clearly we're in a different space right now with COVID, but once the World Series returns, surely we want to try and be competitive.
It's both an Olympics and Commonwealth Games sport and is a fast growing component of the game, particularly for women.
Suggesting we scrap it due to bad behaviour of current players who overall aren't good enough doesn't seem like a good path forward.
I do think our longer term plan needs to be a greater link between 7s and XVs because there has to be a pathway from one to the other, particularly from 7s to XVs.
Clearly we're in a different space right now with COVID, but once the World Series returns, surely we want to try and be competitive.
It's both an Olympics and Commonwealth Games sport and is a fast growing component of the game, particularly for women.
Suggesting we scrap it due to bad behaviour of current players who overall aren't good enough doesn't seem like a good path forward.
I do think our longer term plan needs to be a greater link between 7s and XVs because there has to be a pathway from one to the other, particularly from 7s to XVs.
There's certainly a discussion to be had about how to use our (meagre) resources, and how/if the 7s program fits within that. But a couple of minor behavioural incidents shouldn't have anything to do with it.
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David Codey (61)
You don’t disband the program, you cull the culprits.
abdvthen you get rid of the non performers.
pretty much a clean slate….
abdvthen you get rid of the non performers.
pretty much a clean slate….
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
For a program which is trying to prove its value and remain in existence, behavioural incidents indicating poor culture and discipline aren’t exactly an endorsement for retaining what exists are they.
But as i said in the first post barbarian.. lets wait and see what comes of the investigation!
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
Why though… For the men there is no evidence that the current program is delivering the results required.. How do you fix it without spending more money? How is $5million a year justified?
For the women 7’s rugby is the pinnacle program in Australian Rugby, underpinned by the Uni 7’s tournament, there’s a clear benefit and alignment there..At no point have i suggested that be scrapped, it’s essential to remain.
But for the men, its a program confused about it’s own identify..
Is it a development pathway for Super Rugby and the Wallabies? or, is it a career path of its own right? because they don’t seem to know.
Previously it served as a development pathway, guys like Foley, Gill, McMahon etc all played 7’s prior to Super Rugby. Now, it seems to have transitioned to a group of players(for the most part) who aren’t quite good enough for super rugby and are just waiting until an offer comes from overseas. If they aren’t capable of winning tournaments, and aren’t good enough for Super Rugby, is it really of value to Australian Rugby to continue funding them?
Personally, i think the men’s portion of that funding would see a greater return invested in U20s or divided up between the Super Rugby clubs.
A significant amount of the funding comes from World Rugby and the AOC so it isn't just a case where it can be redeployed elsewhere.
I think the path forward needs to incorporate it as more of a development pathway so we can use some of the better under 20s players coming through for a couple of years without it derailing their XVs career. It should be a mix of these guys with some career 7s sort of players (think Ed Jenkins). The career guys need to be top shelf and it can't end up a place where guys who are average and can't make it in XVs can still forge a reasonable professional career.
You would then hopefully create a situation where the 7s funding is helping keep more good rugby players in Australia.
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
How much funding comes from World Rugby and AOC for the 7’s program?
But yes i agree they could structure it towards the 20s a bit, re-engage the program as a development tool again, because paying above average club players a professional salary when the majority wont progress any higher isn’t delivering results. A few career players like Longbottom and Ed Jenkins style, surrounded by players surged as required.
And whilst that may sound incredibly harsh towards the players, lets be honest it is the truth.
Adam84
Rod McCall (65)
It could if some of those U20 are playing in the 7's squad instead of mid-20 year old players who aren't cut out for super rugby. Just like Bernard Foley and Liam Gill back in the day.
Then come the Olympics/Commonwealth Games, if these guys have moved onto Super Rugby its not such a stretch to call them back into the squad to supplement given they have a background in it. Which is what Gill did in 2014 Commonwealth Games, after last playing them in 2010.