Prince Henry
Fred Wood (13)
Soccer used to be a niche sport. AFL too in some states. The fact is both have gone past Union since we won Bill in 99. Rugby hasn't run itself holistically on and off the field. Full of factions and agendas (that Soccer used to be plagued by until they removed the ethnicity from team names) and lacking any long term vision.
A few recent rule changes and it's a great game to watch but Rugby lacks colour off the field. 95% of the publicity of rugby league is about what's happening off the field FFS! The on field product is goodish but the growth in the air time it now gets is because of the gossip it creates outside of the actual games. The scandals, the contract breakers, the gamblers, the drugs, the sex, the shoddy administrators, the crowd incidents, the big deals, the club dramas etc etc.
The last decent drama rugby had was when the ex-QLD coach was doing a bit of Vernon Philandering with the team Physio! Even Aaron Smith's airport antics with a groupie didn't get talked about for long. A few embarrassed tears and an apology and it was gone.
Kicking out a club franchise is no big drama either. League did that 15 years ago with Souths! That's about how many years rugby is now behind every other winter ball code.
Look at the world we live in. Can't one of the wallabies go and do something dramatic off field that is not saving endangered species in Zimbabwe? Where is James O'C when you need him? Both good GPS boys!
A few recent rule changes and it's a great game to watch but Rugby lacks colour off the field. 95% of the publicity of rugby league is about what's happening off the field FFS! The on field product is goodish but the growth in the air time it now gets is because of the gossip it creates outside of the actual games. The scandals, the contract breakers, the gamblers, the drugs, the sex, the shoddy administrators, the crowd incidents, the big deals, the club dramas etc etc.
The last decent drama rugby had was when the ex-QLD coach was doing a bit of Vernon Philandering with the team Physio! Even Aaron Smith's airport antics with a groupie didn't get talked about for long. A few embarrassed tears and an apology and it was gone.
Kicking out a club franchise is no big drama either. League did that 15 years ago with Souths! That's about how many years rugby is now behind every other winter ball code.
Look at the world we live in. Can't one of the wallabies go and do something dramatic off field that is not saving endangered species in Zimbabwe? Where is James O'C when you need him? Both good GPS boys!