The value of Australia A

[Hugh Jarse]

More questions than answers.

What use is Australia A and can we use it better?

When was the last Australia A game?

Is a tour by Australia A commercially viable?

I'd like to see Aust A play inbound tours against nations with IRB ranks 15-30, but hiring venues, travel, meals and accommodation expenses mount up very quickly.

Maybe it is an expense that ARU just have to take as a way to keep the production of Test capable players going.

Could we make money out of them playing overseas in Japan and USA?

Is this a way to take some games to non-traditional areas like Darwin, Adelaide, Tassie, regional NSW and Qld cities?


Is Australia A developmentally viable?

The benefit for individual players seems to be obvious, as is the depth it can help to develop for the Men in Gold.

It is a low risk option to try players out, or different combinations and tactics.

It can give Soup players something to do instead of returning to their clubs during the finals series of Club competitions in ACT, Brissie and Sydney.

As long we don't do a Robbie and have the national coaching team cover both Aust A and the Wobs, then there are opportunities for the ARU to use Aust A as a vehicle to develop the next generation of Soup and fringe International Coaches, managers, physios, assistant coaches etc.

It seems rather sensible to have more of Australia A rather than less.

 

[Zander]

ARU would to love to having Australia A playing often however..

no $$$

 

[Eyes and Ears]

For this to be worth the money, I believe that the matches have to be at least the standard and intensity of Super Rugby and I am not sure that a tour match against Japan or the USA is at this level.

 

[tigerland12]

Most countries do have A teams playing at least a few games a year.

NZ Maori (essentially an A team), England Saxons, Ireland A, Argentina A

These teams play the lower tier nations such as the US, Georgia, Romania ect.

Then there is development tours teams do, such as England's to Argentina a few months ago.

We need something like this, our depth is shitty currently but of course it comes back to $$$

 

[kiap]

Old mate JON re-branded them as the Australian Barbarians.

I suppose that's okay even though it's a little sliver of bulldust. But the Aus Baabas are still designated as the 2nd national team which means that any player capped is tied to Australia.

So they can't try to be like baabaa sides of old and and get some token big names to put more bums on seats (someone like Bungy Marshall would generate interest right now).

If the team is not playing anymore it's irrelevant anyway. I think other countries have just made their U20 team their 2nd national side.

But I'd like to see a couple of matches between Australia A and South Africa A or the Junior All Blacks.

 

[tigerland12]

But I'd like to see a couple of matches between Australia A and South Africa A or the Junior All Blacks.

Watch us get slaughtered? haha

 

[Eyes and Ears]

Watch us get slaughtered? haha

it's still better development than smashing Tier 2/3 nations

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I'd like to see it return. Could be used as a means of hosting developing international squads and bringing Rugby to more regional areas of the country. Imagine Australia A hosting Russia in Tamworth or Darwin etc.

 

[liquor box]

I would love a possibles v probable. Australia A v Wallabies.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Just realised that this thread http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/australia-a-aus-baabaas.13180/#post-515799 already exixts.

Mods - Any chance of merging this thread into the existing one?