The Wallaby Brand: Death or Glory?

[RedsHappy]

The post-2007 O'Neill/Deans Wallabies ship is listing and taking on water.

Will it be righted soon, or will we need to call in the priests?

We know all the facts pushing the boat over. But the consequences of disillusioned fans and the code's continuing market share decline could be dire in the medium-term.

But if we look beyond the last game and Saturday selections, what more radically, if anything, needs to be done?

Is it just that our player feedstock into Deans' selection mix has deteriorated since, say, 2003, so he can do little more than shuffle not-good-enough talent around?

Is the whole, underlying Australian player development system less than what it needs to be to thrust Australia back into the top tier? Should we be learning more from NZ and SA rugby?

Or is the Board constitution of the ARU a problem? Too introverted and 'old rugby elite'?

Does the Captain need changing and a radical new Wallabies team culture be constructed? Why was much of this year's S14 more enjoyable to watch than the Wallabies so far in 2010?

 

[TOCC]

the so called dip in the brand is obviously in direct relation to the win/loss ratio..

However, the next few years should prove fruitfell for the ARU, the RWC in 2011 is fantastic considering the timeslots are pretty closely alligned with Australia which will mean a lot of rugby in prime time tv, following on from that the British Lions tour in 2013 will help boost the brand.

If you consider what we have had since post 2003 it hasnt been much, under strengths NH touring sides and a RWC which was in the early morning timeslots

 

[Langthorne]

I think John O'Neil is doing a pretty good job. The Sevens team is being supported and developed, as is the u20s team. O'Neil managed to negotiate an excellent 'compromise' s15 set up, with the accompanying TV/revenue benefits (except I'm not too keen on the 'top of each conference' finals spot), and the 5th Aussie s15 team will strengthen Australian rugby. If he can support grass roots development, and even organise an ARC type comp, I think he will have cracked it.

The big worry is the relatively poor performance of the Wallabies under Deans, considering the fierce competition there is for sponsorship and support in Australian sports. I hope the big turn around happens soon.

 

[Top Bloke]

Critical of course is the number of Junior club & school players - is this on the rise? or are the other 3 ball codes taking the lead again in playing number increases?

 

[matty_k]

In primary schools (on NSW's North Coast anyway) the only football codes you see getting to schools is AFL (Auskick) and NRL. Soccer doesn't need to. Union does.

 

[runsonrum]

Grassroots rugby is where the battle needs to be fought.

Let's look at it; NZ has the NPC and SA has the Currie Cup as the stepping stones from amateur club rugby through to full-time professional SuperRugby.

Australia needs another tier and needs money to do so. The ARC was a bold move but left the fan base without the tribalism needed for long term support. So, what is the answer? The ARU has to fund club sides enough to turn their 1st Grade/Premier sides into semi/full-time professionals, fund business managers to work with each club in order to gain sponsorship, and fund coaches so that they may become fulltime professionals. Clubs in each state play out their own season through to the finals, and then the grand finalists go into a country wide knockout tournament to establish the leading Club team similar to a Champions Trophy.

The clubs would not be able to top up these contracts, and any money that they currently direct towards some of their star players should be directed to funding their own expansion of resources such as coaching staff education/expenses, business development managers, rugby managers and their own grounds/licences. Colts/Academy players would only be able to have education scholarships and reasonable expenses paid for by the club, until they were elevated into the Premier team.

This will bring back some depth to the playing and coaching talent pool, will turn rugby clubs into stand alone businesses and the fan base will still be able to support their clubs.

The the state unions can direct their battle fronts on the schools and junior clubs, and they would also be responsible for the day to day "management" of the Premier Grade Competition in their jurisdiction.

That is my two cents worth.

 

[daz]

In Perth, there is a very good juniors competition (U6 - U14) with excellent numbers, but a very poor seniors turnout.

I would say that approx 50% of the juniors playing are foreign born (Saffas, Kiwis mostly with a smattering of Poms).

The problem really is that Perth is an AFL city. Always has been, always will be. The reason why the seniors struggle with numbers even though there is a large junior pool is that at around 14/15 years of age, most kids follow their mates into AFL/Soccer.

This is where the ARU need to focus some attention, to stop the bleeding of junior rugby into other codes. In the meantime, every day that passes rugby is being whittled away at the edges by the AFL, not just in Perth but in the supposed heartlands like Sydney and Brisbane. I hope the ARU has a counter attack plan ready to go.

 

[RedsHappy]

Grassroots rugby is where the battle needs to be fought.

Let's look at it; NZ has the NPC and SA has the Currie Cup as the stepping stones from amateur club rugby through to full-time professional SuperRugby.....

Australia needs another tier and needs money to do so. The ARC was a bold move but left the fan base without the tribalism needed for long term support. So, what is the answer? The ARU has to fund club

This will bring back some depth to the playing and coaching talent pool, will turn rugby clubs into stand alone businesses and the fan base will still be able to support their clubs.

The the state unions can direct their battle fronts on the schools and junior clubs, and they would also be responsible for the day to day "management" of the Premier Grade Competition in their jurisdiction.

Thanks ROR. Some very constructive and creative ideas here. No one could argue this isn't a major issue/challenge for the successful medium-term strengthening - or maybe even for core viability - of rugby in Australia.

 

[RedsHappy]

I think John O'Neil is doing a pretty good job. The Sevens team is being supported and developed, as is the u20s team. O'Neil managed to negotiate an excellent 'compromise' s15 set up, with the accompanying TV/revenue benefits (except I'm not too keen on the 'top of each conference' finals spot), and the 5th Aussie s15 team will strengthen Australian rugby. If he can support grass roots development, and even organise an ARC type comp, I think he will have cracked it. The big worry is the relatively poor performance of the Wallabies under Deans, considering the fierce competition there is for sponsorship and support in Australian sports. I hope the big turn around happens soon.

Thanks Langthorne. Your usual goodness. And, I agree! (I am actually quite excited about the new S15 next year and the arrival of the Rebels. Btw, McQueen's return will add greatly to the quality of the debate about elite coaching in Australia, and its value, as we see how he progresses over time with the Rebels. Can't wait.)

I think the other dimension worth discussing here is: rugby in Australia gets its mass distinction vs AFL, League etc largely from the state/S14 brands and the Wallabies, both with powerful international/patriotic aspects that neither League nor AFL can offer.

Accordingly, the mess the Force are in, the listlessness of the Brumbies and their long-ago glories, the fan numbers declines for the Tahs (and their 'boring' tag), and the just-got-saved Reds, these dynamics at State level are not at all brilliant, either for TV viewership or gate $s or school kid magnetism (the latter very important for the longer term). I would argue we need some major shake-ups a la 2010 Reds in these teams/managements/coaches to start a strong, genuine rebuild of State rugby as a winning proposition for the whole fan base and player feedstock.

It was fascinating to see those last Saturday crowd figures at Suncorp being just under those at ANZ Stadium (the latter down 22% on the equivalent event in 2006). The really good Suncorp figures in Brisbane had a huge amount to do with the Reds performance this year. I am just pointing all this out to highlight the key interrelationships within the whole Australian rugby ecology, both in terms of fan base and, just as importantly, sustaining cash flows into the overall game.

 

[liquor box]

I think it will take a long time for Rugby to get on an even footing with other sports. Look at last years S14 comp as an example. If every Saturday night you could sit down and see a game played along the lines of the Reds v bulls game then the ratings and popularity will increase with time. Even if this exciting style of play was on every week it will only attract viewers if it is a regular thing. Imagine the dissapointment of looking forward to a great running match and seeing the Tahs being booed by their own crowd!

For Australia to move forward we need to play an attractive style of game. This needs to be encouraged and rewarded by the ARU in some way.

 

[RedsHappy]

....For Australia to move forward we need to play an attractive style of game. This needs to be encouraged and rewarded by the ARU in some way.....

Yes LB. This is a very important point. And to it, you may have noticed that John O'Neill himself just this week said (something like): "For our top teams in Australia, winning is No 1 priority, playing a very entertaining style of play is No 2, but a very close No 2, not far behind No 1." He knows just how critical this dimension of what's played on the field is to fans numbers and, just as important, fans retention and thus gate $s coming into the game overall.

 

[liquor box]

Yes LB. This is a very important point. And to it, you may have noticed that John O'Neill himself just this week said (something like): "For our top teams in Australia, winning is No 1 priority, playing a very entertaining style of play is No 2, but a very close No 2, not far behind No 1." He knows just how critical this dimension of what's played on the field is to fans numbers and, just as important, fans retention and thus gate $s coming into the game overall.

How do you encourage it? maybe a bonus payment based on ratings outside your home state. as an example, if the Reds were getting high ratings from outside of QLD then you could assume they are good to watch and should get some type of bonus.

 

[waratahjesus]

I think it will take a long time for Rugby to get on an even footing with other sports. Look at last years S14 comp as an example. If every Saturday night you could sit down and see a game played along the lines of the Reds v bulls game then the ratings and popularity will increase with time. Even if this exciting style of play was on every week it will only attract viewers if it is a regular thing. Imagine the dissapointment of looking forward to a great running match and seeing the Tahs being booed by their own crowd!

For Australia to move forward we need to play an attractive style of game. This needs to be encouraged and rewarded by the ARU in some way.

ive said it before, but if the reds play the same way next year and dont get the wins the people will go missing again in half the time it took them to come back, crowds in every country in the world are directly linked to win/loss far above "style". Its only in australia that we go on about it.

 

[Langthorne]

The interesting development this s14 season (as opposed to the previous) is that ball retention and expansive play are the best way to secure victory, and also secure s14 bonus points. As of this season we are not talking about a choice between winning and attractive play - they go hand in hand. Of course this season, as in any other, the fundamentals of the game are still, well, fundamental - so without a strong set piece, good defence, basic skills, forward (pack) momentum, ball security etc, expansive or attractive (I happen to like a good maul, scrum, ruck, lineout, or pick and drive) will be futile.

Back to the Wallabies and rugby in Australia. From a player retention perspective, the international career potential of the game probably hasn't been given enough focus. Australia now has 150 professional squad positions available, and additional professional academy places as well. Plus the Sevens contracts. Against the NRL of AFL this might not seem like much, untill you also include the professional opportunities for rugby players in other parts of the world (UK, Ireland, France, Japan, NZ, and SA). In terms of potential employers, I'd say there are many more options for a young elite rugby player than for the other oval ball codes. Add to that Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, real Internationals, and a real World Cup (not to mention the quality of the sport itself), and there is plenty to offer over the other sports.

 

[wmutley]

The State of Australian Rugby

Yes I think the ARU has had a kick up the pants from someone hence John ONeill fronting up to the media to make all the right noises about " tightening up " , being "on notice" to improve and saying "not acceptable' to their current /ongoing performance .However it smacks of the usual ARU media spin/damage control strategy -pick someone to front up to the media/public to say all the right things(the bleeding obvious) ; to take the 'sting' out of the justified criticism to stop it gaining momentum . After a short period to this sound bite everybody goes back to 'business as usual ' mode where the ARU 'gravy-train' carries on and the team/coaching staff keep on picking up their ARU welfare cheques while slapping themselves on the back for producing another year of dishing out mediocre rugby that hasn't won anything for the best part of a decade , with cynical smirks on their faces to boot !The ARU keeps on insisting on relying on the Private Schools /Old Boys network to produce something different to what the public has seen in the past 8-9 years .A definition of madness is described as ;"...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time " I believe the awnser is a truly National Competition . A National Competiton which is open to public and private school perticipation equally and equitability in access to state and national selection instead of keeping the whole shebang the private domain of the private schools . Whenever someone declares that Australia 'punches above it's weight ' I laugh -we have 22 Million people in this country , New Zealand have at best 4.5 million -who really is punching above their weight ? i know that Mr O'neill will never countenace that so I believe that to make Australia truly competitive in the wider rugby world and to make the Wallabies play like they actually want to win games and actually play like they are proud of their country we have to have a clean sweep of change at ARU National Coaching and Player level -any comments about this are welcome

 

[RedsHappy]

Back to the Wallabies and rugby in Australia. From a player retention perspective, the international career potential of the game probably hasn't been given enough focus. Australia now has 150 professional squad positions available, and additional professional academy places as well. Plus the Sevens contracts. Against the NRL of AFL this might not seem like much, untill you also include the professional opportunities for rugby players in other parts of the world (UK, Ireland, France, Japan, NZ, and SA). In terms of potential employers, I'd say there are many more options for a young elite rugby player than for the other oval ball codes. Add to that Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, real Internationals, and a real World Cup (not to mention the quality of the sport itself), and there is plenty to offer over the other sports.

Yes. A huge point well made. And one under utilised by the ARU and other RUs here I believe. Not in the sense that these bodies keep the above data a secret, but rather that it is very under used as a positive, pro-active marketing tool into that section of the Oz player development system where kids are really starting to think about some form of football as a possible career. Applies to coaching too. Or even to kids that just want to play and have a code that they can continue to enjoy as fans later travelling the world or watching world-class games on TV. (I mean, going to see top intn matches - on every single year - in some of the world's great rugby grounds (with Oz playing and even otherwise) is a thrill way beyond the reach of AFL, league and Oz diveball.)

Plus another key, related fact: the international career prospects as you set forth of course make for a much higher player and coach income level.

Whilst I respect and like JO'N, I could write a short book about how poorly rugby really is marketed and made enticing (or not) in Australia, in the above and other ways.

(Btw, just have a look at the ARU's website; it's far from a world-class affair from a top sporting body that, amongst other objectives, badly needs to bring to prominence the attractions of rugby for say 10-16 year olds. And in today's world, web marketing is hugely important to just about any sports that wants to prosper. The ARU's site is like something out of 1995.)

 

[Gagger]

What was happening to the Wallaby brand between 2001 and 2007?

 

[daz]

What was happening to the Wallaby brand between 2001 and 2007?

Exactly. This is not a new problem caused by Deans. Look at what the guy inherited. Asking him to carry the responsibility of fixing all aspects of Oz rugby is unfair and unreasonable.

To paraphrase John Lennon, strange days indeed. Most peculiar Momma.

 

[RedsHappy]

Exactly. This is not a new problem caused by Deans. Look at what the guy inherited. Asking him to carry the responsibility of fixing all aspects of Oz rugby is unfair and unreasonable.

Who is saying the overall brand and code challenges were 'caused by Deans'? Not me. And I don't think anyone has said these challenges and issues for the code 'holding it's own' in Australian sport just commenced in 2008, far from it.

Just a btw: What JO'N himself has said many times is that the Wallabies performance - positive or negative over a period - has a major impact on the code's income, fan retention, and motivation-to-join-rugby in lower grades.

 

[RedsHappy]

I thought this was a really relevant and positive post from Juan Cote on the GAGR blog (way down the responses tree), and I didn't think he'd mind me copying it here:

Juan Cote says:
July 2, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Australian rugby is on the verge of a ‘Golden Era’.

Finally the junior pathways are getting things right and we are seeing young players coming through into professional rugby who are both physically and mentally tougher than anything that has been produced during the professional era.

The rise of both the 7′s and u/20 teams confirm this.

OK, so the U/20 team got the education from NZ in the final, which shows how far Australia still has to go, but things are on the up and up and the gap is closing.

I watch a fair bit of Brisbane club rugby and this year has been a revelation. The whole thing is far more professional. The players are fitter, their skills are better and the overall standard of rugby is light-years from what it was only 2 or 3 years ago.

People bash on about a national club comp like it is ‘Shangri-La’, but seriously, how is it going to work without sending the sport broke?

I reckon with the extra games which will now be played as part of the Super 15, we don’t need a national comp. In any case, when would it be played?

In two years time The Rebels will have opened up another 30 professional rugby spots which will give Australia about 150 professional players in total playing 20-odd weeks of hard rugby a year – surely that’s enough?

Fuck all this doom and gloom – I’m sick of it!!