Waratahs 2014

[Train Without a Station]

Interesting that even AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) wasn't acceptable. Wasn't he Men's Health Magazine's man of the year last year? Surely that would mean he'd have at least a decent profile.

 

[Pfitzy]

So we missed a minor PR opportunity with a bunch of US wankers trying to promote their shit sport, I don't care and don't see it as any real benefit to the Tahs at all

Ordinarily, Pfitzy would agree with you. However - as you will have noticed from Pfitzy referring to himself in the third person - Pfitzy has stepped outside his wholesome and unalterably correct belief that he is always right to say: no such thing as bad publicity.

Pfitzy hears rugby fans in other countries say: "If the Laws are too complex for people then they don't deserve to support rugby" because they have the luxury of a bouyant audience with no competition for a contact sport. The Kiwis in particular believe any attempt to streamline the game is an Aussie plot to dumb it down for league fans to sign up (which both scares and disgusts them as it would make us unbeatable if the NRL went arse up tomorrow and our talent pool suddenly grew a few hundred percent, even were it a dolequeue of uncouth bogans).

We do not, in any way, have that luxury. Australian Rugby needs to step down from this belief that its somehow superior, and be prepared to bend over to get the love of the people. Because relying on the existing networks is not going to cut it.

Interesting that even AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) wasn't acceptable. Wasn't he Men's Health Magazine's man of the year last year? Surely that would mean he'd have at least a decent profile.

Izzy's presence in rugby, and moreso his performances, have changed the playing field in that regard.

WE know who Adam Ashley-Cooper is, because we're on the inside. Pretty much every media outlet outside Channel Ten, parts of FoxSports, and the delightful G Robinson give approximately zero whole fucks for anyone else outside of I Folau, esq.

 

[Badger]

Either way, a lost opportunity and a real balls up by the Tahs.

Right about the organisers wanting Izzy at the photoshoot, but wrong about the Tahs involvement.

If the Tahs had been working "enthusiastically" with the promoters of the event, as reported, then it is disappointing that it has come to this.

I wonder if Cricket NSW was asked as well?

Promoters to Cricket NSW: "It's David Warner or no one".

It would have been interesting to see Warner face some of the pitchers. I would pay to see that rather than the games themselves.

 

[Pfitzy]

I'd like to see Warner face their pitchers using a cricket bat!

But fuck, anything would be better than watching a whole game of baseball. Like most American sports, its built for ad breaks, not for athletes. Yeah there's skill blah blah blah but its a bunch of fucking around, drinking beer, with not nearly enough scoring.

Like my first year at Uni.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I was more referring to AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) having a profile in the demographic of men aged 20-40 due to his work with Mens Health Magazine. If people can't see him and at least say, "Hey, there's that rugby player guy from Mens Health" we are fucked.

 

[Ash]

It's both depressing and disappointing. Those photo ops will no doubt get large exposure in the US and internationally.

If you think that it doesn't matter, then you are just rehashing the whole current malaise that Australia rugby is in. Get over the elitist, fan obsessed passion with your sport and realise what rugby needs to do to reach the wider populace. With doing so rugby will wither in Australia.

 

[mst]

Ordinarily, Pfitzy would agree with you. However - as you will have noticed from Pfitzy referring to himself in the third person - Pfitzy has stepped outside his wholesome and unalterably correct belief that he is always right to say: no such thing as bad publicity.

Pfitzy hears rugby fans in other countries say: "If the Laws are too complex for people then they don't deserve to support rugby" because they have the luxury of a bouyant audience with no competition for a contact sport. The Kiwis in particular believe any attempt to streamline the game is an Aussie plot to dumb it down for league fans to sign up (which both scares and disgusts them as it would make us unbeatable if the NRL went arse up tomorrow and our talent pool suddenly grew a few hundred percent, even were it a dolequeue of uncouth bogans).

We do not, in any way, have that luxury. Australian Rugby needs to step down from this belief that its somehow superior, and be prepared to bend over to get the love of the people. Because relying on the existing networks is not going to cut it.





Izzy's presence in rugby, and moreso his performances, have changed the playing field in that regard.

WE know who Adam Ashley-Cooper is, because we're on the inside. Pretty much every media outlet outside Channel Ten, parts of FoxSports, and the delightful G Robinson give approximately zero whole fucks for anyone else outside of I Folau, esq.

Mst agrees with Pfitzy's views that rugby needs to make the most of every opportunity available - including bending over with or without lube. We need the game to be everywhere, often and relevant and personally I think it needs an identity makeover.

In the past Mst would be happy to see the Tah's fail, but at the moment the game needs the Tah's, (who arguably are in the most important spectator market in Australia) to be reasonably successful.

Mst's frustration with the Tah's is their ability to finally solve the mystery of how to play rugby after what seems like an age, but then to go forth and fuck up in some other way.

I will say this is the dumbest thing I have heard in a long time; "The Waratahs had and have been working enthusiastically with the Sydney MLB season opener promoters the whole way through, and an invitation did indeed come the Waratahs’ way. They were thrilled to be part of it, despite the relative short notice". - I would confidently assume that there would be at least 6mths notice and the ARU should be buttering up the IRB with the opportunity to promote the game (international and soup) domestically and in the emerging US markets.

 

[suckerforred]

2. The organisers wanted Izzy to turn up, but he was already committed elsewhere. Even so, you would think Tahs HQ would be able to sort something out to get Izzy there or have someone else in the photo who could stand out like Skelton, Potgeiter, TPN or KB (Kurtley Beale) perhaps.

Are you on the inside Badger? Or are you initals really BMc.

The thing I find astounding over the whole thing is that if that is indeed the attitude of the promoters (Izzy or no-one) then we (Rugby Union) is in more shite than even I realised. Really? There is only one person in the Tahs that can promote it?

Imagine what the other players feel like now. Most of them have put the hard graft in for a sport (I am assuming) they but a talented athlete who only recently turned up on the scene is more important?

I also wonder if the ARU realise that this should be laid directly at their feet and their apparent want of the easy way out when it comes to promotion of the game.

I also feel for Izzy in this situation. How long do you think it is going to be before someone says 'Well Izzy should have done it.' I actually don't blame him. Prior commitments are prior commitments and enough people do not understand that already.

Would have loved to see Will Skelton in that picture. But then again maybe he wouldn't have fitted in the frame.......

 

[USARugger]

They should have had Kurtley go out. Because of the last RWC he is about 10000x more recognizable to the larger American rugby market than Folau is.

Guys on my university team who had never watched Super Rugby in their life knew who Kurtley was by the middle of the RWC. He's got a very recognizable face as well.

Bit of idiocy from both marketing teams.

Off-topic: Baseball is the fucking worst sport.

 

[I like to watch]

what were the Tahs working on with the a Yanks so enthusiastically over a long time?
It must be something way more important than the insignificant photo shoot they were invited to at short notice.

 

[Pfitzy]

It's both depressing and disappointing. Those photo ops will no doubt get large exposure in the US and internationally.

If you think that it doesn't matter, then you are just rehashing the whole current malaise that Australia rugby is in. Get over the elitist, fan obsessed passion with your sport and realise what rugby needs to do to reach the wider populace. With doing so rugby will wither in Australia.

Just thinking about it in that context: if Will Skelton had gone along and dwarfed all those blokes in shot, it would have got a lot more Yanks thinking rugby was populated by giants. Particularly against Alessandro del Midget.

 

[JSRF10]

If it was Izzy or no one for us why was Lance Franklin in the photo? ADP and SBW I can understand but what Americans would care about AFL? They have enough boring sports as it is!

 

[ShtinaTina]

If it was Izzy or no one for us why was Lance Franklin in the photo?

Buddy wasn't :-/

 

[JSRF10]

Buddy wasn't :-/

I saw a Swans top and assumed it was Buddy, on closer inspection and with the help of Google I've realised its Goodes. My point still remains though

 

[mst]

If it was Izzy or no one for us why was Lance Franklin in the photo? ADP and SBW I can understand but what Americans would care about AFL? They have enough boring sports as it is!

Boring sports yes, but lets put a little context around all of this. Do we not realise that Baseball is trying to establish a bigger market share in Australia?

Can you imagine if Rugby had a dollar for every baseball fan in the states who will potentially see this photo? We are talking in the hundreds of millions compared to our measly soup broadcast revenue of a few million in comparison. The advantage we had (yes post tense!) against the other codes is that Rugby is working its ass off trying to build a market in the states and having success with their 7's programme - something we could leaver off and even use when negotiating the new broadcast deal.

So knowing all this the ARU make a great decision to buy an expensive weapon for this exact war and it located at the Tah's - Folau!

 

[mst]

Me thinks 1% percent of the Dodgers team salary may solve a problem or two for the ARU!

 

[Braveheart81]

Bahahahahahah.

Great question about NSW Cricket @matty_k..after all it's closer as a sport than any football code.
The mind boggles.

All the NSW team are in Canberra for the Shield final. They are missing out on hosting it at the SCG because of the baseball.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk

 

[Ash]

If it was Izzy or no one for us why was Lance Franklin in the photo? ADP and SBW I can understand but what Americans would care about AFL? They have enough boring sports as it is!

You do realise that Adam Goodes is the current Australian of the Year?

You do also realise that Adam Goodes is a mad baseball fan and is so widely tipped to throw the first pitch that the market was withdrawn from bookmakers?

What a silly question. The three guys there are all currently the most recognisable - SBW, Del Piero and Adam Goodes, particularly if Goodes throws the first pitch then no doubt it will generate a bit of interest, or at least curiousity, from US baseball fans in AFL.

When I read at the list of players offered by the Tahs, I realised just how dumb their marketing department / management is. That they didn't even offer Beale, who likely would've been the most recognisable after Folau, is insane. Instead they offered Dennis, TPN, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Hooper.

 

[Pfitzy]

He's Irish, and probably did himself over on St Pat's day for the sake of onlookers.

 

[I like to watch]

You do realise that Adam Goodes is the current Australian of the Year?

You do also realise that Adam Goodes is a mad baseball fan and is so widely tipped to throw the first pitch that the market was withdrawn from bookmakers?

What a silly question. The three guys there are all currently the most recognisable - SBW, Del Piero and Adam Goodes, particularly if Goodes throws the first pitch then no doubt it will generate a bit of interest, or at least curiousity, from US baseball fans in AFL.

When I read at the list of players offered by the Tahs, I realised just how dumb their marketing department / management is. That they didn't even offer Beale, who likely would've been the most recognisable after Folau, is insane. Instead they offered Dennis, TPN, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), Hooper.

None of them are recognisable to the Yanks.
If the photographers played along,the Tahs could have passed off @Fitzy as Izzy.The yanks would not have known.
Probably should have,as it would have generated heaps of press later.