From the news desk of GoldyLocks with many thanks!
Welcome to this woeful Wobbly Wednesday – you might be over it, but I sure ain’t. Unfortunately, a lack of international matches this weekend means we’ll need to go hunting for distractions. But old Goldy has magnanimously put in the hard yards on your behalf, so feast your eyes on the following!
Quade Nooper
Renowned New Zealand rugby intellect Jeff Wilson continues to criticise the Wallabies’ selection of the once-Red roustabout at 10, stating:
“I still can’t understand, why is Quade Cooper running this team because he’s not delivering and we know he doesn’t deliver against the All Blacks.”
“How can he be wearing the 10 jersey in two weeks’ time, seriously?” (quoted in WWOS)
Now, to my clearly less well-endowed mind, this sounds a lot like a, “Quadey me no-likey (he was mean to Ritchie, remember?)” line of reasoning, which while no doubt persuasive in the land slightly further down under, fails to strike me as sound. Of all the reasons to criticise the selection of young Master Cooper (and there are doubtless many), his success rate with the Wallabies in recent seasons has been pretty reasonable. And if the boys in nearly all black can’t stand him, I’m not sure I need a better reference.
Seven(s) facelifts (ouch?)
World Rugby has announced a “revamped” Sevens tour starting in December this year and running through to June of 2024. RugbyPass reports:
Rugby sevens is about to undergo a transformative change with the launch of HSBC SVNS, a revamped and rebranded global celebration of the sport. The new series aims to supercharge rugby’s growth and appeal by providing immersive experiences and turning the events into ultimate festivals.
HSBC SVNS will take place across eight iconic cities, aligning all locations for the first time. The brand identity reflects summer vibes; attracting a younger, leisure-hungry audience. The annual series will be the go-to destination for people seeking a great time, combining sport, entertainment, and culture against stunning backdrops.
Time will tell whether the glitz and glam represents any real, positive change (sporting festivals being notoriously vague beasts), but a quick peak behind the headlines reveals the following key changes:
- Men’s and women’s competitions will run concurrently, removing any concerns around disparity between coverage of the genders.
- Teams have been reduced from 16 to 12 across the season.
- A “winner takes all” finals series in Madrid will see the top eight regular season teams battle for the championship, while the bottom four face a regulation challenge from the leaders of a second tier Challenger series.
- Sydney has been quietly moved on as host of the Australian leg, with Perth now taking the crown across the 2024 Australia Day weekend.
Pathways being trodden
The QRU have announced the return of the Queensland Rugby Challenger series, this year featuring a three-match program to see the men’s and women’s development squads take on the best of the grade comps in the hope of unearthing a few more diamonds.
The final match will see a face-off with the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, who will be visiting Brisbane towards the end of the year.
The press release also tantalises us with the prospect of “further law innovations” for trialling, though what these may be remains a mystery. I for one submit that flankers be permitted to break early from the scrum if the nine is being a tosser, a completely objective and easily refereed standard.
If you find yourself in the vicinity of Ballymore come September-October, be sure to drop in.
Hump Day hypothesis
With all the chat about the bright-eyed Irish lad Johnny and his salty shenanigans against men with whistles, I thought I’d end my musings today with a little tale.
This past weekend a good friend of mind persuaded me to sojourn at my local rectangular park and watch a local divisional match of football (the round-ball kind). The efforts were willing and contest even, and despite lacking an afficionado’s eye I found myself enjoying the spectacle.
However, I was utterly baffled at the way players, team managers, and fans related to the match officials. Minorly inconvenient decisions were met with open contempt, disciplined players, subs, and managers gaily remonstrated with seemingly every part of their bodies, and while actual expletives were rare they did pop out like firecrackers every now and then when proceedings became particularly heated.
Now I have no wish to imply that this is the norm for all competitions across that particular code. But given the ever growing, pernicious of that other round-ball import into our game – diving – I can’t help but wonder whether the kerfuffle around Sexton is an indication of where we ourselves might be heading.
My question for your, GAGRs, is: who is primarily driving this culture? Is it players at the highest level, setting an example on our screens for the rest of us to emulate? Is it at the grassroots, with generational change bringing with it a loss of cultural values? Or does it indeed lie with us, the fans, who with the onset of social and mass media have increasingly become empowered to criticise to our hearts content while facing minimal consequences, now spilling that attitude on to real-world fields?
