Rugby has been in a crisis for at least 10 years.
Rugby has been in a crisis for at least 10 years.
Rugby in the southern hemisphere is on a knife edge at the moment. Pacific nations are slowly getting better. Australia are absolutely fucked. South African sides are playing in northern hemisphere competitions and the Sprinboks are only staying in the rugby championship as the European sides wont open up the 6 nations. NZ are slowly having their edge chipped away at (if itās not already gone to be honest).
The sooner they move to a global season the better for the game down here in having actual competition for both Aus/NZ to continue improving. Though as RA continue to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again that might not even save them.
They really need a Harry Seldon.
At least England are still making try scoring obsolete.
I still think Johnny Wilkinson is a genius.
A bonus point against Japan begs to differā¦
Played 2 won 2
This is one of the reasons that Rugby is so shit. Australia scored 2 tries to 1 but were clearly beaten.
Both of those tries were a bit suspect too.
Why do English Rugby fans still sing a slave song by the way?
The problem with rugby in Australia is at the grass roots and it has been coming for a long time.
In the 1960ās just about every field on the North Shore in winter saw kids playing rugby on a Saturday.
Northern Suburbs had the following junior clubs: North Sydney, Cammeray, Northbridge, Middle Harbour, Mosman, Artarmon, Collegians, and Naremburn. Providing competitions for kids from 8 to 18 years old. Gordon and Manly had similar numbers of junior clubs.
My public primary school had 4 graded rugby teams and my state high school had age comps up to 15s and 4 graded senior teams.
This fed the senior teams through the 80s and 90s.
There is nothing like this grass roots organisation in existence now.
The game these day only exists in the private schools. Australian international rugby is now paying the price.
True, this and the fact that far, far more Rugby kids are being poached by League than the other way around, more than ever.
There are also too many Aussie Super Rugby teams for our own good. Squads are watered down and when it comes to selecting a Wallabies team, there ends up being no cohesion.
If there had been proper investment in grass roots over the past 15 years this wouldnāt be the case.
Itās really fucking sad how poorly RA have been managed.
Paying a STAN subsbscription + sports package is exactly a rugby league night out on the bags in terms of a win for the code.
The problem with rugby is who plays it and where they get their talent at grassroots.
Rugby league snd union are sports suitable to Pacific Nation people. Rugby Union is a rich kids sport, itās primarily played in expensive schools. Big strong islander kids generally arent the main demographic in the schools on the north shore and in the eastern suburbs.
Rugby union has long held an elitist view over rugby league. I wanted to play rugby at school but was told I would have to quit rugby league as the school had a policy against kids playing both. Rugby lost out.
An ex gfās father won a sports medal of australia for his contribution to rugby back in the 90s. His contribution was 2 yearly holidays to Fiji to scout rugby talent, bring them to Australia and give them scholarship at Sydney Uni and give them a pathway to the Australia NT. These Fijian guys have a better pathway now.
The only way we are going to improve at Rugby is to get people playing it in Qld and the western suburbs.
Typing this reminded of a joke i remeber hearing at footy training in the 90s.
What do you need to play rugby league?
Strength, fitness, courage and good ball control.
What do you need to play rugby union?
Rich parents.
The big strong islander kids are out there. Theyāre known, they get scouted and they get offered Scholarships to the private schools. In my experience.
As a strong islander kid with a scholarship?
Always thought you looked like your avatar. Mind blown.
Nah, I just know kids that have missed out firsts and seconds in senior because of the big strong islander kids being brought in on scholarships.
Iām pretty sure Iām Spanish these days.
Thatās just absolutely ridiculousā¦ Ireland, South Africa and France are the top three ranked countries at the moment. Three countries without Rugby Union. Youāve just stereotyped and entire demographic of people.
The way to improve Rugby is to get it played in a whole bunch of public schools and to increase the number of kids playing it at grassroots levels and expanding the number of teams that play professionally. As a kid playing League, AFL, Soccer or even basketball, thereās a fairly large number of teams that are vying for competition, allowing a larger number of pathways to become professional. Union has 5, not exactly a strong chance for a kid to become professional. Throw in the fact that the majority of clubs probably wouldnāt even have a scouting network outside of the private schools
I dont understand what you mean those countries dont have rugby? They clearly do if theyre playing it.
In those countries rugby is a working class sport. Here, rugby league is played by the working class and rugby is a sport played by people who go to rich schools on the north shore and in the east. Iāll die on that hill.
This is correct and if rugby was inclusive thereād be more kids playing it but itās not and there arenāt.
We could win the world cup tomorrow if we put the kangaroos in wallabies jerseys. Hell, weād win if we put the qld state of origin team in wallabies jerseys.
Sorry, meant countries without Pacific Islanders.
In those countries rugby is a working class sport. Here, rugby league is played by the working class and rugby is a sport played by people who go to rich schools on the north shore and in the east. Iāll die on that hill.
Are they working class sports in most countries? South Africa would very much definitely still be a rich manās sport.
Iād argue that only NZ can claim that Rugby is a working class sport played by the massesā¦
Wales used to be but football has overtaken (same as Ireland)ā¦ England, Australia, France, South Africa it is certainly a rich white sport