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Something many of us would like to see is a vision for the future, an image of what the Australian rugby landscape could look like in ten, 20 or even 50 years. Much of the activity has been around the ‘what’, but there’s still a gap when it comes to the ‘why’, especially the ‘why everyone should care’.
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As a consequence, the mood in and around rugby in Australia has improved dramatically.īut there’s still something missing.
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From launching the England series to confirming a brace of Rugby World Cups and announcing a succession of player re-signings, there’s been no shortage of good news. Rugby Australia’s marketing pigeon has had a busy time of late. Would provincial coaches be prepared to start preseason earlier to accommodate Super Rugby AU as a reward for all the hours sweating through gym sessions and on-field drills? It would certainly provide more meaningful game time, give players a chance to shine while the Wallabies are away on spring tour and offer rugby nuts a last taste of nirvana before the long, empty weeks of summer begin. The supporter base is inbuilt too, which overcomes a key drawback of the NRC. It would have access to existing cohorts of Super Rugby players with the opportunity to draft ambitious club stars for a closer look. Who can forget 40,000 screaming spectators at Ballymore for the finale of the 2021 vintage? In the absence of the eight-team National Rugby Championship (NRC) – which suffered from a lack of support, tribalism and marketing – Rugby Australia could do worse than invest in a late-year Super Rugby AU tournament as a prelude to Super Rugby Pacific. The little gem that was Super AU was borne of the pandemic and proved a surprise hit. An A program that helps squad members step up with confidence could be the missing link that assists Australian Super Rugby teams to be more consistently competitive. Ill-timed injuries this season, most especially at the Melbourne Rebels and Queensland Reds, have exposed the lack of depth in our squads. While they’re at it, why not explore the potential of a more substantial and structured A program for our Super Rugby teams?
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However, Rugby Australia needs to raid the piggy bank to establish the A program in the long term, to ensure the benefit is ongoing. While many welcome the opportunity to reconnect with their clubs, it’s not ideal for the development of players such as Andy Muirhead, Feleti Kaitu’u or Will Harris should they miss out on the Wallabies squad.Īn Australia A program gives encouragement and elite opportunities to coaches too. In the past, for those on the fringe of Wallabies selection, the options following the conclusion of Super Rugby have been limited to club rugby or a short-term contract overseas. Who can forget Geoff Parkes’s article for The Roar about Mr Orange’s rugby program at Melbourne’s Fountain Gate Secondary College? What’s not in question is that every child should have the opportunity to experience rugby – especially hard-to-reach kids, because they may need rugby most – and that Australia’s leading clubs, Super squads and national teams need the best of them.Ĭonfirmation of the Australia A program, which will see a team participate in the Pacific Nations Cup in July, came while this piece was in the works – great timing and a tremendous initiative. The production line at Brisbane State High continues to churn out internationals of the quality of Samu Kerevi and Charlotte Caslick, and there are encouraging stories of rugby breaking new ground. Of course things may not be as grim as they sometimes sound. Changing student demographics means the once great rugby powerhouse of Sydney Boys High School hasn’t produced a Wallaby since Chris Whitaker in the 1990s, while Queensland rugby stronghold Nudgee College is forming an alliance with a new NRL club. A common concern in recent years has been a perceived failure to engage with public schools and increasing competition for hearts and minds in traditional rugby schools.