How do you fix rugby in Australia?

[Greenstar5]

2018 Wallabies home matches.

Vs Ireland at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Vs NZ at Sydney, vs SA at Brisbane and vs Argentina at Gold Coast.

A real lack of spread of games around the country. 3 games in Queensland; including 1 in Brisbane then 7 days later 1 on the Gold Coast. 2 games in Sydney with the usual loss to the AB first up. 1 in Melbourne, the usual June test.

Brand new Stadium in Perth. No game. Still no game in Adelaide.

 

[Seedsfan]

2018 Wallabies home matches.

Vs Ireland at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Vs NZ at Sydney, vs SA at Brisbane and vs Argentina at Gold Coast.

A real lack of spread of games around the country. 3 games in Queensland; including 1 in Brisbane then 7 days later 1 on the Gold Coast. 2 games in Sydney with the usual loss to the AB first up. 1 in Melbourne, the usual June test.

Brand new Stadium in Perth. No game. Still no game in Adelaide.

No one cares in Adelaide. Perth stuff to miss out but if you listen to the noice coming out of WA they no longer support the Wallabies

 

[King Elvis]

People go to s**t at Adelaide oval.

If they don’t try and make people give a s**t, then you’re right - no one will.

 

[Scotland]

Perth stuff to miss out but if you listen to the noise coming out of WA they no longer support the Wallabies

Not scheduling 1 of 6 tests in Perth is a surefire way to reverse that trend.

 

[Scotland]

Realistically it should be Ireland at Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne. NZ at Sydney, SA at Brisbane, Argentina at Gold Coast/Canberra.

Australia vs Ireland in Sydney will not rate. Australia vs Ireland in Brisbane will rate better, but the crowd will be down because people know they get a test against RSA.

Nimrods at RA have no idea. Used to sell out Subiaco Oval (the worst rugby venue in Australia) when they started hosting tests in Perth. South Australians will attend a game of marbles if it is hosted at Adelaide Oval yet they keep being ignored so ANZ Stadium can sit less than half full. No wonder these kents don't have any money.

 

[chibimatty]

If they want to do something different, a Bledisloe at Adelaide Oval would be a key fixture in trying to give the game's national profile a boost.

The rate things are going here in Perth, we would be better served hosting a neutral venue test between the Springboks and All Blacks. Hell, even a Springboks NZ Maori fixture would be something worth looking at to boost the coffers at RugbyWA.

 

[Scotland]

I can't see any Australian city other than Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne getting a Bledisloe test.

Melbourne has a 100,000 seat stadium and has hosted 4 Bledisloe tests ever.

 

[chibimatty]

No, I don't see anyone else getting the Bledisloe either.

 

[Scotland]

5 out of 6 tests in NSW/Qld is absolutely taking the piss.

With the current setup we're guaranteed 3 home tests a year for the Rugby Championship, plus an extra Bledisloe test if it's our 'home' series (it's been best of 3 the last 5 non-WC years), then beyond that it's a matter of which 6 Nations team(s) decides to tour, whether we can be bothered hosting a Pacific Island team or Japan.

I imagine RA will continue with the Syd-NZ-Bris / NZ-Syd-NZ arrangement for the Bledisloe, with Brisbane getting the SA test each year we only have a single home test vs NZ. Melbourne and Canberra (and apparently Gold Coast) will get the scraps, save for the 2020 Bledisloe and 2025 Lions tests that the Vic govt bought to keep the Rebels in Super Rugby.

Assuming RA continue to schedule tests in Perth at all I expect they'll be like the FFA and give us dud matches with expensive tickets then use low crowds to justify not scheduling games here.

 

[chibimatty]

Yeah I would agree with that. Also, consider that there will be no WA team in the Brisbane Tens, I'm waiting for the Spirit to be officially kicked out of the 2018 NRC. Note, that RA haven't sanctioned Twiggy's competition as yet, either.

 

[Seedsfan]

Realistically it should be Ireland at Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne. NZ at Sydney, SA at Brisbane, Argentina at Gold Coast/Canberra.

Australia vs Ireland in Sydney will not rate. Australia vs Ireland in Brisbane will rate better, but the crowd will be down because people know they get a test against RSA.

Nimrods at RA have no idea. Used to sell out Subiaco Oval (the worst rugby venue in Australia) when they started hosting tests in Perth. South Australians will attend a game of marbles if it is hosted at Adelaide Oval yet they keep being ignored so ANZ Stadium can sit less than half full. No wonder these kents don't have any money.

There were times we would get 90k at the G they have done their very best to stifle growth of the game

 

[Bomberboyokay]

QLD Government definitely paying if Gold Coast is getting games.

Note, that RA haven't sanctioned Twiggy's competition as yet, either.

Why would they sanction it?

 

[Scotland]

There were times we would get 90k at the G they have done their very best to stifle growth of the game

Well they gave you a SR team which no one supports, threw money hand over fist at it then dodgily orchestrated its survival, so don't be too ungrateful.

The ARU haven't managed novelty value well. When there were fewer tests and it was a new thing for Perth to host one, they'd sell out Subi. Once it became a yearly thing, and they got comfortably into 'Brisbane and Sydney get the best, whatever is left over we'll farm out to other cities' mode people lost interest a bit. They still continue to thumb their nose at Adelaide, the only major cap city with no SR/NRC presence.

They also seem to refuse to acknowledge that rugby is on the nose overall. SR crowds are in the toilet for all 4/5 teams, and test crowds are down too. Rugby's peak was the turn of the century, give or take. Australia were the strongest team and you could take the Wallabies anywhere and pack out the stadium. The last test in Melbourne wasn't even at the MCG, and you wouldn't have considered playing a Bledisloe test at Etihad Stadium in 1998 had it been in operation.

 

[chibimatty]

QLD Government definitely paying if Gold Coast is getting games.



Why would they sanction it?

Why shouldn't they?

 

[Scotland]

RA don't want a rival comp poaching players from SR.

If you could live in Australia, earn more money than playing SR and still be eligible for Wallaby selection - then you'd look at it.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Why shouldn't they?

Why doesn't RA sanction a rival to itself? Are you being sarcastic?

 

[chibimatty]

It won't be a rival if it's sanctioned by RA, that's why they are trying to get it sanctioned. It's so WA can keep pro-rugby alive, yet still be part of Australian rugby. WA is trying to remain a professional part of Australian rugby, without playing in a rebel or rival competition. WA does not want to break away from the national body, but still, are trying to do things of their own initiative.

If they don't sanction it, then it could devolve into a rebel situation, whereby they do become a rival competition; maybe even a separate union, if things get taken to the extreme. I would say this is what all parties are trying to avoid

 

[The_Reaper]

No one cares in Adelaide. Perth stuff to miss out but if you listen to the noice coming out of WA they no longer support the Wallabies

Why should people in Adelaide or Perth give a s**t about a code that clearly doesn't make even the slightest effort to give a s**t about them?

 

[Scotland]

There's not giving a s**t about a city/state (see Adelaide) and there's actively trying to * one over (see Perth).

 

[Seedsfan]

Why should people in Adelaide or Perth give a s**t about a code that clearly doesn't make even the slightest effort to give a s**t about them?

Because nobody cares about rugby in Adelaide there are about 8 clubs in the whole state. I am not happy with how the ARU has treated Perth but there are only 6 tests Melbourne Perth ACT Brisbane Sydney should have one each year and then cities like Gold Coast, Newcastle Adelaide should rotate the 6th test

 

[King Elvis]

You won’t make people care if you don’t engage them.

 

[The_Reaper]

Do you remember the Olympics? Or the soccer world cup?
People would watch because it is Australia

 

[Scotland]

There are 14 clubs in Adelaide, not 8. That's comparable to Perth/Melbourne, but it depends how many grades each club fields sides in.

RA don't tend to publish numbers of registered players per state.

 

[Scotland]

Adelaide Oval hosted matches in the 2003 RWC.

Australia vs Namibia 28k
Argentina vs Ireland 30k

Considering the ground held 34k those crowds are decent for a city that doesn't care about rugby.

 

[Seedsfan]

There are 14 clubs in Adelaide, not 8. That's comparable to Perth/Melbourne, but it depends how many grades each club fields sides in.

RA don't tend to publish numbers of registered players per state.

30 plus clubs in both Perth and Melbourne. As I said Brisbane Sydney ACT Melbourne and Perth should host a test every year then they should rotate where the 6th test goes