Australia must be selfish to revive the game
Former Wallabies skipper Rod McCall believes Australia must cut ties with one of its closet allies to re-engage fans as the rebel Wallabies captains made first contact with the RA board.
Former Wallabies skipper Rod McCall believes Australia must cut ties with one of its closet allies to re-engage fans as the rebel Wallabies captains made first contact with the RA board.
The uncertainty surrounding the resumption of the Super Rugby competition is set to bring together the nation’s best talent for a 12-team Shute Shield competition. DETAILS ON START DATE
Australian rugby’s cash-crippled economy is being denied a multimillion-dollar lifeline from World Rugby – and the Wallabies’ greatest rivals are set to cash-in on the RA-RUPA civil war.
Australian rugby’s biggest stars will be the worst affected when the pay cut negotiations finally end, with embattled boss Raelene Castle saying “The players recognise their responsibility in securing the future”.
He’s one of the most experienced players in Super Rugby, yet a worrying deficiency in Kurtley Beale’s game has forced Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson to shift the 82-Test Wallaby to the pine.
If the Waratahs are to turn their rollercoaster season around, they’ll need to break a significant hoodoo – and do so without their inspirational captain.
Ash Hewson thought nothing would top kicking the winning penalty to secure the Waratahs’ inaugural Super W title but now believes beating Queensland again in the decider would eclipse that.
With Nick Phipps heading overseas and Will Genia being chased by several foreign clubs, Australian rugby has made a key retention at halfback.
They’re set to avoid facing Blues gun Sonny Bill Williams, but the Waratahs will now be confronted with the most dangerous attacking weapon in Super Rugby.
As they do every week, the Waratahs got together for their post match review but this one — after losing to a team about to be cut from the competition — was particularly ugly.
The Waratahs need to find a better way to manage their commitment to rotating key players if they want to start building some momentum in Super Rugby.
Winning the World Cup remains the biggest prize in the game but is Australia’s obsession really worth sacrificing everything in the four year cycle between tournaments?
If Scott Johnson ever needed a reality check on the enormity of the job he faces fixing Australian rugby then he got it with Friday night’s Waratahs’ horror show.
Secret contract clauses for Wallabies, the Rebel being chased by Queensland, transfer news, the Sunwolves’ plan for recruitment, and Amanaki Mafi’s visa troubles revealed.
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