When contemplating the future of rugby in Australia, the words Think Big come to mind.
When times are tough, it is time to reflect on what is most important to us. Once we know what that is, things fall into place and we can develop a plan to focus 80 per cent of our energy on the 20 per cent of things that really matter.
Presumably, Rugby Australia does not read this column, nor does it read the comments that are made as a result of the column. I have said over and over again: open the game up to the membership. Think big!
Niall wrote last week, “Keep going on about giving Australian Rugby membership a voice — open up Australian rugby to the supporters in Australia and create our own ‘rivers of gold’.”
Stuart says, “The idea to have a membership-based system that votes on the board is a very good one. Not sure why it is so hard to make it happen?”
Yet rugby administrators still do not understand. Surely, the number one priority for us all is to secure a bright future for the next generation of players. Bad administration has sold the current talent down the drain.
West Australians clearly share the belief that the development of the next generation of players is a major priority. I congratulate David Pocock, who this week offered his time to help implement a $5m commitment to a grassroots program in Western Australia.
Andrew Forrest has made the generous investment in this extremely important project because he understands that if we don’t invest in the future, we won’t have a future.
I might add that the $5m from Andrew and Nicola Forrest over the next five years, towards the development of grassroots rugby, brings their total contribution over the next five years to $7m. It is the largest contribution to grassroots rugby in Western Australia’s history; and one of the largest private contributions to grassroots sport in Australia.
Do we need reminding that the same Andrew Forrest sat opposite Messrs Clyne, Robinson and Eales in Adelaide in late 2017 when Rugby Australia rejected an Andrew Forrest offer of $70m to support community, women’s and Indigenous rugby in Australia, if the Western Force were retained.
How the worm turns!
But while WA are planning their future, things are very different in NSW.
The Waratahs’ CEO, Paul Doorn, has announced this week that all 12 development officers in NSW Rugby have been sacked. This is plain dumb.
The NRL and the AFL must be laughing. They now have the perfect opportunity to sweep up all the gifted rugby talent in NSW without ever being challenged.
Hamish McLennan must surely be aware that the salary of his director of rugby would more than cover the cost of the 12 NSW development officers.
It is hard to believe that we need a director of rugby more than we need 12 development officers in the biggest rugby state in the country, especially when those 12 development officers would be out there shaping the careers of the next Kurtley Beale or Michael Hooper.
If the wider rugby public could vote for a chairman or president right now, they would be more engaged and invested in the game. The trouble is, the current administration won’t admit to this because if a vote were taken, they would all be tipped out.
There is at least $20m waiting to be collected by giving rugby supporters a say.
Depending on the fee, it could be more. Call them Australian Rugby gold members. Treat them like the family, because without them the game is dead.
I said last week, let us focus on the here and now. A 2027 World Cup is miles away. The problems of finance and retaining talent are upon us, with the potential to blow up the game.
Rugby Australia executives, including the man who should not be the national coach, Dave Rennie, are now taking a 5 per cent pay cut, not a 30 per cent cut as was originally planned; but the players have been asked to take a cut of more than 50 per cent.
But if Rugby Australia want to cut costs further, they must restructure the Wallabies’ bloated coaching team. We don’t need a director of rugby when we have a head coach; nor do we need full-time assistant coaches.
Happily, I was never a paid coach.
But if there are to be assistant coaches, why couldn’t the most successful defence coach in Super Rugby be rewarded with taking defence responsibilities for the Wallabies?
It makes sense to reward the most effective coaches in our game.
Clear out the director of rugby and the full-time assistant coaches and you will save any amount beyond $3m, which could employ another 50 development officers around the country.
And while we are thinking big and reinventing rugby in Australia, we need to set out plans for 2021 and beyond.
I will have more to say about this later; but, importantly, the Australian season should start off with club rugby and all players in the country, including the Wallabies, must play for their clubs.
And, club rugby should be free for families and kids to watch and should be played on Sundays, because most kids’ sports are on Saturdays.
Free Sunday games will give kids a chance to see their local Wallaby heroes live.
If first grade teams are full of Wallabies, they will help to coach and develop their young club teammates. Giving the Wallabies back to club rugby is the key to the future of our game.
Last week I pledged to keep the bastards honest. I said we wanted a Don Chipp of rugby.
This week, I am calling on the leaders of our game to think big. Is that too hard?
Red hot boot, upset, blowouts: Stars, standouts of 1st Colts Rd 1
Two sides cracked 80, a favourite fell, one team kept their rivals scoreless and there were multiple hat tricks in a wacky and wonderful opening round of Sydney Rugby Union 1st Colts.
Get with the times: Hardline ban would only hurt Wallabies
Any decision on Noah Lolesio’s place in the Wallabies team should be on form, not club location. JULIAN LINDEN says the case for excluding overseas-based players should become a thing of the past.
In 1974, the Bart Cummings-trained gelding Think Big stormed home to upset the favourite Leilani in the Melbourne Cup.