Nonsensical administration out of step with those who love rugby

Rugby Australia Chairman Cameron Clyne. Picture: AAP

You wouldn’t know it, but Rugby Australia had an annual general meeting last Monday. It was followed by what could only be described as fatuous comments by the chairman, former banker Cameron Clyne:

“There are many highlights and achievements from 2018, particularly in community rugby and they are the result of the dedicated, passionate people within our state and territory member unions and the volunteers who continue to be the strength of our game in driving forward each year.”

I read that and I thought what the …

I suppose it’s flattering to know that in the light of my last column, he thought he should give an appreciative nod to “the volunteers”.

Clyne would have been better employed reading some of the comments from last week’s column. We have never had such a response — well over 200.

And it is clear that the administration is completely out of step with those in the rugby family who genuinely own the game.

Nomnus wrote: “I grew up in a rugby home, played rugby at school and university, sent my sons to play rugby at the same rugby schools and was, for more than a decade, an enthusiastic Reds member. My sons’ school friends included several boys who grew up to be Wallabies, but no more. My sons and I haven’t attended, or even watched, a full game for two years now. The mishandling of Cooper (Quade) and Genia (Will) did it for me. You’ve articulated the problems perfectly Alan — stupid, pig-headed, wilful blindness from the leather-patch old-boys network.”

In relation to my recommendation to Raelene Castle to forget SANZAAR and the ploughing of money into supporting South African, Argentinian and Japanese rugby with endless costs on airfares, hotels and all the rest, David wrote: “Alan, I find your reference to her comment regarding ‘modelling’ for a trans-Tasman comp particularly interesting/galling. As I understand it, the same ‘modelling’ was used to substantiate SANZAAR ’s obscene decision to increase from 12 to 18 teams, only to retreat when the ‘modelling’ proved erroneous and things stopped working. Anyone can cobble together a spreadsheet to reflect your predetermined views and provide you with the outcome you seek. ‘Modelling’ is the least of RA’s worries when they can’t see the forest for the trees — continually poor results and falling crowd/viewer figures are fine because we still made a profit.”

Just on the profit issue, we shouldn’t be carried away. There was a $14.5 million expenditure reduction because of reduced funding to Super Rugby and player costs. For that, read “axing the Western Force”.

The real figure is the decline in revenue of $30.2 million. Match day revenue declined by 23 per cent; sponsorship by 10 per cent. Is there a rugby slippery slide? There will be if something is not done.

Andrew wrote last week: “I was one of those diehard supporters who also played the game for 25 years. I took my family to the Tahs in Newcastle last Friday — embarrassing. I won’t be watching let alone attending another rugby game … until there is a change in the way the game is administered. And that has to start at the board/CEO level of RA.”

Just on last week’s Super Rugby, credit must be given to Queensland for their 24-12 defeat of the Stormers who, I must confess, are bottom of the South African conference.

Actually, the Stormers dominated in the first half, playing with a lot of width and were unlucky not to be in control of the game on the scoreboard.

But early in the second half, Samu Kerevi exploded, creating two tries that swung the game for the Reds.

But well may we ask, what is going on?

Kerevi is 25 years of age with 23 caps to his name. He’s the in-form centre in Australian rugby, but he is going to quit Australia after the World Cup.

There must be something wrong in both the Queensland and the Wallabies camps when the young man clearly has a mountain of Test rugby ahead of him but is prepared to turn his back on Australia.

Notwithstanding this, he must join Genia and Cooper in the Wallabies run-on side; Genia is running and Cooper is playing so flat, it is beautiful to watch. They are capable of breathing hope into our World Cup chances.

While on Super Rugby, I can’t pretend to offer any generous comment on the hoax that is the Waratahs rotation policy.

All it is doing is disrupting combinations and prejudicing success. It seems to me that every week in NSW, someone throws the jerseys in a pile and comes up with a new backline.

In contrast, the Melbourne Rebels have kept their backline combinations together and they are the dominant Australian Super Rugby team.

Don’t all Super Rugby teams have two bye rounds during their short 15-match season? And won’t most of the Wallabies then get a two-week break before the shortened Rugby Championship takes place? And don’t they then have another four weeks before the World Cup starts — eight weeks off between now and September. And that’s not enough time to be rested.

But back to this AGM. Why can’t we see the minutes of this meeting?

How long did it last? Did the meeting address the real issues of the game: The poor current standing of the Wallabies, ranked number 6 in the world? Why? The poor performance of the Wallabies since the last World Cup in 2015? Why? The poor performance of the Wallabies in the Rugby Championships and the Bledisloe Cups. Why? The number of Australian professional rugby players playing overseas, hence the reduced numbers in the player pool in Australia? Why? The poor performance of the Australian Super Rugby teams and, in particular, against New Zealand teams? Why? The diabolical financial performances of the Queensland, NSW, ACT and Victorian rugby unions? Why?

The reduced attendances at matches and TV audiences and the negative effect this will have on future broadcast rights revenue. Why? The poor performance of the Australian men’s sevens team. Why? The poor performance of the Australian Schooboy teams? Why? The poor performance of the Australian under-20 teams? Why?

The lack of a national coaching academy? Why? The lack of support for grassroots rugby Why? The lack of a proper process for selecting coaching staff to national teams? Why?

The alienation and removal of rugby in Western Australia? Why? The lack of any plan to develop rugby in Western Sydney thereby surrendering, without a fight, to rugby league, soccer and Australian rules? Why? The failure to address the issues arising from an undemocratic Nominations Committee, thereby keeping the rugby gate locked to those on the outside? Why?

And, above all, the failure of NSW and Queensland to use their voting strength to change any or all of the above? Why?

Raelene Castle is paid $815,000 to preside over all of this, admittedly not as much as Bill Pulver was paid to punt the Western Force in his last year in office.

The genial Bill was paid $1.3 million, in salary and bonuses, to throw the Force under the bus before he jumped off the sinking ship at rugby headquarters.

It’s clear that RA’s so-called profit won’t go where it should go, to the grassroots, but will be used to cover future losses.

Clyne actually tells us that, in this World Cup year, “RugbyAU will operate at a loss”.

But won’t World Rugby pay RA a grant of $20 million?

It seems there will be no money at all for clubs to improve facilities and grow the game. That money will go to offset accumulating losses. Is this what Clyne calls the “many highlights and achievements from 2018” which will “galvanise support from millions of Australians and inspire generations of future players”.

Well may we ask what rugby planet is this bloke on?