The Breakdown podcast: Your verdict on who killed rugby union
Readers came forward with shocking stories of waste and complacency after listening to our smash-hit investigative series, live now wherever you get your podcasts.
Who killed rugby union?
Backroom operatives, culture warriors and an ingrained sense of elitist complacency, according to the listeners of The Australian’s hit new podcast The Breakdown.
The podcast investigation, which launches today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play, is a gripping six-part insight into how “the game they play in heaven” went broke, with interviewees including former PM John Howard, past and present administrators, Wallabies greats including Nick Farr-Jones, John Eales, George Gregan, Justin Harrison and dozens more from the grassroots to the boardroom.
Subscribers can hear all six episodes now via The Australian’s app (swipe to Podcasts) or theaustralian.com.au/thebreakdown.
Those who’ve already binged the whole podcast have deluged our newsroom with their views of what went wrong.
The critique raised by Wallaby great David Campese resonated deeply with the audience, with scores of readers endorsing Campese’s view that Australian rugby union has “lost its culture”.
Frustration at the loss of Israel Folau, disappointment in the confusing and complicated laws of the game, disillusionment about young stars being scooped up by rugby league and an apparent revolving door of administrators, each with ambitious plans, were all constant themes in reader comments.
A frequent complaint is enthusiastic local competitions being ignored or taken for granted by the game’s metropolitan head offices, with reader Peter Carruth on the NSW North Coast one of many to decry a “complete lack of understanding at the national level of the public perception of the game or the ability to sell it to the general public”.
In Melbourne, Grant told us he’d watched kids with Pasifika heritage, whose families are diehard rugby fans, drift to rugby league for an apparent lack of interest from rugby union.
Blaming head office isn’t the full story, however. Bill Wilson, a dedicated rugby league fan, told the tale of two countries — how Australian and New Zealand rugby treat the next generation.
At the age of seven, Bill’s grandson was a junior rugby player in Auckland’s suburbs, with Takapuna Rugby Club. “Word got out that the Auckland Blues were coming to a Tuesday training night, so you can imagine the turnout for that session,” Bill wrote.
“Sure enough the Blues turned up – not one or two, but around 10 of them, including their All Black players, which also included Sonny Bill Williams.
“Instead of standing around, these guys got involved in the training of the kids, playing touch football with them and carrying out coaching skills. The kids were starstruck as you can imagine.”
The players stayed for autographs and photographs, Bill wrote, leaving the youngsters and their parents on a high.
“The following year my grandson was back in Sydney and training with the Hunters Hill Rugby Club and he and other young players were on a four-day training clinic (which was not cheap by the way),” Bill wrote.
“The Waratahs were expected to be there at some time, similar to the Takapuna experience. Of course the youngsters were excited at the prospect, as were the parents. Every day after training we would ask how they went with the Waratahs only to be told no one had turned up. I think some parents must have complained because on the final day of the program, apparently someone from the Waratahs turned up, although no one seemed to recognise him. He stood around talking to a few officials for half an hour before disappearing without any input with the kids whatsoever.”
All 6 episodes of The Breakdown are live now for subscribers.
In our app: swipe to the Podcasts section
Get The Australian’s app here: Apple App Store | Google Play Store
On the web: Visit theaustralian.com.au/thebreakdown
From today, we’ll release one episode per week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Search ‘The Breakdown’ for Episode 1 and come back each Wednesday for a new episode.