The good, the bad and the ugly of Australian rugby

In 1966, Clint Eastwood starred in the spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The movie title sums up Australian rugby.

Queensland’s Taniela Tupou is already a world-class prop at the age of 24

In 1966, Clint Eastwood starred in the memorable spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

The movie title sums up Australian rugby. Yes, there are good things in our game. It is always good to see young players earn their first call-up to a Wallabies squad, though clearly it is embarrassing to only have four players from NSW in the 40-strong group.

However, it is refreshing to see young players performing well for their provinces and being rewarded for their good form.

Despite being currently ranked seventh in the world, I think the Wallabies have at least five players on track to be world-class in time for the next World Cup in 2023.

It is widely believed you need at least one world-class player in the front row, second row, back row, halves and outside backs to have any chance of winning a World Cup.

Well, in the front row, Taniela Tupou is an outstanding scrummager and try scorer – not bad for a tight head prop. He is already world-class and only 24.

In the second row, I believe Trevor Hosea, 21, is the real deal. In my view, he is already our best lineout forward and may soon challenge world-class locks such as England’s Maro Itoje.

The back row. Most would say Michael Hooper is a world-class player, but even he might struggle to hold off challenges from Fraser McReight, the 22-year-old who plays for Queensland.

In the halves, only James O’Connor seems to have world-class quality at the moment. But Noah Lolesio, 21, and Tate McDermott, 22, are quickly developing.

Our outside backs are ridiculously talented. We have Hunter Paisami, 22, and Jordan Petaia, 21, in the middle and a host of “Fijian flyers” who are world-class finishers.

Let’s hope the coach has the courage to pick some of these young people to play against France later in the year, but doesn’t then use youth as an excuse for not playing well.

It is also “good” that Michael Cheika seems available and hopefully willing to start the Waratahs rebuild.

Having a homegrown coach of his calibre available at such a time is a blessing.

My message to the board of NSW Rugby, if indeed they remain after the most recent debacle, is to bring back Cheika.

The next “good thing” to happen to our game this week happened across the ditch. The All Black players have taken a stand against private equity.

Last week, I wrote about the pitfalls of dancing with the private equity devils. Perhaps the All Blacks read the column.

Whatever the case, the All Blacks have made it very clear they don’t want the New Zealand board to sell their souls to private equity opportunists.

Let’s hope Rugby Australia get the same message from the Wallabies and the broader rugby community. Private equity investors only make money when they sell their stake.

They will oppose investing in grassroots rugby because that is not good for the bottom line.

Private equity investors want profit; we want growth. Don’t sell out to the sharks!

Let’s now have a look at the “bad.”

You might recall, a year or so ago, a Rugby Academy was launched in Australia with much fanfare.

They call themselves the International Rugby Academy of Australia.

The group charges kids from 13 to 18 years of age about $500 a day to take part in coaching camps in the school holidays.

Their name suggests they are either official partners of either World Rugby, Rugby Australia or both. They seem to be no such thing.

Are the camps just money-making exercises for the former All Black Murray Mexted and his commercial partners?

Mexted, a former outstanding player, does have similar operations in New Zealand and South Africa.

It is disappointing that the best young players in the country are not invited to attend free rugby development camps run by the provinces.

I am sure rugby philanthropists around the country would support well-organised player development programs.

It is also disappointing that parents of young players put their hands in their pockets to the tune of $500 a day to support their children’s rugby dreams.

These rugby camps disturb me because they seem to cash in on the desire of every parent to provide appropriate opportunity for their kids.

Now for the “ugly” thing in our game. I don’t believe it is fair or right, for rugby, that the incumbent Wallabies captain is currently in Japan lining his pockets.

Hooper has abandoned the Waratahs this season in order to pump up his earnings.

Only a year or so ago, he signed a contract with Rugby Australia and the Waratahs for $1.2 million a season. That is a pretty big deal.

Surely Rugby Australia and the Waratahs wouldn’t release Hooper from his contract knowing the Waratahs would have a young squad this season.

Surely it is Scott Johnson’s job to retain our key players so our provinces have a blend of youth and experience.

Remember, Hooper is under contract. How can he be selected in the Wallabies, let alone as captain, when he has clearly shown no loyalty to his province or his country.

He is, of course, entitled to take the best deal on offer. Good on him. A rugby life does not last forever. But what does a contract mean?

I have said from day one that Johnson has failed on many fronts. The current NSW failure is but the latest manifestation of that.

Is Johnson suggesting the incumbent captain of Australia can go to Japan merely to relieve Rugby Australia of his $1.2 million salary?

Are we so hard-up that we sell out NSW’s chance of being competitive by getting our team leader off the books at Rugby Australia?

Clearly, Rugby Australia and NSW have some explaining to do; and surely Hooper, after what the game has offered him, should have a greater sense of duty as a leader of both the Wallabies and the Waratahs.

Johnson is supposed to be running a high-performance unit at Rugby Australia, where there is little high performance among administrators.

It is a bit like a spaghetti western.

Raelene Castle brought Johnson into Rugby Australia to control and/or sack Cheika. Now it seems Johnson will be begging Cheika to save the Waratahs.

You couldn’t write that script.