Fixing Rugby Union in Australia: Super Rugby, Joseph Sua'ali'i & Grass Roots | ST Podcast Clips 

Rugby going behind a pay wall is what killed it in Australia. Super Rugby was very popular and well attended until it went completely behind a pay wall with no free to air viewing which means kids don't get to watch it growing up and therefore have no interest in following it when they get older. If you look at cricket now it is slowly going the way of rugby as it had started moving behind a pay wall, and the ALeague went behind the pay wall and killed themselves also. Afl and Nrl maintain their free to air football. I remember watching Sydney club rugby on the ABC Saturday afternoons where did that go?

That’s was brilliant. I’m a kiwi and we need Aussie rugby back on track.

I watched the hour long version of this chat. It was good BUT failed to address what I believe is the single biggest issue for Rugby Union in Australia. Have you ever heard the term "Out of sight, out of mind"? or, for Mark's sake - "Location, location, location". The PAYWALL is the noose around Rugby Unions neck. I grew up in NZ so essentially grew up with Union. I have lived in NZ and Aus back n forth for more than 30 years. For the last 13yrs I have lived in Australia. I don't watch Union because I don't have Stan. So League sufficed and now I don't know anything that's doing in Union. Don't know the players, don't know how well the teams are performing, don't know any recent rule changes - because I never see the game. RA needs to cut an almost giveaway deal with free to air, could even be on multiple channels. They need to have additional programming included that is supplementary to the actual games. Make celebrities out of some players by having them appear in humanising programming, like guest appearances on Travel guides, Ninja warrior, or even an RA show that tourists players around the country & the pacific. Why do we make influencers & celebs out of everyday people on The Block, or MAFS? Should be investing in the Rizz of these elite sportsmen! It's an investment in getting eyeballs & attachment from the public. Need a CEO that can lead & direct a fundamental shift in how the sport is presented. Phil Waugh's not the guy.

I’ve said it for years - Super Rugby structurally has been like a cancer on Rugby in Australia. So many issues, but in brief: - Limited access: The tournament has always been almost entirely on Pay TV, which even at its peak was only reaching 30% of households. With streaming, it’s fractured further. - Limited prime time content: By splitting Super Rugby across South Africa, Australia and New Zealand for the majority of its history, the game only ever had 2 days of prime time content, with the rest of it on in the middle of the night. - Local tribalism: by opting originally for effectively a state based team footprint, Australia denied itself the sort of cross town rivalries that are the bread and butter of competitions like the AFL and NRL. The rivalries have always been far more remote in Super Rugby and whilst there was a period when Tahs-Reds games had a genuine atmosphere to them, the rivalries lack the bitterness and emotion of those more local ones in the NRL and AFL. Finally, there’s the bad investment decisions made by RA and the slow hollowing out of Rugby’s talent base by the AFL and NRL. Rugby launched a war with the NRL for talent that it could neither afford nor justify even on a basic ROI basis, and thus it allowed its own grass roots to falter. In the mean time, the AFL directly targeted Rugby’s nurseries in the GPS system, and as Hoiles has said it has siphoned off a lot of the taller players that would suit the lock position. Then of course there’s the separate but related matter of how much World Rugby has undermined the spectacle of Rugby by turning every match into a never ending committee of officials who have the freedom to seemingly pull up random and often innocuous seeming events from several phases back for what looks and feels like selective punishments that break the flow of play and distort the contest - a problem not present in the NRL or AFL. Honestly, I just think that as things stand Rugby is doomed to fail in Australia. It’s competition is too well organised, too wealthy and frankly increasingly look like they have the better product.

The Problem with Australian rugby,is it has traditionally been private school , that bone of contention still lingers to this day.

Australia just needs to go back to 3 teams; QLD, NSW and Brumbies. Or do what NZ do and essentially create the partnerships in the clubs that can be used for the international teams. NRL teams will give young talent an opportunity straight out of school. Very few Rugby union clubs can do that, the strength requirement to play in the forwards in union is totally different to league. This definitely contributes to the lack of talent coming through in Australian Super Rugby.

australian rugby needs to build from a grass roots level

Let me run rugby,give the figures of the budget to play with and id sink 50% of it into state schools

The paradox of the position Aus Rugby finds itself in is that right now they need leaders with the strength and vision to, for example, put all games on free to air tv and find a way to survive financially while interest builds. But they won't because that kind of proposal isn't immediately quantifiable like a contract from Stan is and the doom loop will continue, and all the dorks at RA will look back and wonder how everything imploded.

lol in 2005 my team i was in was a rugby excellence in year 12. We went to a rugby union competition with the top GPS + under 16 South African team. We were league players and on the way to the competition we were all learning the rules of union, we rocked up in 10 different cars, everyone rocked up in buses and we ended up beating everyone even the top GPS team. And we all wondered how is this possible, the quality and softness of those GPS players were very obvious. The ambulance was coming on and off the pitch all game, our perception was pretty obvious even as kids.

The other problem is the elitism of rugby union. Out sydneys west where the best talent pool is there are 3 union teams vs 30 rugby league teams..

Good point about local games at the same times as super rugby. I often have to choose between watching maitland the wildfires or the tahs.

Super rugby didnt take time to establish prestige and identity with their clubs, the only team that has that is the Crusaders, the NFL on top of the separate days to college and hs, turned their teams into stand alone brands,thr uniforms need to stop changing and a culture has to be built around the team and sport, tailgating is also huge in American football culture.

Putting all games behind a paywall has killed this sport

ARU only have themselves to blame. I played more union as a kid and they stopped all the pathways out west in Sydney where I lived so I went to league and that's the problem league is pouring money into grassroots and union always thought league would be a feeder competition for union now that has flipped on its head you get more money in NRL then in union.

The big problem with rugby globally is that it's still a posh game. You have to attend certain schools to get your foot in the door.

It's been 22 long years since the Bledisloe cup was won by the Wallabies. Hoiles was an outstanding player. The truth is, Union is number 4 in the winter behind AFL; NRL; A league - then Union. League is just smashing Union, and always will in Aus. There is just not enough talent for 5 Teams, and Hoiles knows this to be true. Super Rugby needs to go, South Africa and Argentina have gone and it's obvious NZ need Aus to be strong.

What we learnt in SA was to let players go abroad. It's done wonders for our talent pool and we don't have to compete financially so players can get top dollar and still rep the national team

Rugby is stuffy and boring. NRL is a much more attractive watch on TV.

The rule changes have also contributed. Cant watch a game without a yellow card these days..

Australia used to be a world Champ and now is a chump in Rugby world!

NZ country that produce the best in the world. Grass root fees to play $0

From my observation, Rugby Union doesn't seem to have the same degree of tribalism amongst its fans that the other three footy codes in Australia have and to some extent this is a disadvantage.

Good to see the Wallabies get up last night. Super Rugby needs to be reshaped .💯

Pull out of SR and set up domestic comp with all states involved using existing rugby clubs.

Thats not the problem. The rules of the game are. Unintentional acts are leading to red cards now.

The problem is junior rugby is underfunded also afternoon test match footy is rarely a thing these day's... Super rugby is now a joke a few side's are doing ok yet again the time that game's are being played 730pm kick offs in NZ are a problem with very little exposure for children being able to view.. So therefore kids miss out.. Rugby is dying a slow death in Australia and NZ South African super rugby sides are no longer involved so why are the game's still starting late in the day ridiculous.

Sports is dieing a very slow death in australia ,R.I.P rugby union ,wallabies have been a nation discrace for many years now

It's like playing league growing up, the coaches are immature and take it so seriously that it kills the fun in it. Set play this and set play that. Then you try something a little different and they bench you aha.

Doesn't even say who the guest is

3 points for a field goal I mean come on.

Also why not Australia and NZ and Pacific teams be allowed to play for any team. Coaches can choose played from Australia Pacifica or NZ they can play for any club team.

Defence line needs to go back 5m behind rucks and scrums. Less players on the bench.

I reckon we should start looking at domestic club teams. Australia and NZ are using school Boys teams selection.wr Could start looking domestic teams and maybe try to find a new structure or game Plan to play the game with in the international rules.

Rugby administration in Australia is the problem, not the game.

Come on, cry me a river, Australia had years to address this Union and league problem. Now, there are so many Rugby Union competitions in different countries you can stream and watch.With AFL, they have the money to recruit talent that they need, I have lived in Australia since 88, and I've watched so many Union game from schools, clubs, and national team all over Australia. Yes, in New Zealand you can watch rugby union game from school boy, club and Rep teams all the time when rugby season starts..

Nothing wrong with Rugby Union around the world It’s just in Australia and NZ where it has lost its following

The women's Rugby have players from Domestic teams and not private schools

The problem with Aussie rugby,is the board, And the senior player's who think, they're the start and end of Australia Rugby, there in lies the problem, Dean's got fired, because the player's were to big/ pig headed,then your next coaches,were three Aussie's,then they were goooone,Rennie was next,then gooone,your great redeemer Eddie,nah didn't happen,got even worse, Now Joe,for goodness sake,give these Kiwi guy's a chance,they know a little bit about the game,Rome wasn't built in a day,and Aussie Rugby needs too start at the base, everyone knows that,No solid base,you end up with a weak building, Dean's tried to get Aussie back with a strong school's, clubs, state's,etc that would have gone onto Super Rugby,then test matches, instead he got sacked,and you are where you are, Give Joe a go, keep your board noses out of it,stick to navel gazing, twiddling your thumb's,and your free ticket's to the game's, By the way,Well done against Wales,great Start for Joe and the team, Good luck West island's with your future game's

French and Japanese and maybe the US league are the only feasible league in the northern hemisphere. The south has Super rugby and it’s not going well. Union is popular globally but it’s not as popular as far as leagues go

Issue with Australia Rugby its not public like NZ system and league scouter are going into the schools to recruit new players into the clubs. Australia rugby officers need to go into the schools and talk rugby.

The main recruitment for Rugby is still the GPS schools, they don’t attract players from a broad enough base, plus the rules and they refs make watching the game painful, when there is less than 40 mins of ball in play over the course of 80 mins its not going to compete with the NRL for speed of action.

poor private school boys lol

Comparison to the US networks is harsh, their population and money streams are incomparable to ours. Always complaining and bickering how bad Rugby is here. It's pretty good what we get. The Wallabies will win more games again. Love for money killed sport on many levels. Build up the Shute Shield more, maybe add a few other state teams? NSWRL went to NRL.

The cards make it annoying, tmo stopping and analysing everything, lack of tries and too many rolling mauls... Where do i start

No introduction ⛔

Classic Old head mentality. Some tell this guy Grass roots rugby isn't Schutte shield or GPS rugby. It's Club rugby, champ. You go look at Real Grass Roots rugby in Sydney, no ones playing minis rugby. It's halved in in 5 years from what it was. Canterbury Junior Rugby is almost non-existent.

To me it’s all these tackling laws have come into play in rugby union where teams can be handicapped and ruins the game and the chances of that happening is 99% of the time I use to love watching it but that’s my reason why I stopped watching it too many soft rules

This bloke is delusional club rugby is a joke in Australia it's semi pro at best. He can't admit it but NRL is king in Australia now with the rugby codes and union have fucked themselves.

scrap the super rugby put them into the club competitions

Its simple, rugby 15 is boring and league is exciting.

stupid 13 man game is league. never should have signed with STAN