THE FALL AND FALL OF AUSSIE RUGBY

written Monday 12/03/2007

This morning's (12/03/2007) mainstream press carries a couple of articles on dropping standards equalling dropping crowds at rugby games and goes on to talk about the drop in skill levels of players in the basic facets of the game is the major issue they see.  They are right,  but don't examine why,  it is all about that building from the top down thing again.  Very few tiers of the game are correctly or well enough resourced to coach and deliver the basics.  The mums and dads coaching out there on a weekend are probably better equipped to organise the numbers,  the transport etc,  etc than deliver the basics of catching and passing,  through no fault of their own.  On the other hand we have coaches who coach away the instinctive rugby players,  by imposing over structured scenarios to the game.  The game and it's broader structure is in some serious trouble,  and if the system doesn't change,  the decline will continue.  It will take someone at the top though that is prepared to endure some withering heat from self interested people and groups that have long since run the game and wielded and been allowed to wield far too much power from the back rooms and their corporate retreats.

There are some tough systemic decisions to be made,  they have been in obvious need of being made for some time now,  just from where I sit.  Some will blame professionalism for the problems,  but the game has been professional now for over 10 years,  it should have come to grips with that concept.

The main problem as I see it is in the size of the catchment net and the statement that comes back to haunt me all the time,  and I won't name it's creators,  is "we find good athletes and get them into a good rugby system".   Firstly,  good rugby systems,  systems that cater for the development of the worst player to the best player are few and far between.  Rugby in Australia has essentially been a private school based sport for almost ever,  and rugby results translate into enrolments and cashflow and profits.  Again,  not really in the best interests of the player or the game.  The schooling system has altered as well,  and the big privates,  unless they buy them do not necessarily get the best rugby athletes,  and even then some of them head back to league,  never having an intention of staying in rugby.  There has been a hint of arrogance involved in the rugby system's belief that these guys would come over or come back in any case because of a "love" for the game.  Those days are long since gone.  In some cases,  Private School fees are funded by the big NRL clubs,  they know how to develop some substance of loyalty.

The education system has changed,  with alot of good schools outside the rugby playing ones,  aligned to other sports and NRL clubs.  These best athletes have no intention of going to a "rugby" school and glean their education without leaving home and boarding for the last 5 years of their schooling.  From my involvement with these kids attending the not so elite schools,  they are generally tougher,  physically and mentally,  almost 100% of the time from a footballing base skill perspective they are much more highly skilled,  and they are quite street wise in a maturity sense,  they are quite adult in their outlooks for want of a better word.

To add to that,  more often than not,  you will see coaches still coaching a 1980 style of rugby,  again not their fault,  but the issues are with a lack of coaching development.  If you compare two facets of the Aussie franchises game with that of the Auckland Blues the other night,  catch pass and post tackle areas of the game.  The passing of the Aussies is abysmal.  The Auckland side,  while falling away a little in the second half,  passed at speed and caught at speed,  the ball was there to catch for the sprinting support players,  forwards and backs.  And they are big,  strong men doing this at speed.

The post tackle zone lets the Aussie side down really badly.  If you look at what we do,  we generally enter contact and usually go to ground,  our mauling is pretty ordinary too.  Go to ground and have a ruck or mini ruck,  which today is often slowed up by the opposition.  If we try to put on an offload,  the simplest of offload concepts,  some elevation is ignored and it bounces off knees.  The kiwis on the other hand are powering through and past tackles and delivering quality go forward pill to supporters in or just after the tackle zone,  creating the much sought by coaches fractured defences,  and the ability to continue to wreak havoc on those fractured and scrambling defences.

The Auckland Blues are not doing anything difficult,  they are just doing the simple things the game requires,  and doing them at pace,  and they are big men doing them at pace.

Who coaches the Auckland Blues,  David Nucifora,  unwanted in Australia after winning a Super 12 titles with the Brumbies and getting the axe,  maybe about to win his second.

While you may not and possibly do not agree with the authour and his thoughts,  the authour doesn't really care,  and freely admits he may not be 100% correct.  However,  the basis of what is said is factual as best we can determine on any given day.  Always challenge the status quo,  better things evolve when current systems and ideals are questioned and challenged.  Make change positive,  strive to make positive change.