Australian rugby crisis: backing for idea to send players to develop in New Zealand
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...in-new-zealand
Another week of Super Rugby has passed and still no Australian team has beaten a New Zealand side in 2017. That’s nought from 15 attempts – up until this point, Australia’s worst return in the history of Super Rugby trans-Tasman clashes.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Why not look at the hitherto unexplored idea of outsourcing professional player development to New Zealand on a short-term basis while Australian rugby rebuilds its woefully ineffective player development pathways? Should Australia send its second-tier National Rugby Championship teams across the ditch to participate in the Mitre 10 Cup competition?
While it might involve paying New Zealand Rugby a participation fee, it would mean new and attractive content for game-going punters and TV broadcasters. Think fixtures like Canterbury v Sydney Rays, Otago v Brisbane City, Waikato v Perth Spirit. Throw in the likes of Wellington, Auckland and others against the national footprint NRC teams and not only do you have a platform for accelerating player development, but also another revenue stream from which money can be earned for investment in community rugby. It makes complete sense.
And it’s a proposal worth looking at, says Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore. First, a disclaimer: Hore is a Kiwi. His rugby CV is impressive, including stints as high performance manager for New Zealand Rugby, conditioning director for Wales and, more recently, CEO of Ospreys. In rugby currency, he is arguably the best credentialed Super Rugby CEO in Australia. He’s been at the forefront of what works (New Zealand) and what doesn’t (Australia, and to a lesser extent Wales in the early noughties). In short, he’s someone the Australian Rugby Union should listen to.
Speaking to Guardian Australia just before the Waratahs v Reds game on Saturday night, Hore said Australian rugby could turn itself around in “two and half to three years’ maximum”.
This is quite a read (length-wise).
