Wallabies v Argentina - 15 September 2018

[Hansie]

Dear Mr Smith,

How about asking the question: " Why is a whole State against the Wallabies?" Too simplistic to say it is because we were wronged.

Since then the engagement from RA has been pathetic to say the least. RA and Ms Castle should have used the opportunity at the beginning of the year to build bridges. Except the bridges have been left to decay in the broken position Pulver left them.

Had RA spent time and $$$ as promised.... perhaps some wounds may have begun to heal....

Mr. Smith ask RA why have they allowed a whole State to cheer against the Wallabies???

[GIGS20]

Im trying to understand which part you are all upset about.

The fact that (collectively) you are all doing exactly what Wayne Smith says.

Are you upset that you have been called out?

Or are you somehow being misrepresented?

Give us a break Ex,

This is populist defense of the indefensible at it's best.

Look I get that you're still a Wallaby fanboy, I don't care about that, but when you defend a journo for lazy and biased reporting, you know I'm going to call you on it.

I assume Wayne Smith followed up with the fan who took it to Tui and discovered that he's a part of this supposed West Coast cabal destined to crucify the Wallabies performances by criticising them.

I assume he's chased up all of the negative posters on the Roar (a site which has actively banned pro Force comment) and found that they are ALL from Western Australia

I assume he's done the same thing with GAGR, SMH and all the other sites that most of us don't even bother with anymore.

I assume he's contacted everybody in the greater Gold Coast region and discovered that they were forced not to buy a ticket by this WA cabal.

THe criticism from the West actually pales in comparison to the criticism from the East......why is that??????

It's because most of the WA protestors are like myself, not even watching, not really posting anywhere all that much anymore, just sitting and quietly chuckling as the house of cards falls around Michael Cheika's ears.

Unless, of course, you are trying to suggest that 100% of the Aussie rugby public get all of their rugby news from TWF? Good news for Darren, I hope he's got good advertising revenue coming through to keep the site running.

[Darren]

Good news for Darren, I hope he's got good advertising revenue coming through to keep the site running.

Behold the fields in which I grow my revenue and my f**ks.
Lay thine eyes upon them and see that they are barren fields.
Alas, I have neither revenue, nor f**ks to give.

[MI5_Dog]

Behold the fields in which I grow my revenue and my f**ks.
Lay thine eyes upon them and see that they are barren fields.
Alas, I have neither revenue, nor f**ks to give.

time to start getting some revenue then mate
I don't think any of us on here would begrudge you adding some google adverts somewhere on the site.

[Kalahard]

The whole country is fed up with Rugby Australia not the Wallabies. Rugby Australia are not serving the interests of Australian rugby as a whole. Professional rugby has never been so disconnected from the major support base for rugby in this country, the grassroots clubs. The volunteers who put in the work to keep community rugby alive are fed up with an administration that has forgotten about them. This is not only in WA but all states. It is Rugby Australia who have created this divide. The general rugby public is smart enough to know that the axeing of the Force was an ambush. A poorly handled one at that. The general rugby public are smart enough to know that the Rebels losing $4-5 million a year is hurting the games ability to invest in grassroots. The general rugby public is smart enough to know that years of stop gap recruiting measures from the NRL, buying out European contracts, increasing player wages and increasing coaches wages is hurting the games ability to invest in grassroots. The general public is smart enough to know that Super Rugby is a dogs breakfast which has killed the publics interest in it. The general public is smart enough to know that certain states are using their voting powers given to them by Rugby Australia to hold Rugby Australia to ransome when it comes to domestic growth and expansion of rugby domestically. The general public is smart enough to know that Rugby Australia cannot operate in the National interest of growing rugby because of these voting structures within the Rugby Australia constitution. The public is smart enough to know Rugby Australia has wrecked its own finances by ignoring outside reviews, deliberately wasted its cash reserves propping up a failing franchise in Victoria and has no ability to grow its own revenue streams to overcome the constitutional shortcoming the voting structures allow. The general public are smart enough to know this and much more.

Theres the problems right there. Professional rugby is disconnected from grassroots. The development systems are broken. Our players are forced to play in a Super Rugby comp that is dead. The governing body is a basket case with their money. The governing body has no drive to grow income for the sake of the game. The governing body is also untouchable and without accountability for these shortcomings. The governing body only serves the interests of those who protect them at state level.

We have 2 sports in this country who have little to no appeal internationally. NRL and AFL. But they dwarf the 2 sports that have the bigger International appeal in Rugby and Soccer. While the AFL and NRL have used the last 50 years to grow themselves to huge levels domestically, Rugby has been held back by backwards thinking, self interested states. At any stage since the ARU was founded in the 1940s, any sort of domestically focused competition or strategy could have been implemented to grow rugby and position itself to take on AFL and NRL. It never happened and rugby will always suffer for it. Most other rugby nations have strong domestic foundations to work from, Australian Rugby does not because it never realised that domestic strength equals international strength.

But thanks for confusing our desire to see rugby succeed as a respected Australian sport with drunken yahoos who only just learned how to Facebook troll a week ago.

[FingerTips]

WAYNE SMITH
12:00AM SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

Frankly, it simply is not helping that an entire Australian state now seems to be cheering against the Wallabies on social media.

There is no question that Western Australia was wronged terribly by Rugby Australia with the axing of the Western Force but now the repeated failures of the Wallabies have simply become another branch with which to whack east coast rugby. Yet all this chortling over the Wallabies’ demise, what effect is it having, one wonders, on the likes of Dane Haylett-Petty or Adam Coleman in the Australian side?

Mr Wayne Smith draws a longbow in extrapolating from the perhaps less than 100 people in WA who are regular correspondants on rugby focused social media platforms to "an entire Australian state".

For example, an average of nearly 15,000 WA rugby fans turned up to each of the WSR exhibition matches in Perth this year. On what basis can he infer that those 15,000 WSR attendees (or indeed the whole WA Rugby Community) are represented by less than 100 regular posters to social media?

For the record, I continue to be a fan of the Wallabies, in spite of the ARU/RA's virulent hostility towards the WA Rugby Community. So the loss at the weekend hurt, as did the two earlier losses to New Zealand. However, I will not support the ARU/RA, especially in the form which they appear to best understand, namely financial support; as an example, for the first time in more than a decade, I and my guests did not attend the Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney this year.

[JSJ]

Mr Wayne Smith draws a longbow in extrapolating from the perhaps less than 100 people in WA who are regular correspondants on rugby focused social media platforms to "an entire Australian state".

For example, an average of nearly 15,000 WA rugby fans turned up to each of the WSR exhibition matches in Perth this year. On what basis can he infer that those 15,000 WSR attendees (or indeed the whole WA Rugby Community) are represented by less than 100 regular posters to social media?

For the record, I continue to be a fan of the Wallabies, in spite of the ARU/RA's virulent hostility towards the WA Rugby Community. So the loss at the weekend hurt, as did the two earlier losses to New Zealand. However, I will not support the ARU/RA, especially in the form which they appear to best understand, namely financial support; as an example, for the first time in more than a decade, I and my guests did not attend the Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney this year.

I dont think we should be too sensitive. He did say "an entire Australian state now [U]seems[/U] to be cheering against the Wallabies". He really is commenting on the sick state of rugby in Australia in general in that column. I did like his veiled last sentence aimed at RA, "It seemed like the first rumble from Mount Vesuvius" ie suggesting that this incident could first signs of a revolt by the masses.

[valzc]

We are certainly not chuckling - we're also angry. When they killed the Force they killed the Wallabies for us, from devoutly following for years, travelling across the world & Australia to see matches it hurts like hell to see how Clyne & RA have essentially destroyed our team/s. I am even more angry at the inertia of rugby people in Oz to do something about it. All the forums have gone viral all year at the state of rugby, and STILL nothing happens. They'll just keep rumbling alright, but the status quo remains the same as Cheika ducks & dives the vitriol. Meanwhile - everytime/week the next train wreck occurs, the silence from RA is deafening. We lost our Wallabies but we've got our Force!

[GIGS20]

It's all good, I've been pretty bored this lunchtime, so I caught up on a bit of rugby news.

Cheika has a plan to get us out of this mess.

According to him, the problem was that the players weren't "Enthusiastic" and they need "Courage" to fix that. I don't know how this problem differs from the last time he said that, nor the time before, but I assume he has a plan to bring more Enthusiasm and Courage to their play in South Africa and then everything will be all right won't it?

Won't it????

[JSJ]

We are certainly not chuckling - we're also angry. When they killed the Force they killed the Wallabies for us, from devoutly following for years, travelling across the world & Australia to see matches it hurts like hell to see how Clyne & RA have essentially destroyed our team/s. I am even more angry at the inertia of rugby people in Oz to do something about it. All the forums have gone viral all year at the state of rugby, and STILL nothing happens. They'll just keep rumbling alright, but the status quo remains the same as Cheika ducks & dives the vitriol. Meanwhile - everytime/week the next train wreck occurs, the silence from RA is deafening. We lost our Wallabies but we've got our Force!

Ok Val, lets organize our own Bastille Day and storm the RA's new fortress at Moore Park. This week could be a good week, as I think there is a secret World Rugby meeting in Sydney, which has not had much publicity at all. Good week for Twiggy to launch WSR ?

[travelling_gerry]

Maybe Wayne should read an article from his sister paper the Herald Sun....

Why companies shouldn’t be spooked by online bullies
Rita Panahi, Herald Sun

[.X.]

Give us a break Ex,

This is populist defense of the indefensible at it's best.

Look I get that you're still a Wallaby fanboy, I don't care about that, but when you defend a journo for lazy and biased reporting, you know I'm going to call you on it.

Sorry bud. But your Rat's Arse devil's advocate act is getting over the top. Not all, and I suspect not many really are doing "exactly what Wayne Smith says". .....

..... I suspect your beef is with the usual vocal minority who can be arsed doing that. My advice, as I've said before, is give it a rest. You can't rationalise people into agreeing with your opinion. It has the potential to do your head in, even if you are on the money - in a few cases.

Its certainly hard to stomach when I get attacked by Mates.

Yes, I am a Wallaby FanBoy.

I refuse to let a group of individuals who currently have control of the Game I love. Determine what I do and don't support.

I still do not see a connection between the Wallabies and the Board of RA. The RA kicked the Force out of Super Rugby. The Wallabies. Collectively and Individually had fuck all to do with it.

I am not a Rugby Australia Apologist. I am not a supporter of the current board of Rugby Australia.

What I do and what I will continue to do on this site (Until Darren asks me to leave) is call bullshit when Bullshit is written.

There are some members here that are upset. I am upset too. But some are so blinded with anger or rage or whatever - they will blame Cameron Clyne, Rugby Australia and the CEO and Board of Rugby Australia for every indiscretion or slight that is Rugby related. When this happens I am here to point out the error of their ways. I am good like that. For I am all knowing and wise beyond my years.

Have a nice day.

I love youse all.

X

[BLR]

I still do not see a connection between the Wallabies and the Board of RA. The RA kicked the Force out of Super Rugby. The Wallabies. Collectively and Individually had fuck all to do with it.

The Wallabies pay the wages of the Board, they sustain them so they could do us in.

So yeah, I'd say the Wallabies have a huge connection with the Board of the RA. Ring-fencing them out of the equation isn't really appropriate.

[.X.]

The Wallabies pay the wages of the Board, they sustain them so they could do us in.

So yeah, I'd say the Wallabies have a huge connection with the Board of the RA. Ring-fencing them out of the equation isn't really appropriate.

Actually - The Wallabies get paid by Rugby Australia.

[BLR]

Actually - The Wallabies get paid by Rugby Australia.

Who get a lions share of the revenue from selling off the Wallabies matches for TV.

It's a big circle I suppose but separating the board out of if doesn't work in my opinion.