Here we go again

[wholetruth]

Stephen Moore is quoted in the Financial Review saying rugby administrators have to accept Australia may not be able to financially support five professional rugby teams (NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force). He says the Rebels and Force might have to be sacrificed to ensure a brighter future.

[Jules]

Oh great. That’s going to cure everything!! FFS!! At this stage isn’t the force one of the more financially secure clubs thanks to AF.

[jargan83]

Root and branch review

Moore is passionate about the future of rugby union in Australia. The code faces fierce competition from rugby league, AFL and soccer each winter.
Despite winning the World Cup twice (1991 and 1999), Australian rugby is, arguably, facing its darkest days: we haven’t won the Bledisloe Cup against New Zealand for 22 years and crowds are dwindling for Super Rugby.
Regardless of whether Australia makes it past the group stage of the World Cup, Moore is adamant a root-and-branch review needs to be undertaken to ensure rugby’s survival in Australia.

Moore believes rugby administrators have to accept Australia may not be able to financially support five professional rugby teams (NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force). He says the Rebels and Force might have to be sacrificed to ensure a brighter future.

Moore in action in 2013 against the British Lions. Dallas Kilponen
“I think rugby needs to shrink to grow, because it has spread itself too thin,” says Moore as he tucks into his entrée of kingfish. “We need to do something a bit different.”

Moore isn’t all doom and gloom about rugby, the game once dubbed the one they “play in heaven”. He believes it can be taken off life-support. But it comes down to re-energising support in the heartland states of NSW and Queensland.

“There is a bit of apathy about rugby. It doesn’t mean there isn’t support there. It just means support is lying dormant waiting for a stronger reason [to watch games],” he says.

Moore believes the centralised model used by New Zealand and Ireland to co-ordinate functions and contracting players, which Australia is making tentative moves towards, could also help the inherent problems exacerbated by the fiefdoms of existing state organisations.

There also should be a strong national club competition to help the next generation of players step up to Super Rugby and then, ultimately, the Wallabies.

For Moore, it is all about creating development pathways for the next generation of stars, not the short-term fix of poaching rugby league players, such as Sydney Roosters star Joseph Suaalii, who has been lured to the 15-man game on a $5.5 million deal from 2025.

https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/...0230830-p5e0kq

[GIGS20]

Stephen Moore is quoted in the Financial Review saying rugby administrators have to accept Australia may not be able to financially support five professional rugby teams (NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds, ACT Brumbies, Melbourne Rebels and Western Force). He says the Rebels and Force might have to be sacrificed to ensure a brighter future.

Hang on, let's explore the logic of that statement.2 out of the 5 teams are essentially insolvent and need a bailout, so we should be considering axing two of the three teams that have their finances sorted at the moment, which includes the team with the least toal support from ra in its history.No parochialism in that idea is there?

[WFDom]

Fu@k that bald hooker!

[shasta]

Well at least it's nice to see a deep thinker coming up with such a novel idea. Shrink to grow. Don't know why nobody has been smart enough to think of that sooner.

[GIGS20]

Fu@k that bald hooker!

I mean honestlyBrumbies hooker says Brumbies should survive even though they're broke.What did we expect?

[Ham105]

Fu@k that bald hooker!

I sorta started disliking this guy even before he stopped playing.

Fully on the shitlist now.

[James]

The Brumbies offer no opportunity for growth. Previous success is all well and good, but they are a dead end. Even as a highly successful team, they are not financially viable.

We wouldn't be viable without the support we receive, but it is there and seems unconditional. WA and Vic offer more opportunity for growth.

Personally, I don't like the idea of any of it. There is talent there- our problem is poor coaching and too few games. Club rugby is not, and hasn't for a long time, been a solution. The NRC was.

[AndyS]

I wonder how he kept a straight face when he said “We need to do something a bit different.”

Or how the 'journalist' let that slide without a follow-up question.

Or whether he is genuinely that oblivious.

[GIGS20]

I wonder how he kept a straight face when he said “We need to do something a bit different.”Or how the 'journalist' let that slide without a follow-up question.Or whether he is genuinely that oblivious.

The something a bit different was, he was suggesting we go back to 2000 when there were three teams, not 2007 when there were 4.Because it's so much smarter to have 66% of your organisation insolvent than 40%I assume he also believes that making it to the semi finals and getting belted is a great outcome for Aussie rugby.

[wholetruth]

I wonder how he kept a straight face when he said “We need to do something a bit different.”

Or how the 'journalist' let that slide without a follow-up question.

Or whether he is genuinely that oblivious.

Totally oblivious. Reading the story it seems he was more interested in telling us what they were having for lunch.

[WFDom]

Forgive my ignorance, but does this ignorant gobshite hold any official position anywhere? Or is he just another shrink to greatness proponent?

[oxleymoron]

These comments will only continue over the next few weeks when the Wallabies will be on the early departures out of France.

Doesn’t solve the problem as will only increase the player exodus offshore for more money/opportunities and then not engaged in Australian scene for internationals and disjointed performances of individuals instead of a team performance.

It’s the golden era re revenue over the next 4 years with Lions and RWC however the Private Equity needs to be sorted now for the game to stand on its own from 2028 onwards.

[GIGS20]

Hoiles continues the mantra after the wallabies shit the bed.

It seems to be NSW/Randwick answer to relieving pressure on McLennan and Jones.