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Cheers for your thoughts Leo86, you're right about the mess the ARU is creating. What Bill Pulver and the ARU don't seem to realise is that there isn't likely to be Super Rugby after 2020. SANZAAR need to act now to get the format right, and only have till 2020 to do it. If Australia were only in a trans-Tasman competition both Australia and NZ would find Northern hemisphere skills developing faster while we stay the same. Honestly, if they can't get this right I can't see Australia beating Scotland any time in future, and dropping a Super Rugby team is only going to make things worse. For SA it makes more sense to play in Europe, but ultimately I think where it's heading will be to have a global club competition.
The idea of a round robin followed by a finals series was the best idea I could come up with which was flexible enough to accommodate this (on OUR terms) - you could introduce Samoa or Fiji into the higher level finals competition or Namibia into the lower level competition, whatever. There wouldn't necessarily be the cost of full time Super Rugby, but other teams could still participate in some way. NZ could still get the same number of games against SA, it's just that the top 3 NZ teams would only play the top 3 SA teams, & bottom 3 teams only play the bottom 3 SA teams.
I've sort of given up hope that things could be saved, but Dean Mumm's comments gave me a little hope that someone was thinking about more than just the short term (and the east coast idea of a very limited trans-tasman competition).
The game is going to go global I'm sure, and I fear Australia (and NZ) aren't going to be part of it. Funny thing is though, the link from Australia to Europe could only be through Perth (unless Boeing designs a new plane before 2020)! I don't think anyone in the ARU has considered any of this.
This may be Dean Mumms greatest contribution to Australian Rugby. His father was once an ARU board member so he would have heard some interesting things about the inner workings of the ARU. Here Mumm calls out the elephant in the room, piss poor management from the ARU whilst highlighting what we all know, rugby is doing well at Premier Grade level, player depth will continue to grow with the right pathways and there are many many savings to be made if we slash the duplication of services and costs, or in layman's terms, centralisation of these duplicate spendings. Instead we have an ARU who want to divide the game into state v state bullshit, infighting and drive the fans away so they can manufacture an outcome where we contract all the way back to 3 teams with the majority of the funding going to Shute Shield clubs so they can spend lots of money cannabalising each other through poaching wars with ARU money. That, as we know since RugbyWA called them out for their shitty business plans, is the end goal in all of this, shrink rugby back to a boutique NSW only circle jerk.
And its the stuff like this that really shits me - ARU saying teams are costing too much...............
Karmichael Hunt’s impressive start to his Test career gives Reds money to play with
Jim Tucker, The Courier-Mail
June 26, 2017 3:57pm
Subscriber only
KARMICHAEL Hunt’s strong Test initiation will trigger a new $1 million contract through to the 2019 World Cup now the Wallabies are convinced of his value.
Negotiations on any fresh two-year deal with the Queensland Reds were on pause until he could be judged in the Test arena and it became clearer how it would be funded.
The Queensland Rugby Union paid the bulk of the $1.5 million-plus, three-year deal to hook the code-collector for the 2015 season because he was a pet project of the Reds.
Now he’s proven himself a player of national interest with a real upside through to 2019, the Australian Rugby Union should kick in for a far bigger slice of the contract.
In rugby’s cash-strapped times, Hunt still can’t expect any overall increase and may have to consider a trim.
Karmichael Hunt in action against Italy.
Any salary cap money freed up for the Reds inches them closer to being able to afford a move on eager Wallabies halfback Will Genia.
Hunt’s timing has been perfect for his form spike at fullback for the Reds and his adaptability to perform at inside centre for the Wallabies.
Reasonable question marks existed on whether he was too injury prone, would be too body-weary at 32 in 2019 and might not be worthy of a Test starting spot.
All have been kicked into touch by Wallabies boss Michael Cheika, who feels he’s blooded a hardened professional who could start a Test in three different positions.
Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau happy to be playing together again.
“He’s a seasoned campaigner, a smart player with good chat on the field and he showed it,” Cheika said of Hunt’s three-Test lift-off this month.
Just as importantly, teammates like Israel Folau, who has played 55 Tests, feel like they are playing with a peer not a pup.
“I’m really enjoying playing with K, we all are. He’s already a senior player within the team with the way he leads around the field and being pretty vocal,” Folau said.
Whether Hunt gets the chance to play any more minutes at No. 12 for the Reds before the Test against the All Blacks in Sydney on August 19 is an intriguing one.
He switched there for 70 minutes when regular inside centre Duncan Paia’aua shuffled out a spot to cover Samu Kerevi (ankle) when he was injured against the Blues in Samoa.
Karmichael Hunt is battle-hardened option for Michael Cheika.
The bullocking Kerevi only gets out of his moon boot this week and is unlikely to be fit to face the Brumbies on Friday week at Suncorp Stadium.
Stiles has three extra outside centre options to pair with Paia’aua now Australian Under-20s ace Izaia Perese and fit-again pair Chris Feauai-Sautia and Campbell Magnay are ready.
“If Samu isn’t fit, is the best call to make a single change to the backline or move everything around? ... we haven’t got to the point of discussing that yet,” Stiles said.
This is why the contracting system is broken. "Hunt's value has risen? Woohoo more salary cap space!"
So why hasn't Adam Coleman had this story written about him. The bloke's been compared to Brodie Freakin' Retallick for God's sake.
Surely the discussion about a Million dollar contract after three tests against tier two nations is an indication that the ARU want every junior in the country to play some League before beginning their professional rugby career?
Either that, or it's a billboard sized sign saying "Play for Queensland, we'll pay you a ridiculous amount of money to be maybe OK"
C'mon the
"Play for NSW and we'll pay you a ridiculous amount of money just to turn up in the jersey"
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
A 30 year old ex mungo/Gayfl player who hasn't been tried and tested and who pleaded guilty to cocaine possession get's the equivalent of 12 junior development officers salaries. If people can't work out why rugby is in the state it is just now then these types of decisions may explain why.
Wests Scarborough 1st Grade juggernaut has played finals rugby each and every year since its inception and continues this remarkable feat yet again this season and unbelievably it's still rolling on and as an added little circle jerk for the masses Wests actually hold the record for the current longest unbroken finals record.
Yeah definitely cant be considered tested at a high level yet. Need to see how he fares vs the Boks and ABs
I really don't get why people seem to be getting excited about his wallabies performances. He has been abrasive, but that's about it. Fallen off quite a few tackles, can't recall him breaking tackles or making line breaks, or throwing any particularly special passes. And that's against tier 2 opposition.
I really think Meakes would be better
So considering Adam Coleman is gonna be paid a fortune... (hmmm ARU - he plays over West not the Tahs or Reds. But hes good... maybe he likes Japan and we can pay millions on another league player)
Why do young union players play league... coz thats how you get the ARU to pay. Loyalty is nothing
Don't worry coaches leaving warratahs so they free up money for KB..They fell short by a million$$$ so asked Blades to leave and Grey is leaving...