ARU to plunder league juniors

[travelling_gerry]

ARU to plunder league juniors

Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | February 25, 2009


THE Australian Rugby Union is focusing on the junior rugby league ranks to find future Wallabies and boost its dwindling player stocks.

ARU high-performance manager David Nucifora said yesterday it was imperative they closely look at what talent is available among young league players, while also being on top of whatever prospects continue to emerge from junior rugby.

The former Brumbies and Blues Super 14 coach said another key recruitment area was the Australian Sevens program because, as shown through the rise of Matt Giteau and James O'Connor, it works as a crucial international rugby stepping stone.

"We are keeping our eyes open at the young rugby league ranks among the 15- to 20-year-olds," Nucifora said.

"We have beefed [up] that area a bit and become more efficient. It's not just rugby league, but it also involves a stronger focus on talent spotting in our own junior rugby ranks. You need good people working for you in that area. It's a matter of identifying people who can provide you with good information."

Rugby sources confirmed that talent scouts were attending as many junior rugby league games and carnivals as possible.

It is no coincidence that Michael O'Connor, who has for some years been heavily involved in the ARU's recruitment program, doubles as the Australian Sevens coach.
While Sevens football is often forgotten and Australia has struggled to be a force in that area for some time, the ARU is not neglecting it. The World Cup Sevens tournament in Dubai next month will be used as a guide to whether some members of the Australian team are ready for Super 14 football and beyond.

The team includes Sydney University's Ed and Jono Jenkins, the first twins to represent Australia at Sevens level, and former Sydney Roosters league player Shaun Foley.

"We have faith in the Sevens program to give guys an opportunity and gain good experience," Nucifora said.

"The Sevens series is actually a really good area to gauge how these guys go - not just from a footballing point of view. It isolates people. You can see what players have ticker, see who can run and tackle, how they handle travel, how they back up …"

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...237649313.html

[Burgs]

How about focusing on finding some pie eaters and boofy beanpoles rather than more twinkle toed play makers

[TOCC]

why is this in the NSW section?

anyway, i dont think there is anything wrong with targetting the NRL juniors, many of those players are former union players anyway.

[Bruiser]

"Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?" (Acknowledgement to Pete Seeger)

What a wonderful idea, focussing on the "rugby league ranks among the 15- to 20-year-olds." That's where Australian rugby has been falling down - not enough Leaguies.

Remember when we all thought that league players were so much better tacklers than our own blokes? So we started buying them and found that unless you played them on the wing their defence tended to be of the turnstyle variety. And no wonder - the basic league defensive alignment has twelve players in line spread across the field plus a goalkeeper at the back. Not much trouble to close the gap and gang-tackle the ball carrier.

Another complicating factor is that league backs aren't expected to tackle 100kg+ opponents all day.

It is also reassuring to learn that the ARU has "faith in the Sevens program to give guys an opportunity and gain good experience." High-performance manager David Nucifora says that ""The Sevens series is actually a really good area to gauge how these guys go ... You can see what players have ticker, see who can run and tackle, how they handle travel, how they back up …" - and in particular how they handle humiliating defeats. In recent times we have been beaten by such rugby powerhouses as Kenya, Tunisia, USA and the Cook Islands. Our world sevens ranking is now below Portugal!

At last the ARU is getting its priorities right. Withdrawing Australia A from the Pacific Nations Cup and shutting down the Australian Rugby Shield are exciting new initiatives. What possible purpose can be served by giving the level of players just below Wallaby status exposure to international competition? It's not as if they would learn anything.

And refusing to fund a carnival which pits players from NSW Country, Queensland Country and the minor states against one another is also far-sighted. The fact that in both rugby codes plus the kick-it-to-me variety the bush has always been a great nursery is irrelevant.

Of course, rather than having "talent scouts ... attending as many junior rugby league games and carnivals as possible," those in charge of strategic development of our code could have put resources into developing strong club competitions in the various states, but obviously this was thought to be outdated thinking and requiring too much effort.

"Oh, when will they ever learn?"

[jargan83]

Whats the ARU doing with it's own juniors?

[Bruiser]

Anecdotally, Jargan, loading them up with extra training on top of what they are required to do at school and/or club, so that their education goes on the back burner. Then they go on as in the Kurtley Beale type scenario where the top ones are taken straight from school into a professional environment without really developing their craft. The ones who don't make it, as with the Leaguies Under 20 comp, are cast by the wayside.

The slow-to-mature kids are very largely ignored by the system.

[AndyS]

I'm with TOCC - I see no problem with this. I'd also love to see scouts having a look at the junior AFL ranks too. But it will certainly be left up to Union to develop the forwards.