🏉 Has Rugby turned a corner?
and the team we love to hate
2020 was a crap year for many and one that nearly crippled professional Rugby in our country.
No games. No fans. No broadcast deal.
And all this barely 6 months on from a disappointing World Cup and the unprecedented fall out from the Israel Folau saga.
But like the old saying to “never waste a crisis”, I think those in charge have made changes that have Rugby heading back towards a brighter future.
IS THE TIDE TURNING?
A barometer I use for how Rugby and the Brumbies are going is the reception I get at my local cafe.
Each morning there’s plenty of chit-chat amongst the customers, which covers everything from books to Bitcoin.
In the past when I’ve been asked about Rugby, the question usually goes along the lines of “What’s wrong with…?” and “What are they doing to fix it?”.
Omar (the owner of Doubleshot) is a mad soccer fan and a very busy guy who runs multiple cafes and restuarants, and I always thought the “going’s on of Rugby” was way off his radar.
But recently when I’ve strolled down to get my morning brew, I’ve been greeted with comments like “How good are the Brumbs going!” and “What a game!” from him and others.
Comments that make me think the game has turned a corner, and that people are beginning to re-engage and think about Rugby Union in a positive light again.
MORE PEOPLE ARE WATCHING
At the time, Raelene Castle copped plenty of criticism for knocking back another long term Broadcast deal from Foxtel in favour of testing the open market.
But while she ultimately failed to secure a new home for Rugby, she did set in motion a chain of events that lead to new RA chairman Hamish McLennan and interim CEO Rob Clarke signing a $100m deal with Nine.
After what had been a great partnership for many years, sadly the relationship between Rugby and Fox had become unworkable with Fox choosing to consistently highlight Rugby’s negatives, as they face their own existential crisis caused by streaming and the impact its having on their outdated business model.
The new deal which sees games streamed on Stan and shown on the free-to-air channel GEM, has not only made games more accessible but also strikes back at the “elitist” criticism the game cops regularly.
No longer are only people who pay for TV watching our great game and as more people tune in, I think they’re liking what they see.
One set of stats has the average viewership of Super Rugby up 115%, and the Brumbies Round 2 trouncing of the Waratahs on GEM was up 157% on the corresponding game a year ago (126,000 vs 49,000).
A terrific result despite it being early days for the game on free to air.
Please Note: These figures are from GEM and traditional Foxtel set-top boxes only, and do not include STAN and KAYO’s streaming numbers.
Along with games being more accessible, fans no longer have to stay up until 3am to watch their team under the new tournament, which sees South Africa and Argentina drop out in favour of more local derbies.
And while any win in South Africa as a player was one to savour, they never seemed to get the same response from fans back home.
Not like wins over a certain local enemy…
EVERY HERO NEEDS A VILLAIN
As I get older, I’m realising how important stories are and how they can be used to connect people by finding a common ground.
One thing every story needs is a villain, because without him or her the hero can't shine.
And as a Brumbies fan or player, there’s no greater villain than the Waratahs.
When I finished school, I moved to Canberra from Sydney after being overlooked by the Waratahs, and found a home at the Brumbies.
And my story is not unique.
Many players forged great careers at the Brumbs after being told they weren’t good enough by their home state, and its this narrative on which Brumbies Rugby was built.
A place that forever gets the best out of people through hard work and selflessness.
My favourite Brumbies story is the one of Pat McCabe and how he was told he was “too slow to play Super Rugby” by the Waratahs.
But what Pat lacked in speed he made up for in work ethic and was the bravest player I ever played with.
I guess the Tahs weren’t assessing bravery or dedication when deciding if they’d sign Pat, and that narrative drives players every time they face the tweed jacket wearing villains from up the Hume.
One downside of having more eyeballs on the game is more people know of the Waratahs struggles, and I love to watch them loose by a point… but not 40 and not every week.
Established over 140 years ago, the Waratahs have a rich history and it’s hard to watch the team responsible for inspiring young players in Australia’s biggest Rugby catchment perform so poorly.
It wasn’t that long ago the Tah’s set the Super Rugby attendance record of 61,823 on their march to the 2014 title, and our loss to them the week before was the most physical Super Rugby match I ever played.
On Sunday the rebuild began as coach Rob Penney was sacked, and whether the answer is to just “get the band back together” by resigning Michael Chieka, Tolu Latu and Will Skeleton remains to be seen.
But for the betterment of the game, we need our most notorious villain back wreaking havoc and forcing our heroes to dig deep to overcome them.
Brumbies by 8.
What do you think the Waratahs need to do in order to turn things around?
Hi Ben
I suspect you need a clear assessment of each player (especially the keys) on an ongoing basis. My experience with the Brumbies is players dont deliver 110% consistently.
Could be perhaps the EXPECT to lose going into games. Turn the expectation around and if the performance doesn't improve, and the play remains weak, get some new blood with the abikity to aspire and deliver and bring others with them (a real leader)
Cheers. John. (Micks dad)
Thanks Ben - great blog post. I was and remain a supporter of Raelene Castle and believe it is her legacy that has brought us to Stan. Hamish McLennan etc has carried on the good work begun by her. "The tweed jacket brigade from up the Hume" - really?? Don't mind peddling the stereotype do you? The Brums have great structures and ethos - and away from the distractions and temptations of Sydney. I wish the Tahs could develop the same culture. I believe with Doorn at the helm there is cause for hope and that he is serious about changing the culture. McLennan is clearly fed up too (and the backlash from Tah supporters re Rob Penney has been quite incredible). It's a massive task to turn things around with the self interest and power struggles that go on. I'll be driving to the game - not on the Hume in my tweed jacket but from my home in MacMasters Beach to support the Tahs - knowing the Brums will get them. Hope its a cracker! Thanks again Ben - keep up the good work.