Aussie Pro Rugby
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@Crucial dunno, I think of the rabble that is running about Aus at the moment, they will be able to cobble together a pretty good 23, only thing it, they will all be low on confidence, meaning Cheika will have a bigger job trying to get them into being a tight playing unit, let alone if they get a few injuries.
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Still, its not ALL bad - I've played against this bloke a couple of times, and while its usually Third Grade, he's not shy of going hard at it.
BRUCE ‘Crazy’ Leigh has played more games in the brutal sport of rugby than most can believe.
The energetic 65-year-old notched up his 800th game with the Canterbury Berries today. The club believes his big number is unheard of for a single club in any contact sport in Australia or possibly even the world.
As a 21-year-old, Leigh was a winger when he first laced up his boots for the Berries in 1973. He has played in every season since.
“I never started playing rugby to break any records,” Leigh, of Heckenberg, said.
“When I was 21, if someone had told me I was going to play 800 games I’d say ‘yeah, right. I don’t think so’.”
As he got older, he moved to prop, allowing him to play at a slower pace. Although that meant colliding with heavier players more often, Leigh said he never minded that.
“I’ve never worried about tackling bigger blokes,” he said. “My nickname’s ‘Crazy’ because I used to go out onto the field and just tackle the biggest bloke as hard as I possibly could.”
Over his 44 years of playing rugby for Canterbury, Leigh said the game had gotten “much softer” but he still enjoyed it. He said as long as his passion for rugby remained, he would continue to run out onto the field.
“In the dressing sheds just before the game I started getting butterflies in my stomach,” he said. “I always said I’ll keep playing until that goes away.”
Leigh said he never considered moving on from Canterbury as his fellow players and the club quickly became like family.
“Once I put the jersey on, these guys are my brothers,” he said.
Leigh helped his team pick up a 26-0 win over the Sydney Harlequins.
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@Catogrande they've got a great little ground in Suburban Sydney that they've owned for decades (quite jealous)
We play them at our (shitty, Council-run) ground this weekend. Unfortunately we don't have a Third Grade at the moment so we're unlikely to see Crazy run out.
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@Catogrande oh an apparently there is a guy who had 900 games running around a few years ago (playing prop) but that was two different clubs, so it barely counts
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby in general:
@Catogrande oh an apparently there is a guy who had 900 games running around a few years ago (playing prop) but that was two different clubs, so it barely counts
Pfft!
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Sorry to change the subject ... but ... (I only made it to 45 with some 7 years out from about 28 to 35) had a physio appt today with a bloke I used to prop with here in the Bay (about a complaint that led to aforementioned hiatus ... prolapsed disc) and we chatted about footy funnily enough.
You may have mentioned previously but he mentioned "individual registration" is killing country clubs. May not be doing you guys much good either?
Basically, where previously clubs paid rego and then it was up to them to get the dollars back from the players it's now down to individuals to register. You can pay $35 (or so) per game but not economically viable if you pay more than 3 or 4 games.
Tough on country clubs when you have so many casual players.
Idea is that ARU takes a cut. Is bullshit really. Money should be flowing the other way. To the clubs not from them
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@booboo said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Sorry to change the subject ... but ... (I only made it to 45 with some 7 years out from about 28 to 35) had a physio appt today with a bloke I used to prop with here in the Bay (about a complaint that led to aforementioned hiatus ... prolapsed disc) and we chatted about footy funnily enough.
You may have mentioned previously but he mentioned "individual registration" is killing country clubs. May not be doing you guys much good either?
Basically, where previously clubs paid rego and then it was up to them to get the dollars back from the players it's now down to individuals to register. You can pay $35 (or so) per game but not economically viable if you pay more than 3 or 4 games.
Tough on country clubs when you have so many casual players.
Idea is that ARU takes a cut. Is bullshit really. Money should be flowing the other way. To the clubs not from them
That literally sounds like a complete shite idea.
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@booboo in our competition (NSW Suburban Rugby i.e. Sydney Park footy) it is still the case where you pay rego for each Grade you enter. It breaks down like this:
- $1950 for insurance
- $550 for registration of Grade ($500 for Colts)
- $775 for the ARU Participation fee ($1000 from 2018)
We try to get all the rego up front to cover gear costs etc and help pay these fees. That doesn't include the club registration fee of $660 per year. And I'm in a 3-Grade division.
Paying $35 per game is fucking ludicrous, quite frankly. I've asked my guys facing hardship to chip in $20 per game until they can find the grand total of $220 (that doesn't include those guys I've been forced to let back in for free to help save the club). Highest rego I've seen is $390 for a First Division club.
But your mate is right: those individual rego fees are a royal pain in the arse. They try to sell it as allowing players to pay online, and therefore take the responsibility of cash handling etc out of the club's hands. But the problem is it means the ARU are getting WAY over the odds for people who, as you say, are casual players.
For break-even entry including playing kit, its about 28 players per grade fully paid up. Currently sitting on the equivalent of 24 across two grades. That is: 17 fully paid up, and another 30 with something down.
My new plan is to hit the local South African supermarket with flyers containing Afrikaans phrases. Find some big fuckoff voortrekkers to bolster the ranks so I can tell the non-paying among us to fuck off. There are a fair few Saffers in the area and that is an untapped resource IMHO.
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The natives are restless...
The Australian Super Rugby saga is getting messy, with the Victorian Rugby Union and the Players' Association voting for a special general meeting of the ARU board.
To be held as soon as possible, the meeting will seek transparency from the ARU regarding the decision as to whether the Force or Rebels will be cut.
It will also move to bring all board members together to determine the best course of action regarding rugby's future in Australia.
RUPA officials met with Rebels players in Melbourne after training yesterday and action has now followed.
RUPA CEO Ross Xenos was scathing in a RUPA statement released this afternoon.
"The ARU’s intent to axe an Australian Super Rugby team has lacked transparency and consultation with key stakeholders," he said.
"Today’s unanimous RUPA Board resolution illustrates the commitment of players from all across the country to take action towards a constructive solution to this ongoing fiasco.
“The ongoing uncertainty and secrecy of this process continues to do unprecedented damage to the reputation of the game and has placed unacceptable distress on players and their families.
"In every Australian team there are players and staff whose livelihoods and wellbeing have been compromised through this protracted process.
"If there is no clear way forward for Australian rugby that provides the necessary cost savings to justify altering our current professional rugby footprint in the middle of this broadcast cycle, then it’s about time we stopped uppercutting ourselves, backed the retention of five Super Rugby teams and got on with fighting our common enemies outside the tent."
Xenos also questioned the ARU's rumoured move to buy the Rebels from Andrew Cox - for a reported asking price of $6 million.
"The most consistent narrative we hear from the ARU is about the financial challenges the game faces and how tough times are," he said.
"Axing an Australian team and disenfranchising a rugby community was justified five weeks ago by the ARU based on financial savings.
"Now, anywhere between six to ten million dollars promised to be invested into the game, including at the grassroots level, could be burned so that the ARU can cull a team and save face around the SANZAAR table.
"Why are we are cutting a team at all and limiting Australian rugby’s future if there are such discretionary funds within the game that ARU can afford to buy a license, only to scrunch it up and throw it away?"
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What a friggin mess!
I wonder what the NZRU have in place with regard to franchises for this type of situation?
It does seem strange that SANZAAR can make a ruling (or be dependent on making one due to the need to secure a broadcasting deal) but the respective Unions don't have anything in place to implement changes.
Is it as simple as saying 'you can continue as an entity but we don't have a competition for you to play in'
Surely yhere is something that franchises sign up to that has clauses regarding removal?
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby in general:
The natives are restless...
The Australian Super Rugby saga is getting messy, with the Victorian Rugby Union and the Players' Association voting for a special general meeting of the ARU board.
To be held as soon as possible, the meeting will seek transparency from the ARU regarding the decision as to whether the Force or Rebels will be cut.
It will also move to bring all board members together to determine the best course of action regarding rugby's future in Australia.
RUPA officials met with Rebels players in Melbourne after training yesterday and action has now followed.
RUPA CEO Ross Xenos was scathing in a RUPA statement released this afternoon.
"The ARU’s intent to axe an Australian Super Rugby team has lacked transparency and consultation with key stakeholders," he said.
"Today’s unanimous RUPA Board resolution illustrates the commitment of players from all across the country to take action towards a constructive solution to this ongoing fiasco.
“The ongoing uncertainty and secrecy of this process continues to do unprecedented damage to the reputation of the game and has placed unacceptable distress on players and their families.
"In every Australian team there are players and staff whose livelihoods and wellbeing have been compromised through this protracted process.
"If there is no clear way forward for Australian rugby that provides the necessary cost savings to justify altering our current professional rugby footprint in the middle of this broadcast cycle, then it’s about time we stopped uppercutting ourselves, backed the retention of five Super Rugby teams and got on with fighting our common enemies outside the tent."
Xenos also questioned the ARU's rumoured move to buy the Rebels from Andrew Cox - for a reported asking price of $6 million.
"The most consistent narrative we hear from the ARU is about the financial challenges the game faces and how tough times are," he said.
"Axing an Australian team and disenfranchising a rugby community was justified five weeks ago by the ARU based on financial savings.
"Now, anywhere between six to ten million dollars promised to be invested into the game, including at the grassroots level, could be burned so that the ARU can cull a team and save face around the SANZAAR table.
"Why are we are cutting a team at all and limiting Australian rugby’s future if there are such discretionary funds within the game that ARU can afford to buy a license, only to scrunch it up and throw it away?"
Interesting how the players reconcile their on field performances (tackling, passing, chasing kicks for example) with the pitfalls of their administrators.
I mean is the ARU also responsible for the poor on field performances?
And while I'm being uncharitable, I feel the angst at not knowing if you're going to have an extremely well paid job - well welcome to our world fuckers! (except the well paid bit).
You're working for an organisation that's not making money - but I'm sure that's not your fault. Poor wee bubsMight be better to resist slagging off the bosses and instead start making a few tackles for now
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Does RUPA not realise that the ARU, through SANZAAR, sell a product and they need to provide the best product to the buyer?
What would happen if broadcasters said to SANZAAR that they will only pay for a 10 team comp? where do the excess teams go?
I'm quite curious on how it works contract wise with the franchises. NZRU has sold 7 year licences to run it's franchises to various commercial parties. I wonder how those get dealt with should we ever be in Australia's position. -
RUPA - like most unions - gives a serious shit about how many paying members it has.
What's confusing for them here is the slice of the pie doesn't change for the players. Player contracts are a guaranteed percentage of the broadcast contract.
I'm not sure whether the players pay a percentage to be part of RUPA or a flat fee.
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@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Does RUPA not realise that the ARU, through SANZAAR, sell a product and they need to provide the best product to the buyer?
What would happen if broadcasters said to SANZAAR that they will only pay for a 10 team comp? where do the excess teams go?
I'm quite curious on how it works contract wise with the franchises. NZRU has sold 7 year licences to run it's franchises to various commercial parties. I wonder how those get dealt with should we ever be in Australia's position.Good points. I assume/hope that something is written into the contract for broadcaster and performance contingencies, much like players often have various 'out' clauses.
Force gave another inspired example of why the Aussies have too many teams, but hey, happy to wake up to yet another shellacking of an Aussie team.
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@Godder said in Aussie Rugby in general:
@Crucial said in Aussie Rugby in general:
Does RUPA not realise that the ARU, through SANZAAR, sell a product and they need to provide the best product to the buyer?
What would happen if broadcasters said to SANZAAR that they will only pay for a 10 team comp? where do the excess teams go?
I'm quite curious on how it works contract wise with the franchises. NZRU has sold 7 year licences to run it's franchises to various commercial parties. I wonder how those get dealt with should we ever be in Australia's position.Good points. I assume/hope that something is written into the contract for broadcaster and performance contingencies, much like players often have various 'out' clauses.
Force gave another inspired example of why the Aussies have too many teams, but hey, happy to wake up to yet another shellacking of an Aussie team.
I concur that seeing them get beaten like a rented mule week after week is quite satisfying on one level on the other hand.......
......... nah I've got nothing.
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So Stephen Moore is going to be Captain this year.
Michael Cheika says Stephen Moore will keep Wallabies captaincy in June series
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says Stephen Moore is still his first-choice captain for the three-Test series in June despite calls for Michael Hooper to take over.
VRU, RUPA vote for ARU EGM
