Aussie Pro Rugby
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Offsiders on ABC this morning was one hour. 18 minutes was AFL finals. Another 5 or so in AFLW.
Serena Williams about 8 of the next 10 minutes on the US Open. Roy Masters bullshit on for another 11 about NRL.
Matildas soccer. Three minutes.
Rugby got a mention next. Just under three minutes. Points covered were Bok dominance and overly technical game with a high penalty count, too much TMO, and a lack of flow. Yep.
Cricket for 3 minutes. Masters wants Warner to be captain.
One of the closing points was about the post-season machinations in the AFL. That's how you keep fans engaged off the field.
And then Masters fires a broadside about Rugby being a softer game than league. It isn't that; it is just harder to watch for most people.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
It isn't that; it is just harder to watch for most people.
Thinking game, despite the physicality. It isn't eye candy fluff. So not great in todays quick gratification society, you've really got to invest to get out of it.
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
And then Masters fires a broadside about Rugby being a softer game than league.
League retard perpetuates myth about a sport he's never played and too stupid to understand.
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@Machpants said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
It isn't that; it is just harder to watch for most people.
Thinking game, despite the physicality. It isn't eye candy fluff. So not great in todays quick gratification society, you've really got to invest to get out of it.
And RA really don't invest in systems that will deliver across the sport, at all levels.
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@Machpants said in Aussie Rugby:
So not great in todays quick gratification society
Thinking on this further: the number of rugby fans here who pooh-pooh AFL and League as sports are missing the point.
What can we learn from them? It is pretty fucking clear we need a national competition but there are so many political forces holding that back.
Premier Rugby in Sydney is one of the major obstacles to itself and the broader game.
Schools Rugby in NSW is a disjointed, disruptive scourge that basically destroys the continuity of participation here.How do you address that when they are powers unto themselves?
There was that article on the new boss of Sky talking about fan engagement outside the playing field. Rugby completely and utterly lacks anything like that here.
Club finals are done in Sydney for Premier Rugby. Suburban Rugby finishes on 17/09. Once that happens, Sydney is a rugby-free zone. There will be Bledisloe Tests and that's it.
That worked back in the day where everyone played cricket in the summer and we all clicked the channel changer over to Channel Nine for a bit of Richie and the crew. Now we need a global, year-round game where things take a break for a few weeks at Christmas before launching into January pre-season excitement.
I despair.
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA ive said before, its baffling how few people from my club, players/fans etc, also watch super or international...the disconnect between all levels is real
If they start winning they'll come flooding back.
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@antipodean probably true, thats what we need to bottle though, the passion we see in AFL and europen football where people still rock up and pay to watch their team lose...and then complain about everyone and everything...and then turn up and pay the next week...AND but a new piece of merch
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@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
@antipodean probably true, thats what we need to bottle though, the passion we see in AFL and europen football where people still rock up and pay to watch their team lose...and then complain about everyone and everything...and then turn up and pay the next week...AND but a new piece of merch
I agree and can't help but feel the problem is the creation of these Super Rugby franchises. Not enough games and very little tribalism, so if your team sucks, what exists to keep you engaged and motivated?
The other problem is in Brisbane and Sydney there's other things to do. In Melbourne you can sit in a cafe until the weather improves..?
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@antipodean 100% agree
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@antipodean said in Aussie Rugby:
@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
@antipodean probably true, thats what we need to bottle though, the passion we see in AFL and europen football where people still rock up and pay to watch their team lose...and then complain about everyone and everything...and then turn up and pay the next week...AND but a new piece of merch
I agree and can't help but feel the problem is the creation of these Super Rugby franchises. Not enough games and very little tribalism, so if your team sucks, what exists to keep you engaged and motivated?
The other problem is in Brisbane and Sydney there's other things to do. In Melbourne you can sit in a cafe until the weather improves..?
The vast majority of the rugby supporters in this country are in Sydney and Brisbane
The Reds and the Tahs got knocked out in NZ in the first weekend of June. They won't play again for 8 months. That's an enormous issue when it comes to fan engagement.
I think it is Super Rugby's greatest failing, it's too short. The Rugby Boards expect fans to support different teams at different times.
In NZ it's 4 months as a Super fan. Then the ABs, and also a Province.
In Aus it is 4 months as a Super fan. And then it is the Wallabies. But only 6 times at home.
There just isn't enough content. 14 Super games. Finals. Then tests And it's jumbled
Compare to an English fan, who gets 24 club games plus finals. and cups. England play in a couple of blocks during the season. It's a far better structure for fan engagement.
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@mariner4life thats why im convinced we need to work out how to make a "champions league" type deal work, simplify who we support back to some version of the provinces/unions, strengthen the connections better club/school and NPC/super for supporters, strengthen the "brand" of these teams so they have profile all year and so might be attractive to sponsors and for fans to get memberships
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@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:
@antipodean said in Aussie Rugby:
@Kiwiwomble said in Aussie Rugby:
@antipodean probably true, thats what we need to bottle though, the passion we see in AFL and europen football where people still rock up and pay to watch their team lose...and then complain about everyone and everything...and then turn up and pay the next week...AND but a new piece of merch
I agree and can't help but feel the problem is the creation of these Super Rugby franchises. Not enough games and very little tribalism, so if your team sucks, what exists to keep you engaged and motivated?
The other problem is in Brisbane and Sydney there's other things to do. In Melbourne you can sit in a cafe until the weather improves..?
The vast majority of the rugby supporters in this country are in Sydney and Brisbane
The Reds and the Tahs got knocked out in NZ in the first weekend of June. They won't play again for 8 months. That's an enormous issue when it comes to fan engagement.
I think it is Super Rugby's greatest failing, it's too short. The Rugby Boards expect fans to support different teams at different times.
In NZ it's 4 months as a Super fan. Then the ABs, and also a Province.
In Aus it is 4 months as a Super fan. And then it is the Wallabies. But only 6 times at home.
There just isn't enough content. 14 Super games. Finals. Then tests And it's jumbled
Compare to an English fan, who gets 24 club games plus finals. and cups. England play in a couple of blocks during the season. It's a far better structure for fan engagement.
although probably not a popular statement I think the governance on refereeing is also a problem. Sure we have an attractive game at provincial and Super level, but it is so different to how NH refs look at test rugby, it does ourselves a complete disservice at test level. More games, consistent approach to refereeing, maybe consistency at a higher level isn't so hard for Aus and NZ even if we are not playing bok teams regularly (which I miss too).
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@Machpants said in Aussie Rugby:
So not great in todays quick gratification society
Thinking on this further: the number of rugby fans here who pooh-pooh AFL and League as sports are missing the point.
What can we learn from them? It is pretty fucking clear we need a national competition but there are so many political forces holding that back.
Premier Rugby in Sydney is one of the major obstacles to itself and the broader game.
Schools Rugby in NSW is a disjointed, disruptive scourge that basically destroys the continuity of participation here.How do you address that when they are powers unto themselves?
There was that article on the new boss of Sky talking about fan engagement outside the playing field. Rugby completely and utterly lacks anything like that here.
Club finals are done in Sydney for Premier Rugby. Suburban Rugby finishes on 17/09. Once that happens, Sydney is a rugby-free zone. There will be Bledisloe Tests and that's it.
That worked back in the day where everyone played cricket in the summer and we all clicked the channel changer over to Channel Nine for a bit of Richie and the crew. Now we need a global, year-round game where things take a break for a few weeks at Christmas before launching into January pre-season excitement.
I despair.
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@antipodean pretty sure you mercilessly derided me for suggesting we should have our own comp with, you know, more teams...
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@Derpus said in Aussie Rugby:
@antipodean pretty sure you mercilessly derided me for suggesting we should have our own comp with, you know, more teams...
Pretty sure none of what you mentioned was discussed in the post you just responded to.
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@antipodean 'not enough games or tribalism' - sorry I needed to explicitly connect the dots for you.