Aussie Pro Rugby
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Yep. Charity Day for 4th April now needs a re-think. Well on our way to hitting $10K for Neuroblastoma...
For our comp, May 2nd is Round 2* but I think that is absolutely best-case scenario because the general populace are deadshits. The amount of LOIG posts out there on SM about "FARKEN BULLSHIT MAYTE GREATEST GAME EVAHHHH FUCKEN BULLSHIT NEED A NORMAL LIFE"
i.e. the same fucking bogans who will complain about the healthcare system when their aged relatives die, or little J'nae can't get into ED for the broken arm they suffered in a DV incident at 45 Winnieblues Avenue, Shitsville.
*April 11 = Easter, Round 1 = 18 April but a bye the next weekend because of Anzac Day. Why not just start after Anzac Day?
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Rugby AU confirm new domestic competition
Australia's four Super Rugby teams and the Western Force are set to be part of a new domestic competition beginning next month. With Super Rugby suspended and travel bans introduced in Australia from 9pm on Friday night, a domestic competition shaped as the most likely option to fill the void of the five-nation Super Rugby tournament. Because of travel restrictions, the Japanese Sunwolves will no longer be part of the competition that will involve Australia's four Super Rugby teams in a home and away round robin series beginning on Friday April 3.
Next season is still expected to be played as a 14-team competition, meaning the Force's involvement in this tournament would likely be a one-off. All matches will be played behind closed doors, in the same vein as the NRL and AFL competitions which have kicked off in the last fortnight. Rugby Australia confirmed in a statement on Friday night that the Western Force had also been approached to be part of the competition with the Sunwolves' absence.
The national body is yet to confirm a fixture for the competition and said SANZAAR and its member unions were still finalising how the competition would relate to Super Rugby, with hopes still that some kind of finals series could go ahead. It is expected that South Africa and New Zealand will implement similar domestic competitions in coming days.
Rugby AU CEO Raelene Castle said in a statement that this model had support from the key players in Australian rugby. “Rugby Australia, the four Australian Super Rugby teams and RUPA are united behind the continuation of Super Rugby in 2020 and have been intensively working towards a competition solution with our SANZAAR partners over the past six days," she said. "There are still some elements to work through as a group, but we are extremely confident that we will deliver a meaningful product for the remainder of the season for fans and broadcasters. “We have agreed on the principles of proceeding down the path of a domestic solution in Australia which will see our teams compete against each other in a round robin format from April through June, followed by a yet to be determined Finals Series format."
One of the big question marks hanging over any competition is the risk that one player contracting the disease would put rugby back in limbo, as has been seen in a number of global sports like the NBA. Super Rugby teams are currently the only teams cleared to train or play games, with all club and community rugby halted until the beginning of May. No player has tested positive to the virus but rugby has felt the impact of a positive test after a Sydney Uni first grade player was a confirmed case this week.
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Rugby Australia [RA] has announced a $9.6 million operating loss for 2019 and admitted the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means there are likely darker days to come for the embattled game.
The governing body met for its Annual General Meeting on Monday, revealing its dire financial position to members. They were, however, not able to publish an annual report as some accounts were still to be audited.
But there was no hiding from the clear financial woes, a position brought about by the reduced revenue that coincides with Rugby World Cup years and the costly legal bills resulting from the Israel Folau saga.
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We will be lucky to get half a season at this point BUT it should at least reduce some of our overheads.
RUPA (Players Association) released a statement saying they'd like to see a whole-of-game review BUT I'll bet "whole" stops right about where player payments do.
The most concerning issue about their statement was that RA hadn't been consulting them, which is probably par for the course.
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To be fair to RA, they're probably a bit busy right now to worry about a "whole of game" review. Right now the only consultation with players would be "do you want to be amateurs again?" and "can we have a roster to turn off the lights".
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@antipodean Don't get me wrong: I am no fan of RUPA. RA were already looking down the barrel of a potential rights cockup, but now they've got THIS to deal with.
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I just read Castle will be sacked this weekend and replaced by Kearns?
So long Australian rugby, at least you will always have the 90s
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@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:
I just read Castle will be sacked this weekend and replaced by Kearns?
So long Australian rugby, at least you will always have the 90s
It's April the 4th not the 1st!
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@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:
Yeah it's all pretty fcked hey. Stopped reading about it frankly. What a cluster.
That applies to the entire world ATM!
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@barbarian said in Aussie Rugby:
Yeah it's all pretty fcked hey. Stopped reading about it frankly. What a cluster.
But you and @mariner4life know where it is coming from, right? Let's look at the articles:
A tumultuous 12-months has put the writing on the wall for Rugby Australia’s CEO Raelene Castle according to reports, with a former skipper set to step in.
Time looks to have run out on Raelene Castle’s tenure as Rugby Australia CEO.
Reports have indicated ...
with the final nail in the coffin for Castle being the failed bid to secure a new broadcast deal.
Reports indicate Castle may be lucky to survive the weekend.Raelene Castle’s days as Rugby Australia CEO appear numbered, a growing number of reports suggesting there is mounting pressure for a leadership change within the struggling sporting organisation.
“They must be kidding. Gave themselves a score of 20/25 for participation … For igniting passion in the game they gave a score of 21/25,” a correspondent told The Australian.
Another source told The Australian, “People are amazed (Castle) has hung on this long, everyone knows it has to come to an end soon,” and the coming few days could be pivotal for the RA CEO.The always execrable Christy (not a girl) Doran chimes in with some of his own rubbish
Exclusive: In yet another shambolic clerical error, sources say that Rugby Australia was forced to pay Wallabies hall of famer Stephen Larkham hundreds of thousands of dollars after then-coach Michael Cheika sacked him as his assistant in late 2018.
This of course is led by the following photo:
And then the fucking circle jerk from Alan Jones, Phil Kearns, and Rod Kafer - the latter 2 drawing a paycheque from Murdoch and/or sucking the broadcast establishment's dick.
Gee... the abusive lover - FoxSports - spurned, suddenly turns nasty Whatever. Been happening for months.
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@mariner4life said in Aussie Rugby:
I just read Castle will be sacked this weekend and replaced by Kearns?
So long Australian rugby, at least you will always have the 90s
You could almost understand the panic in Australian Rugby right now, but given the projections of the loss they expect to incur over this year with no product, it's a bit harsh to blame the current board. This train wreck has its formulation well over a decade ago.