How Would Quade Cooper Fix Australian Rugby Union

Quade Cooper voices his concerns for Ruby Union in Australia and details what he thinks might work to help the sport get back to its glory days.
#rugby

[@dreday77764]

Build the game at grass roots level Play the game in state schools not just private schools Televise the game free to air Secure our talent rather than letting the NRL pouch players. This is my take. Yes it may take a good 10 + years to see great success, however it will be worth it for Australian rugby.

[@elscruffomcscruffy8371]

Televise both Super Rugby matches AND all Tets matches including Boks, All Blacks and Pumas. Channel Nine has 5 channels to fill so why not utilise then. Also, kids get in free, registered players get a discount. Cheaper tickets to compensate for the abysmally high ticket prices? Keep away from big stadiums and take it to the suburbs. Why not play a Shute Shield match as the curtain raiser? Let the kids on the field after the game like AFL! Let them stand next to and talk to their idols after game.

[@hannesmonaghan8905]

I agree.

[@jaytok7]

💯

[@dertyserks9522]

Union in australia in specific NSW is classified as a rich mans sport, the sooner they realise the talent pool is from areas like mt druitt and anywhere out west the better it is for us it shouldnt just be for the uppity people of the eastern suburbs

[@lebanonjames1807]

It’s funny you brought that up. In the junior state comps, Penrith Emus and Parra Two Blues always took out the comps, however, as these lads grow older they end up playing league while the Shute shield boys get smacked by Randwick, Norths, etc…

[@KennyfuckingPowers]

We don’t care about union out here, simple as that.

[@ShamwariYako]

The best thing South Africa Rugby did for the game there was to take the game to the townships and strip away the idea that it’s an elitist sport

[@CrackingCritic]

Rugby isn’t an elitist sport… Cricket is still way more elitist than Rugby, yet Cricket is Australia’s best sport internationally. My kids started playing club rugby and still do. It’s people like you that keep portraying this myth for others to believe.

[@hanoitripper1809]

Para beat the waratahs in a preseason trial a year or 2 back 🤣.. definatley need to grow the game west of para

[@samsearle4433]

Get it off Stan for a starter. Encourage public schools to play. That's pretty much it.

[@user-tq4pc6nh7j]

And televise it locally for kids and families to see.

[@Will.Flavell]

@@samsearle4433 These days it’s more AFL and NRL even the A League is more popular

[@samsearle4433]

@@Will.Flavell agree. AFL and NRL made the games more entertaining whereas Rugby did the opposite. Rugby has somehow managed to make the rules more complicated and the referees decisions even more frustrating for the spectators.

[@KingDongLe3rd]

Joe Schmidt is a top man to have in charge at the moment. Hoping to see a Wallabies resurgence to get those All Blacks/Wallabies classics again

[@Hunterskateman]

A semi-pro comp. Absolutely something we need, and absolutely something that will strengthen our game heading into the future. Phil Waugh spoke of tribalism and the lack of necessity to “fabricate” teams (I’m assuming, with reference to the NRC setup?). I feel like the numerous state comps we have around the country provide the perfect platform for this target. For example, what if we had the top 3 teams from the Hospital Cup, the top 3 teams from the Shute Shield, the top 2 teams from the Dewar Shield, the top 2 teams from the WA comp, the top 2 teams from the ACT comp, and the top team from the Newcastle / Hunter comp - all compete in a nationwide competition. Let’s say we call it the NCC - National Club Championship. That would be a draw of 13 teams, and room for expansion of course too. To fill the gaps left by those teams in their regular state comps, their division 2 team would simply have to move up. Not only does this further the quality of those div 2 teams now playing in the hospital cup, dewar shield comps, etc, but it boosts depth and playing quality within those clubs, as the standards for every team is forced to shift up by a division. As for the NCC, similar to the League 1 setup in Japan, if the lowest performing team from every state in the NCC were dropped for the highest performing team in every state comp, not only would it maintain a rotation of high quality teams in the comp, but it would give the teams within the state comps something to play for. Either this, or just the bottom two teams are dropped from the NCC for the best performing teams from all the state comps combined. Assuming the third tier is semi-professional, this definitely fits what many prem grade players would strive for, in terms of receiving some kind of financial benefit (doesn’t have to be big) as well as more of an opportunity to be scouted by super rugby clubs (this is the real benefit, as the potential for career progression, and eventually more money, comes from here). Coming back to the tribalism before, the already strong culture and fan bases that exist around these clubs may not be big, but they are exactly what’s needed to attract more people. The Redcliffe dolphins are a perfect example - maybe a little bit extreme but it works for my point. The Dolphins already had an established culture and fan base, and with their promotion to the NRL, thousands upon thousands of people latched on. Let’s also look at the AFL for example, people love having strong affiliations to the area that their team is from. “Why do you go for Collingwood?”, “Oh my dad is from there so I have always gone for them”. Something about having a suburb as a home seems to strike the hearts of people more than a city. The culture of easts in Brisbane out of Coorparoo is vastly different to that of Brothers in Albion, and people take great please out of aligning themselves with the values associated with those cultures. This, I feel like, is the tribalism you were talking about. Thus, with an increasingly interested fan base, you are looking at greater attendance and hopefully greater viewership on TV too, which in turn supports funding for the teams and salaries. Additionally, I’d love to see the expansion of Super Rugby to an APAC setup including the Japan League one teams and maybe a gong Kong team. Given the expansion of the RWC to 24 teams in the near future, Hong Kong has a legitimate shot of making it, drawing in big numbers of eligible Hong Kong rugby players back to the city from big Universities in Australia and the UK. With a thriving domestic comp (and players being paid weekly), HK could very well field a competitive Super Rugby side given its growing pathways. A move like this would replicate that currently being done by the SA and the European teams, with time zones not being an issue. More teams would create more hype and a bigger audience. An added bonus would be if players from any of the countries could play for any team and remain eligible for their national team, so long as they remain within the competition.

[@timlong4689]

I have coached nsw level in juniors and I’ll tell you what needs to change: stop focusing on gps schools and start to widen your scouting to western towns. Penrith do it so well, and look at how professional the club is. Randwick has a player called Jayden Blake who should be in the tahs side but can’t get there because of tahs looking at gps school players. Your nsw rep is too small for campaign and too rushed. Lower the price for parents to pay for rep: if a child plays rep for region it is 400 dollars plus accomodation plus parents taken time off, then play nsw it is another 400 plus where as league there no real expense for rep. Start focusing on grassroots and get a proper high school competition running again to allow students to play and be exposed to rugby, have the nsw rugby development officers actually do a job and get involved into the community as they do fuck all. Big thing is get your heads out of the gps schools and start looking out west in all states, there is so much talent that goes unrecognised. League has scouts everywhere, local partnerships with schools out west. Rugby nsw is just all about gps schools

[@timlong4689]

And they need to stop focusing on the islanders at a young age. Yes they are bigger but they don’t work as hard, they don’t commit to the training and environment and don’t act professional in a rep arena. When I go to nsw country champs/state champs it is absolutely shocking walking past zones and having them islanders walk around with bloody boom boxes etc compared to when I played country/state champs it was so much more professional.

[@cohen1]

​@@timlong4689 Islanders are generally genetically better for the game, just the facts that you have to except. even in league many parents complain about they're little kids being bulldozed by islanders twice theyre size, Its reality. Many islanders make rep teams for a reason. They earned it. Not all islanders are how you described. Thats very immature of you to say that Islanders are not professional, I know many polynesians who are committed and train theyre hardest. It’s important to recognize that athleticism and talent come in diverse forms across all communities. While some islander players may have physical advantages, it’s unfair to generalize about their commitment or professionalism based on ethnicity. It’s true that many islander players excel and earn their place in representative teams through hard work and dedication. Stereotyping any group based on race or background is not only inaccurate but also undermines the efforts of individual players who contribute positively to the sport.

[@ChrisavelliOCE]

@@timlong4689 The Islander call was a bit far Timmy, you certainly are something. A coach? I doubt it.. A proper coach wouldn't even comment a thing like that but some brain dead wanna be would. We are Australia which is found in the Oceanic region it is general geography that countries close by would come to Australia and play Aussie sports with other Aussies you would NOT have the entertainment you have now in any rugby union/league setting without any other nationality. I am white as snow tiny as fuck and had no issues with tackling or being tackled by Islander kids or any big guy for that matter.... The simple fact is no one has heart any more and as a "coach" I thought you would have taught that or at least some technique on how to bring down a bigger man instead of being racist and blaming something irrelevant. Grow up, get cultured and grow some ticker.

[@hannesmonaghan8905]

100%

[@shannonc8759]

But that’s their mates son that is going to that gps school. They don’t want random broke kids taking away rep honours from family friends

[@CapzTube]

League is just a better TV product. From the spectacle of the finals, to Origins and even regular season games. Years of hopelessness for the wallabies and domestic teams is another reason, why union is failing as a TV product in Australia.

[@maverick214]

League may have a better TV product at the Australian domestic level, but union has a much bigger following worldwide, including international tests and the World Cup.

[@8CSKN8]

@@maverick214 yes, rugby is a greater product internationally, but that's all moot when the national team is shit

[@AperaRangatauaPai]

When i was in brisbane in 2010 that club comp was better than the club comp in Auckland and we had five u19 teams at our club in brisbane it was massive tbh.

[@hanoitripper1809]

Which club

[@joedennehy386]

What happened? Joe Schmit will get rugby back for Australia

[@darrinking6820]

My son has just started Rugby at Nudgee College. He also plays u14 Div 1 Rugby League. Most of the kids in the A's team at Nudgee play u14 div 1 Rugby League and several of them are in NRL Academies (bulldogs, roosters, Broncos, titans and dolphins) for development. From what I'm led to believe, only 1 of them was invited to a Reds academy. They all love playing rugby but when the NRL academies are showing interest in developing these young kids, they'll mainly stick to league. Invest in grass roots, get these development academies and pathways flowing. Nudgee College conduct an awesome high performance clinic, however a similar system like the NRL clubs have, would benefit these up and coming players which will entice them to stay and play Rugby into the future.

[@SW-rx2pt]

I believe reds academy doesn’t accept signed leaguies

[@8CSKN8]

Yep, league does well with their junior pathways (Harrold Matthews, SG ball and Jersey Flegg) and aligning them wtih NRL clubs

[@pete1983C]

I actually love what Quade is saying and I've never looked at it like that before! BUT I do think there are 2 huge improvements that could also be made that would work alongside his suggestion. The first one is simple - put rugby on free to air!! I know the big money is in the tv rights with Stan, but the reality is, most families can't afford Stan, and even those that can, kids aren't going to log on to dads Stan account to try and catch the reds game. No chance!!! But if a kid turned on the TV on a saturday arvy and saw this really great game between the reds and the tahs, he's so much more likely to want to watch more, both on TV and live at the grounds. The second is a much harder fix, but its getting kids playing the game at a younger age. I am a school teacher here in Aus and I have worked at both primary schools and high schools for the past 20 years and I have NEVER worked at a school that offered rugby as a sport. You can play AFL you can play cricket, some schools offered rugby league and tennis and netball, but not a single school has ever offered rugby, and thats a MASSIVE problem! Unless you go to one of the select private schools in the right area, you aren't going to get the chance to play rugby with your school mates. Imagine if every school, both primary and high school, offered rugby as a sport which they learnt the game and then versed other schools in the area just like they do with so many other interschool sports. That would bring some crazy talent through the system and you would see it feed through to clubs and then later on with the national team. So in summary, its both extremely difficult to watch Australian rugby and even more difficult to play rugby at school growing up, and then we sit here wondering why there's enough talent to fill 20 league teams and 20 afl teams, that are the best in the world, but our aussie rugby team is battling to stay in the top 10. Just my two cents!

[@jnic2165]

Super Rugby is on Free to Air every Saturday and all Wallabies games are on FTA. Rugby is offered in hundreds of schools across Australia.

[@mikescudder4621]

One of the biggest hurdles to getting into rugby is the size of the rule book! Its a complicated game... if kids aren't getting exposure and learning the rules from a young age it just creates a resistance towards the game later on and reinforces the idea thats its a private school game. South Africa have made this transition i believe.

[@pete1983C]

@@jnic2165No one wants to watch the wallabies! Which is the problem. No point in having it FTA. It’s super rugby that needs to be FTA. It’s great that 1 game on Saturday is on, but let’s get them all on FTA, so a kid can choose yo watch rugby after school on a Friday, as well as on a Sunday and maybe catch a few games on a Saturday. I’m not going to argue about school rugby. Like I said I’ve taught full time for 20 years and I’ve worked at about 10 schools and not a single school has ever offered rugby. Fact! Do yourself a favour, search any random state primary school in Queensland, give them a call and just ask if rugby union is offered as an option. You won’t get a yes answer! Then ask if soccer is offered…

[@WhinjingKiwi]

Kids don’t watch tv they watch KZbin and have lost interest in sport in general even if they play the game you can tell all they wanna do is go watch daman or whatever it is they watch

[@jnic2165]

@pete1983C Union is played in GPS schools across NSW and QLD. Having all Super Rugby games on FTA won't happen, the games don't rate high enough for FTA to pay any significant money. Stan pay 33m to show Union, Rugby Australia wouldn't get anything like that from a FTA channel.

[@Shendersonsports3003]

As an outsider looking into Australian rugby, the 3 biggest issues I've seen are: 1. Spending money on keeping/buying players from NRL 2. Not pushing Union as a state school sport 3. Lack of fan culture/connection at pro level It just doesn't feel like there's an identity for Aussie rugby anymore and like what Quade said; other sporting bodies like the NRL have invested long-term in growing their sports into what they are now. Every issue that Aussie rugby has is fixable, but only if they start to fix them now instead of waiting until there's bigger consequences.

[@mysteryhombre81]

Rugby is always going to be playing second fiddle to league and Aussie rules in Australia and I think it needs to accept and embrace that tbh.

[@keithdevine8281]

First step is to give channel 9 the flick and put Shute Shield on free to air tv on the ABC Sport. Second install Steven Larkam coach and third pick form players.

[@santiagoremedi7385]

As soon as i saw the thumbnail i had to say, OF COURSE quade was gonna have such a badass jacket. Hes ready to release his rap album lol

[@andrewyoung8337]

They got to get union in every school in Australia. Mostly played in the grammar schools only. My high school in Toowoomba we only got a chance to play union once in 5 years. We played 4 games and that was it. Back to league

[@MrWhitmen1981]

Rugby is just not a sport schools would pay for the increase in insurance premiums too high.

[@DBASSDAN]

League is the grass roots game, it will take over.

[@goodboydaz0494]

Theres no fix really because Rugby Australia is broke lol. We get given 8mil a year by NzRugby because as crazy as it sounds they need us due to broadcasting. No money to pump into grass roots no money to keep Aussies in Australia. Super Rugby as a competition is broken. There are currently 130 Aussies plying their trade in Europe, Japan and America. Talk about how there isnt enough talent for 5 Aussie teams is a joke we just dont have the money to keep people here. We could definitely field at least 8 teams if they all came back. NZ are dealing with the same thing money wise and players playing abroad (200+ men) but their viewers are up this year 15% and registered players have gone up to.

[@jasbadsirron6424]

Grass roots. Loyalty to Aussie born and bred players. Pathways to get to Super Rugby. Injecting a heap of resources into the grass roots clubs. Cut away NZ.

[@matthewstewart5008]

👍

[@colinodonnell8975]

Cut away the REAL competition...😂

[@jasbadsirron6424]

@@colinodonnell8975 Australian Rugby doesn't need them. In fact, for financial reasons, they actually need Australia. There is plenty of competitiveness in Australia, the issue is that we have 2 other running contact sports which are multitudes larger and better organised than Rugby - in Rugby League and AFL - and most of the premier athletes move towards those sports instead of settling for a career in Rugby - because Rugby has no pathways. It goes from club rugby or University rugby, straight to Super Rugby with nothing tangible in between. Another issue is the Islanders coming in with no connection to Australia, and getting a citizenship and leap frogging all the local talent. This discourages those talented athletes from continuing Rugby and they move to League etc. All NZ has is Rugby. It's all they do. There is no competition there and to be honest, it's as boring as watching Australia whip NZ 80 nil each Rugby League World Cup back in the 90s.

[@colinodonnell8975]

@@jasbadsirron6424 I can agree with that. Maybe find our own Rugby identity and build confidence that way for a time. Could come out better for Oz.

[@thedappercook]

​​@@jasbadsirron6424you ever watched the NPC competition???? You think there is no competition here you're not a new Zealander. The NPC is better than Super rugby it's absolutely incredible. It almost seems to be our secret sauce. As for Islanders, you'd be absolutely bonkers not to have them in your team, gifted, natural and strong athletes, again, New Zealand secret sauce, look what Islanders have done for the game, the biggest name in the history of the game is an Islander. You're mistaken brother. The Aussies need us and we need them. Also NZ has an amazing Cricket team, we play rugby league, Sevens, all sorts of other sports.

[@MaxKurth-cs8dt]

Rugby Australia need to get state schools playing not just private

[@jamesmccann355]

Rugby league is still kingpin and ingrained in Australian culture

[@TimMeagher]

Unfortunately grass roots junior rugby is dying. Without the next generation the future is not looking bright.

[@TimMeagher]

Ohhh and get rid of the restrictions on Wallabies playing in the domestic comp. For a fan base the Wallabies need to be winning, to win they need the strongest team.

[@jasbadsirron6424]

@@TimMeagher it's all good, we can keep importing talent from the islands and throwing citizenships at them! Nothing like a good Band-aide fix to hold it all together! I mean, it worked for the last 20 years...😒🙄

[@Cold-brew248]

Bro Quade can you lobby this idea. The Australian super rugby division will just play amongst each other. Say 5 Aussie teams, the Drua and Moana pasifika (based in nz) the kiwis will jump in behind them. With the winners or top 2-4 teams moving on to a straight knockout finals against the finalists from a nz division and eventually a Japan and Argentina division. This will hopefully help grow the game in Aus (long game)with there being a more even competition and allowing expansion without having to go and face a 7 time on the trot champion from nz. Nz can expand from 5 teams and regrow crowd engagement, rebrand and start reaching out to more rural areas to open more pathways and rebuild their depth and brand (good opportunity to run a marketing campaign) Argentina and Japan to be included for tv rights and deals (short game) and growth (long game) an opportunity for their local leagues to gain more exposure and compete with the best internationally. 5 countries playing in their own local comp with eventually the top 4 from each division playing knockout rugby. Will take some planing to seed who plays who in the finals. May open doors to Japan in the rugby championship but overall it’s just running npc, top league etc all at same time and the finalists (or champions) play knockout after the season. Imagine putting up something like the ranfurly shield in a final and another country won it

[@domhouse1]

Australia needs to win. The problem is that they play NZ and SA every year - the 2 consistently best teams in the world. If Australia was in 6 nations they would lose some years and win others. Fans follow a winning team

[@archipiratta]

The main issue for me is the lack or limited talent available. The potential stars of the future get nabbed by either NRL or to a lesser extent AFL. Hard to attract and retain talent under those circumstances

[@bgreen240]

I think there are some real positive signs . There are quality players coming through and the administration to me is heading in the right direction after a few disastrous years. I also think that the Super Rugby sides are growing in strength and I expect 3 of your sides to genuinely challenge for the title next year. Keep persevering as I really do think that better times are just around the corner.

[@PrimalPetersen]

Look at how AFL does the grassroots... In Melbourne there are footy ovals every couple kms. On a Saturday morning May-Aug, there are over 200 kids 7 and under playing Aus kick. They get a ball, a team guernsey, they need to pick a pro team to be associated with, they get tickets to games & events, they're branded for life, starting 4-5 years old.

[@dimann1069]

The domestic idea is really good, even for NZ if they created a similar competition. It may not be as exciting for the players not getting to travel to different countries but will do wonders for the growth of the game locally.

[@dadofchampions]

Quade wasnt really explaining it that well but (and I agree with him) the domestic comp during COVID where Aus teams were playing themselves only...no Kiwi teams.....served the purpose of building 'belief' among the playing groups that they were good footy players and ALL the elements of growing 'team' and 'culture' were validated in each Aus franchise. Perception is reality alright in that the Queensland boys 'believed' they were world beaters winning that comp.....no different to the SA Bulls winning their URC this year and being deserved of winners of the URC. Now it becomes irrelevant that that Queensland team struggled against the Kiwi teams when the Super series kicked back into action no different to the Bulls not making the finals of the Champions Cup but what is key is the Queensland boys and whoever they beat in the final ALL experienced the emotional psycho-social highs of 'winning' rugby and thats what a fan-base can attach themselves to and grow their love of the game around - again. Thats what's missing in Aus rugby right now. Belief! From a Kiwi.

[@bobmoore7481]

Quade, yes you make a good point. All sport is based on a gladiatorial philosophy underpinned by a tribal culture. It’s your tribes support that is the strongest. In many ways the broader the tribal base the more deluged it becomes. In Australia, AFL is the perfect example. Fans are not interested in a national or international competition. It’s club on club, it’s tribal, it’s your local teams colour that dominates the supporter base. The ARU needs to recognise this and put much more emphasis on the local clubs. It’s the local clubs that create the foundation for all that comes after. It is the local clubs individuals pride in the game. It is the local game that allows anybody, regardless of skill, or lack thereof, to fulfill their dreams of participating. ARU, ignore this at your peril.

[@olglez9230]

It's a good point about essentially having an Australian only competition. If the NRL can sustain a competition with 3 times as many clubs, then the potential is there.

[@Rip_in_son]

League an afl have taken over

[@MrKelso85]

I also think rugby needs to be entertaining again. We’re competing with attention more than ever! In the early 2000s and even early 10s no social media like it is today or Netflix or even KZbin being so addictive! That’s a the biggest problem I’m a 40 year old Welsh die hard rugby fan and even I find my attention going ahh il watch the International game

[@cliff2891]

What Quade is describing is pretty much the model used in South Africa. Each province (i.e. state) have teams playing in the Vodacom Cup, which feed the Currie Cup teams, and ultimately feed the URC (previously into Super Rugby) teams. This creates a lot of opportunities for players to get a shot at making a career of rugby and progressing through the ranks, and exposes emerging talent to the fans. It’s sad to see how the Wallabies, and Aussie rugby as a whole, has deteriorated over the past 10 years.

[@chickentwisties2298]

Quade knows his rugby 👏

[@Will.Flavell]

Quade is New Zealand born that’s why

[@tomharding3126]

😂😂😂

[@DaVe-jz7gt]

Very interesting thoughts

[@novak7970]

Oz to beat Wales from a Kiwi. Oz will come back, just time, right players and a good coach.

[@paulcole]

I’ve just been to the boks game at Suncorp, you need to have a governing body that notices the two local NRL teams and AFL teams are all playing at the same time and schedule the game appropriately. You need to fill the stadiums, give tickets to schools / local clubs - kit them out in yellow tees and caps, build the interest young! They will be the fans and even players of the future. You can’t expect the product on the pitch to be decent if the crowds are 60% + away fans and all your best players want to play other sports. Expecting to get good without grassroots in order and that be what brings fans back is the wrong way round. Hope you can get back to the good days, it was sad as a rugby fan to see the huge contrast between Australia and say NZ or the northern hemisphere crowds.

[@jamescrydeman540]

Once rugby became officially professional all of Southern hemisphere rugby was going to struggle, there isn't the economic base to support it in anything like the level of support available to the home nations. You might say advertising revenues could address it but while all this is going on all the economies around the world have been going backwards since the 1970s. There simply isn't the disposable income in the southern hemisphere economies to support it. The recent investors in The All Black's are already expressing concerns for their investment. When the investors wanted only a social dividend for their support and interest but now their is money involved somebody has to pay the ferryman.

[@brianboyle2681]

With the irony being that it was the southern hemisphere pushing for professionalism - when the home nations were the "dinosaurs" trying to "hold everybody back".

[@therealmrfishpaste]

...and SA generated 70% of revenue for Super Rugby....so it was especially cunning for Aus and NZ to push SA out....

[@reonnippert6798]

Is there enough room in Oz to have all 3 sports performing well at a professional level? Or is there only enough room for NRL & AFL (also got A-League in there too) BTW, I’m asking from a commercial POV

[@stingaa95]

Need games on free to air to bring rugby back to the mainstream and break out of the private school class system. Excellent opportunities to increase viewership with 7s at the Olympics

[@paulrutherford5087]

Wallabies would be worse if they didnt play the AB's regularly. I agree with the perception problem nobody wants to see their domestic losing all the time. Maybe what Quade said the best club team from each state/territory plays in Super rugby. Or maybe the worst Australian team gets relegated and another club gets brought up somehow?

[@peterfatu9762]

Start by getting the public schools involved in the sport

[@wallywest9257]

Quade seems like a nice guy, and there was a brief moment in 2010-2011 when he was arguably the best 10 in the world, but then after that he was terrible. He costed us more games then he gave, he called the team 'toxic' and he let the 'booing' of the crowd get in his head. He honestly was so bad some times, and the fact he stayed in the squad for like 15 years was painful.

[@shanerorko8076]

I know the first thing that will fix rugby Australia, as soon as the Stan deal has ended, move to Fox, who cares if the money isn't there, go in cheap for extra coverage. Most people that like both NRL and Union can't be bothered moving to stan for the Union as it's pretty dismal, so Fox is where it's at, don't worry about free to air TV, most people don't watch that rubbish these days. Then start pumping money into the juniors, and setup a system to get them over to NZ to play on mini tours when they are young. You can't just flick a switch and change things, you have to start somewhere and work on the plan real hard until it pays off in ten years time.

[@shanerorko8076]

Also Rugby Australia need to get away from this one team per state BS, they need to have teams based on clubs. So the Brumbies say become the pro team for the Vikings, not this situation where all the Canberra clubs feed into the Brumbies.

[@raymondmatila5434]

Ima kiwi born Samoan and came over to Australia Brisbane in 89” grassroots rugby was big in Brisbane qld cup in rugby we could go out on the weekend and watch brothers,norths,Sunnybank, Ipswich play but now in 24” there is nothing so Australian rugby is in massive trouble

[@hanoitripper1809]

Leage and afl are run by professionals

[@jaydencorley3512]

I think rugby union realy needs more exposure and recognision. Have it freely accesible to as many homes as possible. Im a rugby fan and i pay $30 a month for stan to watch rugby because its the only way i can watch rugby union. The sports not going to grow if the only way u can watch rugby is if u pay $30 month for stan sports. People are already paying a fortune for streaming apps. Kayo is like half the price of stan sports and provides afl,nrl,nbl,nba,nfl, f1, ufc, boxing. Rugby union moving exclusively to stan sport was a bad move and is hiding the sport behind a pay wall

[@LeMerch]

Ireland has to start from scratch and built up multiple academies and then club systems into provincial systems.. you have to really build this back cuz we can’t lose Australia.. ❤

[@TwoFourFourFour]

I’ve got it. The 17th NRL team about to be announced can be called the Wallabies

[@izzy031096]

*18th

[@Richard1H65S]

18th and 19th team will be announced in the next 5 years.

[@Patrickserisier]

QC nailed it here.

[@Waywind420]

I think playing talent should be routed towards the under 20's team for as long as they are eligible. To forge a winning mindset at that level, over other age-grade players from different nations, would go a long way to building confident players. Jordan Petaia and Max Jorgensen both had super rugby and *world cup wallabies experience* in their teen years, but neither were bought into the under 20's squads to inspire the young guys or to form a point of difference. Petaia could have played 4 seasons of under 20' rugby. The four Australian Super Rugby franchises should be required to cap 2-4 under 20's prospects with super rugby experience each year, so that the Australian under 20's team is yoked with talent.

[@JHPT-CPT]

As a south African it's sad to see the gradual decline in Aussie rugby. They produced some of the best players in the past Wendel Salor, Tuquiri, Mortlock, Gregan etc sorry probably spelt some of those wrong. I feel like Australia should focus on a healthy club system similar to how england does it have a premiership club division and then for super rugby go back to Tahs, Reds and Brumbies. I have been watching the Nudgee docu series on KZbin and you can see there is talent in Oz it needs to be revived to be competitive again!

[@davie-d4e]

The game is simple mate. Get guys who can scrum realy good and fix team defence very quick. The rest are a bonus at this stage.

[@vvwalker7261]

Great ideas!

[@mikescudder4621]

Quade has some good points, but i'd say that my perception is that the Aussie teams have been on a steady level over the last 10 years or so. I wouldn't say that they are in a dive... and next year with 4 teams they will certainly be more competitive on the back of their most competitive season in years.

[@AS-zj6uk]

give them 6 tackles... they can opt to kick on the 5th or they hand the ball over

[@Will25418]

So just play rugby league is what you’re saying? 😂😂

[@92Adzy]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@SOuthSide-Chef]

Australian rugby now thinks its this prestigious sport and mainly focuses on scouting from private schools and now costs an arm and a leg to play even at the regional level which should tell you all you need to know about the people currently running it. That alone has taken away at least 50% of the talent, they need to broaden there scouting prospects as some of the best players to ever do it in Aus and NZ came from public schools and homes with little income as well as lowering all the fees. And on top of that take it off Stan Sports as nobody wants to pay an extra $20 a month on top of the $16 Stan subscription just to watch union, fox sports and free to air was when super rugby was at its peak but sadly they turned my favour game into a rich mans sport, I’ve now been converted into an NRL supporter until they get there shit together.

[@0P9ine]

Another thing is the Australian economy and population is too small to have the amount of sporting codes we have. USA has 10times the population and realistically has the big 4 leagues. We just don’t have enough to have league, union, afl, cricket, soccer to all excel simultaneously

[@LEF3133]

Union is also played in college for ever and gaining popularity again lately. They have club comps also. I wouldn’t be surprised if cricket becomes a college sport within five years.

[@user-uv4qw9rj7g]

The gate on your mic is to high, hence the reason for your audio always cutting off in certain parts

[@elscruffomcscruffy8371]

Fixing Australian Rugby 101: No more NRL imports as a stupid quick fix. Lower adult ticket prices will encourage more people to attend on a Saturday night out to eat out and drink more rather pay exorbitant entry. Quanity over quality. A 20,000 filled stadium at Leichhardt or Parramatta or Randwick has a better atmosphere than and echo-void of SFS. The more people the in a smaller stadium, the better!! Kids get into matches free; registered juniors heavily subsidised entry tickets Take matches back to the suburbs. Have a Super Rugby played after a Shute Shield 1st grade match as curtain raiser. Let the kids on the field after the game. Similar to AFL. Let them stand next to and interact with their heroes.

[@lancerichards4371]

Well said , more tv coverage in the lower levels would be great also. I love the game but when the wallabies play I don't even know half the players. Grass roots spectators is who we need to bring into the game and they don't pay to watch sort on Tv so they never get the chance to see it.

[@Samizouza]

Basically try to expand the sport beyond the private schools and rich class people, especially when league is thriving with the common people from public schools onwards.

[@BonuxCouleur]

Australia needs a relegation competition like we do in France with Fédérales, ProD2 and Top 14. This is the best way to ramp up your grassroot rugby. I am sure there are in Australia, clubs in small rural town and players who will never have access to the top level simply because there is no ladder to climb. In France, we have clubs in towns of 500 inhabitants, in fact most of the French internationals like Antoine Dupont, Gregory Alldritt, Charles Ollivon comes from these tiny villages. It is just a matter of giving club management (very often benevolent) players and supporters a proper competition and something to look forward. To me Super Rugby is like the English Premiership, it is a private boys club, no one is allowed from outside. There is no relegation, it is safe, it defies the laws of competition, it is nothing short of inbreeding. It prevents the flow of new talent. Take a player like Johnathan Thurston in League , all the odds were against him but Rugby League build their grassroot so players like him could emerge. It seems to me Australian Rugby Union needs to pull their fingers out of their *** and start reaching out, go meet your grassroot and propose them a viable long term project. Even a large organisation like FIFA does it but rugby union absolutely sucks at it. There is still a bad aristocratic mentality in some countries which is only killing the game. I live in Auckland, NZ, believe it or not FIFA actually poured some money into the Beach Haven football club... it is a football club for kids. It seems to me too many fat cats at the top share money between them in the ARU but they should realize first that it is not ethical what they are doing, second that they are killing their golden goose. The money has to trickle down, the ARU has to invest into its grassroot. New Zealand actually has a similar issue but Union is still bigger than League over here, other sports such as football, basketball are growing fast however.

[@mosmuscle1151]

Politics in GPS schools

[@dontbeasheeple5883]

Politics in Qld rugby in general

[@danielels5645]

Grass roots is where it starts under 8’s all the way through to 1st team school rugby

[@toeasy7025]

Allow players to get paid at club level! It works for league and Aussie rules, why not union.

[@-James-A]

I know! Spend 5 million dollars on an overrated winger from rugby league. There. Problem solved.

[@robertmariu6783]

I picked Australia as the dark horse for the world cup till Jones came along ; unfortunately two damn good players decided to leave since .

[@mariusdavidescu4252]

What a legend! Remember how good was Australia a few years ago. What a great bunch of players - Quade Cooper, Michael Hooper, James O Connor, Matt Giteau, Ashley Cooper, Pocock, Will Genia...omg, incredible players. In my opinion, Wallabies made a big mistake by appointing Eddie Jones as their coach for the Rugby World Cup in France. This guy, even if he was a great coach at some point, he has zero character (he was negotiating a contract with Japan in the middle of the competition), and he simply destroyed the Wallabies team by not selecting the best players for the world cup. Not to mention what a bad relation he had with the media and also with some players. Quade Cooper and Michael Hooper missed France just because Eddie Jones tought they are not good enough. He made an experiment that was an epic fail.

[@izzy031096]

My friends kid just started playing rugby union in Northern Brisbane (we’re Kiwis). His entire team is Kiwis and South Africans, not a single Australian family there…

[@russe19642]

Start putting more effort in getting it into state schools. Any sport Australia competes at in state schools they're generally in the top countries around the world. We all remember interschool carnivals and flogging the private schools because they just didn't have the same talent pool to pick from.

[@rockkid8306]

Be good to see Australia make a comeback. No doubt they will very quickly with a few tweaks.

[@leroybrown8926]

I agree with Quade. Better off going it alone in an Australia comp.

[@stevvvvveperry]

The only problem with this is that it would make the wallabies less competitive because we don't have the talent that NZL or SA have. I think Aus and NZL Rugby needs to stop treating Super Rugby like a development comp for the national teams and should open up the competition to include international players. Imagine if the Brumbies could sign Antoine Dupont or Ardie Savea ? It would bring a lot more attention to the Aus sides, and the public would take the competition more seriously. Also, pathways should be available for Aus players to play in Europe and Japan. The only way this would happen is if Aus and NZL Rugby loosen their stranglehold on Super Rugby, which isn't likely.

[@abucs]

Perception should be based on reality, not the other way around. One is sanity, the other is insanity.

[@TrevorManetoa-w5g]

The issue for NZ and Australia Is they have a school boy structure.they are not using player from the clubs. Because school Boys Is like the foundation and Structure.Your right the domestic teams are also important...... i feel that Australia need to restaurant the system base on the international rules.because Everyone has the same game Plan Now. Lets find a new way

[@mr12aT]

I think a big issue is the fact that the NRL is enticing rugby union’s best players over with money. It’s hard for rugby union to hang onto these really good and exciting players. There’s a statistic being thrown around about how 30 to 40% of those who play in the NRL are I actually originally from union.

[@izzy031096]

Most Kiwi Nrl players started off playing union. That’s probably the bulk of that 30-40%

[@amounifnd]

The chopping and changing and dropping the best players like Quade, Hooper and the Folau debacle. There is something in the current team that looks good but is lacking some of these experienced players.

[@frisko3000]

Get it on free to air, promote it in schools, promote it on social media, make the tickets affordable and advertse that, give a free pie with a ticket like the lions used to, fill the grounds and watch the game grow.

[@indigenousone9735]

Didn’t this guy hosting have a podcast?

[@psychogoji]

One thing is that it's got to be off Stan. Nobody is watching on Stan, and you're not going to get that passerby look that gets you initially interested, like I got channel-flicking as a kid. Second thing, on what Quade said about there possibly being only two sports in Australia, where union is falling, basketball is surging in popularity. This is partly because of the availability of it on tv, streaming and social media, but it's also that kids have immediate access to it and can start getting into it. Nearly every park has a half-court, you only need one person and a ball to practice shooting, and two people to have a play around, practice defending/beating your man. Union's structure is too reliant on the schools playing in local/state/national competition to actively grow beyond the pool of talent, but if the students at those schools or who could be going to those schools are getting interested in basketball before they can try out for a XV, the switch is going to happen. Personal anecdote: my school (quite a small one) used to field a union team to go to NZ each year and down to NSW to play friendlies against schools. Now it's basketball teams, reserve rosters, seasonal training/interschool tournaments and trips to competitions like Nationals in Melbourne - and there's no sign we even had a union team.

[@dabzvapelord]

We need to seriously move away from the upper class image. I live in Melbourne's west and our club are stacked with working class, pacifika plays. When I speak to coworkers from NSW they wouldn't dream of watching union because it's considered 'posh.'

[@justincampbell4052]

Cooper is totally right!!!

[@thedappercook]

New Zealand's secret is the answer, public schools!!!! The public schools historically always kick the private schools butts. That's the only way. And the other thing, promotion/accessibility in Melbourne for example I've never seen it advertised on a billboard ever, then they want you to have a subscription to a streaming service to watch it, madness, they're killing themselves.

[@TheRealStevovo]

Same in South Africa. Public schools produce the Springboks

[@youtubeenthussiast328]

That's not true at all. You don't follow nz high school rugby. All the auckland schools in the 1A comp are private schools with massive budgets. It's got nothing to do with public or private schooling.

[@thedappercook]

@@youtubeenthussiast328 I'm a Kiwi who went to a private school, for decades it's being dominated by public schools. It's the secret sauce, if you know you know.

[@russe19642]

I've been saying that for ages,any sport that is played in Australian state schools they're generally in the top four internationally

[@grandadneal8114]

Wrong schools like St Kents and Kings poach all the best players from south auckland. Private schools do well public schools have lots of immigrants so rugby is not so popular as it used to be. Football and basketball especially have taken off over the last 10 years. NZ needs to think about allowing anyone from anywhere overseas to play for the all blacks. Like Brazil do in football. Keeping things insular and incestuous and hoping broadcasting revenue will keep everyone sweet is a recipe for disaster.

[@Mac-jx8uj]

Im no ⚽ fan but you didn't mention them and they have the most juniors . The private school thing is a problem.

[@jeremychurch590]

Like him or hate him - Quade makes plenty of valid points

[@capowable]

The Wallabies need to tap back into the root clubs before Super Rugby. Hoiles already made the point of players not clocking enough time in club games and Super Rugby rushing these players through, or they lose them to Japan. It also kept in touch with its fanbase a bit more when when the Wallabies were introduced by name and first grade club.

[@itstimetoleave167]

Fold the comp make league mad as hell

[@izzy031096]

Having to buy Stan just to watch union annoys me as a Kiwi. Wish it was just shown on Foxtel

[@n81ne]

Letting go of Israel Folau was the beginning of the downfall 😂 JESUS IS KING 💪🏽

[@adz0449]

Nrl smokes this shit 😂

[@raven4475]

Lets ask Mr "im not a big time player" how to fix Rugby in Australia.... Good one 👍

[@benjesse402]

Putting something on FTA isn’t going to shift the needle as even if this could be done the networks would demand it was on a secondary FTA channel and at 2pm on a Sat or Sunday. Kids these days aren’t tuning into FTA unless they are passionate fans. Getting new fans or participants needs to start in schools and with some positive results from our Super teams (as Quade states).

[@asianboss6355]

Follow the money 💰 💰💰

[@joshbau5481]

What’s with this audio.

[@donwilson6007]

Keep Eddie the germ away from it!

[@stephenhoward4471]

Im an afl fan, however i dont mind the 2 rugby codes either. I remember growing up watching australia beat the British and Irish lions and actually being able to beat the all blacks. Feels like a long time ago now 😮‍💨

[@fatborry]

We had an Australian comp, with two QLD teams a few years ago, and it wasn’t very successful for some reason.

[@Michael-ye4kw]

never know this guy was so smart

[@PatrickCuba8]

You don't have props, hookers and locks. At the grass roots these areas don't seem to be much glory in winning scrums, malls and lineouts. I mean it looks all flash to cut inside and make a line break, but you don't get those without the grunt work of the forwards.

[@xpat73]

They go on about the NRL but league at international level s an absolute joke. The World Cup is a joke. The only good thing used to the Kangaroo tours to the UK and the Brits coming down under for a tour. Union is still king at international level.

[@jason9996]

What difference does that make for Aussies watching domestically most don’t give a shit if a bunch of South Africans are watching the game

[@mungogerryjnr]

You don’t If you did it would only hurt another code If you love rugby you play rugby! Same with league or Aussie Rules If you love $$$$,you don’t play rugby! That’s it I haven’t given up on Australia,I’m a Kiwi and I obviously support ABs,but I know just one hopeless coach doesn’t ruin Australian Rugby does it. There has been an Australian team in the finals of Super Rugby nearly every year,this year including How is Australian rugby terrible with that ah Australia will beat South Africa soon!