Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Where is Australia's next generational talent?

By Ben Smith
Aussie talent

The longest drought in Australian rugby, a 35-game winless streak against New Zealand opposition has led to many questions surrounding the state of the game in Australia.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prior to the Reds match against the Chiefs, Queensland prop James Slipper was asked how this had happened.

“It’s a good question and I’m sure if we knew the answer earlier we would have rectified it,” Slipper said.

“There’s a bit of a gap between the Aussie and Kiwi teams but I believe we are clawing it back with hard work.”

When pressed to explain the difference James Slipper explained that New Zealand has opened the gap by “staying up with trends in play, (superior) skill execution and how they have been coached.”

“And, honestly, it’s always down to the basics that the Kiwis do well and we are working on…catch-pass, tackling, set piece, running hard and winning collisions,” Slipper said.

Whilst those are all valid and accurate points, it could be argued these are all merely symptoms of a game losing its relevance in the Australian sporting landscape. With four professional football codes – Aussie Rules, Rugby League, Football and Rugby Union, Rugby Australia has lost countless battles to keep the game at the forefront of the market.

ADVERTISEMENT

At the same time across the ditch, the rise of professionalism in rugby has led to a turbo-charged production line in New Zealand from schoolboys through to Super Rugby. Throughout the early 2000’s the game was relatively early in its days as a professional game and as such a large proportion of schoolboy teams were still the ‘two trainings a week’ type with limited to no strength and conditioning.

By the end of the decade, the 1st XV schoolboy competition had become intensified nationally, with vast amounts of money being invested by schools in semi-professional rugby programmes. As the national code, upwards of a 100 schools dedicated serious resources to the game.

With a time lag of roughly 4 years between ending school and making it to Super Rugby, those graduating from 2008-2010 would hit the pros around 2012-2014. This new generation has been training like professionals since they were 15 and playing upwards of 30-40 competitive games a year, not just against local competition but the best of the best nationally.

Meanwhile, the game in Australia has always been held within insular associations of private schools in the states of New South Wales and Queensland. The strongest and most prominent are the GPS associations of around nine member schools in both states, who play within each association. In Queensland, they play each other competitively eight times in a year.

ADVERTISEMENT

With New Zealand’s best talent playing at least four times more than that, for every one year of skill development for an Australian player the Kiwi player is effectively getting three or four. Fast forward to the time they play professionally and that’s a big difference in learned skill and experience. We are seeing that play out every time a New Zealand side plays an Australian side despite Kiwi sides getting younger and Australia hanging on to players of yesteryear.

This is not the fault of the GPS schools, without them the game would be officially dead. Rather, Rugby Australia has failed to align with them, increase the number of games they are playing, and find a way to foster competition on a national level that benefits the development of the players. At this stage, the chasm is so wide the point of no return has been reached.

Australian sides will eventually beat a Kiwi side, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Once every twenty or thirty matches is no competition. There is no stopping the avalanche of points coming every time New Zealand sides play Australian sides until there is a structural change from the bottom up.

Australia got left behind and it might be too late to do anything about it.

Video Spacer

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough' Juan Ignacio Brex: 'Italy made history, but it's not enough'
Search