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'Managed the game atrociously': Former World Cup-winning Wallabies captain unleashes on Rugby Australia

By Online Editors
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Former World Cup-winning Wallabies captain Nick Farr-Jones has unleashed on the Rugby Australia board, declaring the organisation as “unbankable”.

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The 57-year-old ex-halfback told Triple M radio on Saturday that the COVID-19 pandemic has only brought the union’s dire financial state to light, and said that RA only has itself to blame.

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“In sport, your revenues come from three areas,” Farr-Jones said.

“Broadcasting is representative of about 40 or 50 percent of anticipated revenues or budgeted revenues and then you’ve got sponsors chip in about a third and the balance is largely game day, which is bums on seats and merchandising and what have you.

“And I think in all those three areas in the last couple of years, rugby has managed the game atrociously.”

Among a raft of issues currently facing the game in Australia, Farr-Jones – who skippered the Wallabies to their first World Cup crown in 1991 – was livid at RA chief executive Raelene Castle’s inability to secure a new broadcast deal.

Rugby is consequently left facing insolvency amid the coronavirus outbreak, with RA bracing for a worst-case scenario of a loss in excess of $90 million should no further rugby be played this year.

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“Sadly, because we don’t have a broadcasting deal, which the other codes do have, we are basically, in my opinion, unbankable,” Farr-Jones said.

“The NFL went out and raised, I think it was, $600 million through banks. I mean, what a phenomenal situation because they’ve got this great broadcasting agreement that’s in place.

“I think the NRL recently announced that they were going to give each club $2.5 million. That is because they’re bankable.

“What are the future incomes of Rugby Australia look to? A hole in the donut.”

The 63-test star asked if it was time for Castle – who is facing intense pressure to keep her job following the announcement of $9.4 million loss for 2019 on Monday – to step aside from her position.

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“I think the rugby community has lost confidence in the senior executives and the board of Rugby Australia. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.

“It hasn’t been fantastic the last couple of years.

“Not only has the way we’ve played, be it the Super clubs or the disappointment of last year’s World Cup in Japan.

“But it’s really all aspects of the game… you look at the crowd numbers, for example.”

In addition to the multi-million dollar deficit, Castle announced that RA would stand down 75 percent of its staff in an attempt to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, while also taking a 50 percent pay slash – believed to be worth around $400,000 – herself.

The ensuing week has been a tumultuous one for Castle and RA, which gave itself a 72 percent performance rating for last year at Monday’s annual general meeting.

That was despite Australian rugby enduring a lacklustre 12 months, which featured a quarter-final exit by the Wallabies at the World Cup, the Israel Folau saga, severely low attendance figures and numerous high-profile players depart Super Rugby.

Critics of Castle – including ex-Wallabies trio Phil Kearns, Rod Kafer and George Gregan – have since questioned the justification behind RA’s relatively high performance rating and are advocating for change at the top of the hierarchy.

A report from the Daily Telegraph suggested that Kearns had the backing to replace Castle next year, but the former Wallabies hooker has since dismissed those claims as “paper talk”.

Furthermore, a public spat between RA and the Rugby Union Players’ Association has only just been resolved after the association attained documents to allow full access to the governing body’s finances on Saturday after it had allegedly been requesting them for nearly a month.

RUPA chief executive Justin Harrison is hopeful that by obtaining the documents, talks regarding player pay cuts amid the COVID-19 outbreak can be sped up, but Farr-Jones isn’t surprised that RA held out from discussions with the association.

“If it wasn’t for the participation fee that we would have got from last year’s World Cup, which was an outstanding success in Japan, we’d be broke now,” Farr-Jones said.

“That would be the only reserves we’ve got.

“I think the only reason Rugby Australia hasn’t sat down with RUPA sooner and cut a deal is because then they’d be crystallising liabilities going forward, which they don’t have income to pay for.

“That is an ongoing concern issue. If you’re a board director, you basically have to look at voluntary administration.

“So that is the reason I think they’ve stalled on meeting with RUPA. That’s why they cut 75 per cent of their staff last week. We just don’t have the income going forward.”

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J
Jon 18 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

31 Go to comments
j
john 2 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 7 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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