‘If I want to take it seriously…’: The foreign threat to Australian rugby
Eddie Jones is a proud Australian. Jones was supposed to be the saviour that the Wallabies so desperately needed ahead of the Rugby World Cup, but the Aussies went on to finish their year with a woeful record of seven losses from nine starts.
On an infamous September night in Lyon, coach Jones looked sad, frustrated and almost embarrassed after the Wallabies’ record 40-6 defeat to Wales at OL Stadium. With the Wallabies on the cusp of a pool stage exit, it was the darkest night in Australian rugby history.
Jones spoke, quite uncharacteristically, with a monotone speech as the pain of defeat continued to sink in. With the weight of a nation resting on his shoulders, Jones apologised to the Australian rugby public.
“Our performance was not up to the standard that was required. I apologise for that. I take full responsibility for it,” Jones told reporters. “We do some good things and then fall away. It’s very disappointing.”
But that defeat was just another checkpoint in the Wallabies’ fall into the depths of despair. Following long-lasting rumours, Jones officially resigned as Australia’s head coach two days after the Rugby World Cup final.
Jones’s resignation brought an end to a drawn-out process that’s left Australian rugby in a bad place. Amidst rumours of a reunion with Japan’s Brave Blossoms, Jones has bailed from the Wallabies’ sinking ship.
But put down your pitchforks and torches. Take a step back and breathe.
While it would be easy to point the finger at Jones after being blinded by the frustration of the Wallabies’ diabolical form this year, it would also be naïve.
There’s a systemic issue that’s plaguing the Wallabies. Jones is only one man, and no mere mortal could stop the Australian rugby giant from falling as hard as they have.
Jones said it himself after the loss to Wales: “It’s not only the Wallabies we have got to improve, we’ve got to treat the whole system of Australian rugby.
“It’s not an excuse but we’ve got to have a really good look at ourselves and see what we’ve got to do to improve.”
Australian rugby has been left scarred by a lack of professional pathways and player development for far too long. This issue is starting to evolve into something much more concerning than once feared, too.
There was a consistent narrative in Australian media this year that Jones and Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan were trying to lure NRL stars ‘back’ to the 15-player game.
The likes of Joseph Suaalii, Angus Crichton, Cam Murray and Payne Haas have all been in the headlines, and all four players have a history in rugby union.
Losing generational talent to the NRL has almost begrudgingly become an accepted way of life in Australian rugby. It’s an issue, and one that may never go away, but it’s not the only problem hurting the sport Down Under.
Even the most passionate Wallabies fans may not be aware of the bigger issue at play. Forget about the NRL for a second; Australian rugby is competing with a new foreign threat to retain its own talent.
France are the three-time defending U20 World Championships winners. They foster rugby talent better than any other nation in the world, and their success has caught the attention of some Aussies.
Australian Miles Amatosero played high school rugby in Sydney but decided to sign for Clermont in 2020. The 21-year-old has been a revelation for the French powerhouse in the years since.
Amatosero will return to Australia’s shores after inking a deal with the New South Wales Waratahs for next season, with the towering lock signing as a marquee addition to the forward pack.
While it’s impossible to know whether Amatosero would’ve followed such a fast-tracked rise to stardom if he’d stayed in Australia, a foregone conclusion can be made.
Playing in France is simply a better option for young players.
New Zealand-born prop Uini Atonio is another prime example of a player who couldn’t find opportunity domestically but rose to superstar status after taking his talents to the Top 14.
This is a genuine pathway for young players nowadays, and it might even be the future of the sport unless the likes of Rugby Australia can address their own pressing issues. Australian rugby is in dire need of that review.
Toshi Butlin and Aiden Stait were both part of Super Rugby academies in Australia but decided to head north to Europe after receiving the opportunity of a lifetime with French juggernauts.
Butlin, 18, was part of the Queensland Reds Academy and played in Brisbane State High’s First XV for two years in the state’s prestigious GPS competition.
But for an emerging talent who wants “to take it seriously” after leaving the high school system in Brisbane, a move to the northern hemisphere was too good to turn down.
In a close finish Toshi Butlin claims the 🥉 in the u18 100m! Congratulations Toshi and Team! 🔥#gotigers🐯 #ThisIsAthletics pic.twitter.com/YpR2bIKHZ7
— Tigers Athletics Club (@tigersathsclub) April 1, 2022
Training in a professional French set-up is lightyears ahead of the pathway systems in Australia. Butlin was training for four hours a week in Brisbane, and is now matching that on a daily basis in France.
The Reds were “very supportive and aware” of Butlin’s decision to sign with Pau-based club Section Paloise, with the Queenslander currently training the house down with their academy.
While Butlin still dreams of one day pulling on Wallaby gold, the teenager has no regrets about making the move away from family, friends and loved ones.
“I understood where I sat in the Reds system. Under 18 Academy with other boys straight out of school and obviously, there’s people before me that have graduated – there’s probably Aussie Schoolboys and people before me,” Butlin told RugbyPass.
“The opportunity to train full-time in a professional setup like the Reds is something that’s very scarce for boys like me, or just lots of boys my age where there’s a big pool of us and only a few selection people that are straight into, not the Academy, but the next level.
“From school into outside of school, there’s a big drop in the amount of training you do. At Brothers, a great club, you only train twice a week.
“Straight from school and training lots, you go into Colts footy where we had no gym sessions during the week. There are only two field sessions that are probably like two hours each, so four hours a week of footy.
“For me, if I want to take it seriously, I have to be playing more than just four hours a week.
“This opportunity here, I’m training in a full-time setup, so I’m training every single day. I’m at the training centre for four hours each day so it’s already so much more footy.
“On the side of that, being able to train in a professional setup this young full-time, but if I do the three years here I get the eligibility as a French player which is very valuable.
“I still haven’t really thought too far into the future. Obviously, the goal is to play Wallabies and your chance to do that is to play Super Rugby but the game changes.
“If I’m counted as a French player then my opportunities here… I’m in a bigger pool of players… it just gives more opportunities.
“It’s life experience as well so it gives you a different pathway so be in a professional setup earlier than I would be if I stayed in Australia.”
As a teenager, Butlin packed his bags and made the “tough” decision to move out of home in the pursuit of his rugby dream.
Butlin’s manager sent a highlight reel to clubs including Stade Francais and European champions La Rochelle, but Section Paloise were “very eager” to sign the youngster and that’s what won him over.
“I have to be playing more than just four hours a week.”
The speedy outside-back hadn’t played a game for his new club at the time of this conversation but already felt that he was a better player after just three months in France.
“There’s much more detail over here I guess,” Butlin added. “In a Colts system (in Australia), obviously it’s not a professional set up… what more can they do really with what they have?
“Being able to be in a professional setup early, just being around professionals as well, you learn off them.
“It’s very challenging though… the best way you learn is being put into a difficult situation.
“I haven’t been able to play yet but I’m much more physically developed and (so is my) rugby IQ.”
Butlin isn’t alone. In a rugby world that lacks opportunity and direction for young players in Australia, the decision to sign for a French academy is a no-brainer.
Much like Butlin, 19-year-old Aiden Stait is another emerging talent who has been lost to Australian rugby for at least the next few years.
Stait played rugby league for practically his entire life – all but three games, in fact, before moving to France – which included a stint with the St George Dragons’ SG Ball team.
The New South Welshman, who stands at more than two metres tall, was “all league” before missing out on the Dragons’ extension squad.
It was a personal disappointment for a youngster who only ever dreamed of playing NRL. But when one door closes, another opens.
Stait received the first message that would ultimately change his life as the University of Sydney called on the teenager to join their rugby ranks.
“You’d be silly not to give union a crack,” Stait was told, so he accepted. Making the move from Bathurst in country NSW to Sydney was daunting, but it had to be done.
After completing pre-season, the second rower was struck down with “an unlucky run with injuries” including a stress fracture in his back and a dislocated shoulder.
Stait missed 12 games that season and only returned to play the last few for the third Colts side. But an opportunity to move abroad beckoned after his rugby league reel was sent to some of the best clubs in Europe.
The towering lock had Zoom calls with Lyon, Stade Francais and La Rochelle, but ended up joining the Bayonne Academy after signing a three-year deal.
“France, over here they live and breathe rugby. Wherever you walk someone will know you, someone will talk to you, it’s all rugby everywhere you look,” Stait told RugbyPass.
“In Australia, rugby is down. You’ve got AFL and NRL. In this World Cup, you go on social media and everything’s negative.
“Even the academies, you go to the academies and I train three times a day and in Australia, we’ll train four to six in the afternoon.
“Don’t get me wrong, at Sydney Uni I learnt a lot but I’ve learned more here in the two months than I did at Sydney Uni purely just because of how many times we train and the work effort we put in.”
By his own admission, Stait “struggled” with the switch from rugby league to union. Off the kick-off in his first game, the forward instinctively ran back 10 metres in defence.
But at the same time, Stait was learning from the best in the state as a member of the NSW Waratahs Academy. A mutual contact sent the Sydney-based Super Rugby club Stait’s highlight reel, and it led to an incredible opportunity with Bayonne.
In his own words, “That was the hardest bit” about moving to France.
“The Waratahs, they’ve been good to me and they didn’t have to take me in and they did, so I was all for the Waratahs,” Stait added.
“I couldn’t go past the fact that France had just offered me to travel the world and play football in France.
“When I did some research… it all their academy, their pro system, their all-but new facilities. It was crazy how much more they live and breathe rugby over here.
“They said on the Zoom call, ‘If you’re willing to learn and work, you’ll be able to play professional rugby in two, three years.’
“If you weren’t good enough (in Australia) you were sure told that you weren’t good enough.”
Australian rugby is at a crossroads. With the Wallabies bowing out of the World Cup at the pool stage for the first time, the impending external review must be both thorough and significant.
Tough conversions must be had for important changes to be made.
While the introduction of Super Rugby u16s and u19s is a step in the right direction, sure, it’s also missing the point. For most of the year, these young Aussies are given next to no hope of developing as rugby players.
They’re better off going to France.
Comments on RugbyPass
This is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
86 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
29 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
226 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
226 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to commentsIf he had stopped insisting on playing in the backrow, instead of wing, where everyone told him he should, he would have been a Bok years ago….
11 Go to comments‘Salads don’t win scrums’ 😂 I love that.
19 Go to commentsCan’t wait for the article that talks about misogyny in Ireland. Somehow.
19 Go to commentsI would like to see a rule change, when the attacking team is held up over the try line, by allowing the defensive team to restart a goal line drop out releases the pressure for the defensive team, but what if the attacking team had to restart a tap 5m out from the defensive team it gives the attacking team to apply more pressure, there are endless options for the attacking side and it will keep the fans in suspence.
2 Go to commentsLess modern South African males predictably triggered.
19 Go to commentsMy heart is with Quins, but the head is convinced Toulouse have too much. Ntamack is back, his timing and wisdom has been missed.
1 Go to commentsWow, what a starting line up for the Sharks) Tasty up front,kremer vs Tshituka or venter …fiery ,,Lavannini ,,will he knobble etzebeth? Biggest game for belleau?
1 Go to commentsIt was rubbish to watch, Blues weren’t even present. Did what they had to do, nothing more. Should be better next week against canes.
1 Go to commentsI’ve just noticed that this match has an all-French refereeing team. Surely a game like this ought to have a neutral ref? Although looking at the BBC preview of the Saints game, Raynal is also down as reffing that - so there may be some confusion about who is reffing what.
1 Go to comments