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‘There’s boy Wallaroos’: The ‘special’ growth of women’s rugby in Australia

The Australian Wallabies and Wallaroos pose for a combined team photo following the Wallabies Captain's Run at Allianz Stadium on July 05, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The Wallaroos are a team trending in the right direction. While it can be easy to focus on their record of one win and three losses to start their 2024 campaign under coach Jo Yapp, the bigger picture being painted is more powerful than any result.

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Australia ran riot last weekend in a point-scoring 64-5 blitz of Fiji at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium. Winger Desiree Miller stole the show by becoming just the second Wallaroo behind dual international Ruan Sims to score four tries in a Test.

Fijiana had scored first but the result was never really in doubt with 10 minutes left in the first half. The Wallaroos bounced back from their educational World Rugby Pacific Four Series with a masterful performance full of positives.

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But then, as any old rugby game does, the full-time whistle eventually sounds. Once the match stops, opposing warriors exchange pleasantries of congratulations and support in the middle of the field by shaking hands before peeling off into their own groups.

The Wallaroos had plenty of time for their supporters who still had about an hour to wait until the Wallabies match kicked off. Captain Michaela Leonard and coach Yapp were in the press conference room at that point.

With players taking selfies and signing autographs for young fans who just wanted to meet their heroes, it was another moment that showed how far the game in Australia has come. Earlier in the week, the Wallaroos had a similar experience at a fan day.

“It’s one thing to have little girls come up to you and look up to you because we didn’t have that when we were younger, but even the boys coming up and asking for our autographs and photos, it’s just really special,” Desiree Miller told a reporter from each of RugbyPass, Rugby.com.au and the Sydney Morning Herald.

“It shows that we are a motivator for both sexes and all genders.

“We even have a staff member’s son who says, ‘Oh there’s boy Wallaroos.’ Flips over the Wallaroos [team] sheet to the Wallabies and goes, ‘Oh they’re boy Wallaroos.’

“It’s just really special to know that we’re seen as equal and we’re building together as a country and as one club.”

It was quite incredible to see something similar at North Harbour Stadium on Auckland’s North Shore in the first Laurie O’Reilly Cup Test of the year. Both the Black Ferns and Wallaroos waited around patiently for a good 40 minutes post-game for their supporters.

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While even young Kiwi fans were desperate to meet their Aussie rivals that afternoon, the two nations will stand on opposing sides of a rugby field soon enough when their second clash of the year kicks off.

Australia will host their Trans-Tasman foe this weekend at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium. New Zealand won in a landslide last time out but the Wallaroos will take plenty of confidence out of their win back at home.

“I guess we just build from here,” Miller said.

“Obviously, New Zealand play a different game and (are) really tough; always put out a physical, fast-moving game.

“I think if we take our confidence and our strengths from this game and work on those little 1 per cent efforts that need improvement, we’ll put up a good stint against New Zealand and hopefully we can hold them out.”

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J
JW 3 hours ago
Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year

It really all depends of how much overseas players would be paid (by NZR) to play for the All Blacks. I’ve not heard a peep on this front from any author suggesting it’s a good idea.


If it’s nothing (a player gets his weekly paycheck from the club and thats it (which we know is definitely not the case in Ireland and France, or SA even I think?), then maybe it would retain more SR level players given that they’ll be getting the “AB” component (which is about where things stand, Burke for instance would have had to had his Sader contract upgraded to an AB one (think above Pero levels) to be on similar money.


I’d having to imagine if a player is getting paid to do nothing over the international windows though, they are going to want to get paid extra for appear for the ABs, so in this situation, it’s hard to see many players being retained, yes.


I’m pretty sure they flew to Japan and met in person.


I’ve heard/had these discussions numerous times. I don’t think theres anyway to judge the interest that would be retain in SR. For one, it might be a more entertaining league as a result, as the JRLO is compared to Europe, despite it obviously being a lesser standard.


If SRP is of a lesser standard and now able to use Japanese and American players to bolster teams, perhaps those markets more than make up for the downturn in NZ and Aus? Perhaps it gives NZR flexibility to create a more fit for purpose interdomestic competition, and interest actually increases? All you might need is a proper pathway from school to pro?


Razor asked NZR to keep an open mind. Did NZR answer any of these questions to themself?

24 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.


So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.


The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?


This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?


Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

36 Go to comments
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