A very disappointing day for rugby in Australia. It seems history is set to repeat itself with another Australian Super Rugby Team ceasing to exist. It is naive to think reducing the professional contracting opportunities by 20% will increase depth and competition. The NRL and AFL have 17 and 18 teams respectively, Rugby will have 4. Which code do you think juniors will steer towards? A 1/4 chance or a 1/17 or 1/18, less career opportunities will equal less depth as potential players seek certainty and better odds of making it professional. How could a governing body be ignorant to a franchise operating insolvent for multiple years? I question whether this failure of corporate governance raises more concerns for the future of professional rugby in Australia.
STATEMENT | RUGBY VICTORIA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rugby Australia has made the heartbreaking decision to discontinue the Melbourne Rebels beyond the 2024 Super Rugby season. This decision has a significant impact on staff, families, players, fans, volunteers and elite pathways in Victoria. The hard work and dedication that has gone into the Melbourne Rebels behind the scenes over the past 14 years cannot be overstated and we extend our deepest sympathies to all during this difficult time. We must remember that the game of Rugby is built from the grassroots. It is about the people who play it, who administer it, who coach it and those who support it. Let's stand together now, more than ever, to support Victorian Rugby Union. #StrongerBindsVictoria #VicRugby #VicProud
Well said, Mike. The Rebels have been in existence less time than it takes for a generation of kids to come through as adult players. There is clearly good progress being made around junior engagement with rugby, but all parts of the pathway need to stay intact, otherwise this becomes little more that a free gift for the Storm. If the sport can't afford to maintain a professional presence in Melbourne, can't afford to retain coaching and playing talent in Aus, then there needs to be an honest, transparent and inclusive account of why, what and how. Not the pumping of a narrative that this is an isolated problem all down to a group of rogue/incompetent directors. And now we will have to sit through the pain and frustration of seeing talented young players and high quality coaches leave Australia or be lost to rugby altogether...
Was never going to work in Melbourne -
Well written and articulated. A very concerning day for rugby union in a state that is so highly regarded as one of the greatest sporting cities in the world. Australian rugby is on life support, this has been a long time coming and serious investment is required to restore the pride and enthusiasm of current and aspiring Wallabies. Heartfelt condolences to those that make such an effort to restore the credibility of rugby union in Melbourne which now is severely impacted. What’s next for the ARU?
Well said Michael
Melbourne should focus on Rugby League, AFL and Soccer. Rugby Union can be a boutique sport played in pockets. A true second tier game, leave the professional Rugby to the NRL
Excellent points and well said
Years ago I was involved in an early crack at building girls footy in our area. It started well, had some interest, but netball was difficult to compete with and as the girls aged out of under 12s they would often stop playing except a core group which were a friendship group. The problem then became getting the next wave to join. At one stage two big junior boys clubs couldn't get one combined team in a girls competition. The reason - there was no pathway. No professional sport. Rugby in Victoria has always struggled against the other codes, now you have no home grown pathway. If you don't come up with an alternative pathway you can kiss goodbye Victoria and watch players go into the NRL. The sad thing is there are kids here who suit Rugby and will probably never play it. Look forward to the strategic plan that focuses on two states to drive the Wallabies. If Rugby Australia won't support it - are there private parties that would?
Articulated very well mate! Super rugby in Australia is a flawed system. There’s no salary cap on Australian contracted players, and no draft system to assist teams at the bottom end of the table to improve. It is heavily skewed for the Waratahs to be successful and that has not eventuated a lot of the time for NSW. How is it equitable for new franchises (rebels and force) to be competitive in the Australian rugby landscape? I remember playing for the rebels against the Waratahs in 2013 and there was 17 ARU contracted players playing for the Waratahs and 3 ARU contracted players playing for the rebels. How do you expect new franchises to be competitive when this is the case? If you calculated the total salaries for the match day 23 for each team the Waratahs would have blown the rebels budget out ten fold. There needs to be an overhaul in the Australian rugby system instead of just culling teams and expecting that to be the solution. What are the rugby pathways for Melbourne based players now with no professional franchise in the state? Fingers crossed this does not go from bad to worse.
Area Manager Tetris Capital
10moAt this rate of decline in Rugby Union in Australia we are heading towards a tier 2 Nation status if this keeps continuing! Come on Corporste World, Twiggy, Gina, Stokes get behind the code and become unified!