After the Wallabies’ heaviest defeat to Wales and theirlikely exit from the World Cup at the pool stage,the game in this country is in crisis. It is scary we have to reach the bottom to understand we’re in trouble. It’s about time people were held accountable through KPIs.
Kids have to want to be Wallabies. Do they now?
Eddie Jones was booed every time he appeared on the screen in Lyon.Credit:AP
I’ve been trying to warn influential figures in the game but my cries have fallen on deaf ears. I’ve met McLennan and told him the problems. For the past five years,I have travelled Australia to coach kids and try to make a difference,as I’ve seen the decline in skills and coaching at grassroots. I’ve been to Emerald,Roma,Townsville. You name the town,I’ve been there and I’ve loved it. Rugby is alive and well in country areas.
I ask the kids after training to name their favourite Wallaby. Most of them can’t name one player. We want to hear less from McLennan and more about the players.
Things started to unravel about the time of the Israel Folau saga,when Australian rugby lost plenty of supporters. No one was held accountable for that and there is an alarming lack of accountability for this new crisis.
People criticise me for being loud with my opinions,but it’s because I love rugby and want it to prosper in this country. Australian rugby has cancelled me,but I’ve never changed my views from day one.
If Eddie Jones leaves Australian rugby with four years remaining on his deal,McLennan must be held responsible. You could argue no one could have known Jones would do this. Regardless,an early Jones departure after so much upheaval to get him in the job would be a sledgehammer blow to the game.
In May,Jones told theEvening Standard Rugby Podcast:“[If] we win the World Cup,it will be time to go. If we lose the World Cup,it will be time to go.”
After the Wales game,Jonesthreatened to walk out of a press conference if reporters kept asking questions abouthis interview with the Japan rugby federation,which from all reports is true. Are we,the rugby public,expected to be taken for idiots?
I can’t blame Jones solely for what happened,but I can blame the system. Wallabies fans like myself are devastated they are not winning and that Australian rugby is not thriving.
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan.Credit:Steven Siewert
The RA board is not showing accountability,and it feels like McLennan is untouchable.
Why can’t we have a system,similar to soccer club Barcelona,where members join with a fee – let’s say $100 – and get a vote to elect the board? Fans don’t have any direct influence,and as a former Wallaby,I don’t have any say in the direction of the game in this country.
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Jones is very passionate and one of the hardest-working coaches I’ve seen. You cannot dispute his commitment to the cause.
I was trolled on my social media accounts for being critical of Jones lately. Sticking up for what you believe in also comes at a cost.
This is a crucial moment for the game in this country and reform is needed. It starts at the top.
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