The Rogues Rant

Welcome to The Rogues Rant, an occasional look at all things Rugby.

There is going to have to be some very serious consideration given to the future of Super Rugby in the very near future. The tournament really is starting to look very tired and interest is waning with the disjointed draw and the ongoing dominance of the New Zealand sides. There are strong comments coming out of South Africa in various publications regarding just where the South African sides should be playing their Rugby. With two sides, The Cheetahs and Kings already doing their thing in Europe, plenty of pundits are suggesting that the future for all the Republican sides lies in Europe. Similar time zone to the Republic and less traveling involved than the Southern comp. The Kiwis are making noises about whether the whole thing is worthwhile given their current ongoing superiority. As for Australia one must consider if the whole process is money well spent or if there is a better way to develop the game in this country. In 2017 Rugby Australia poured $39Mil into the four current Super Rugby franchises (Not including Western Force) and a further $25Mil in further player payments plus some extra Wallaby top ups. All we have to show for all that money is forty odd straight losses to New Zealand sides and only a marginally better performance against the rest of the Super sides. The performance of the Wallabies over the last couple of years can also only be described as unimpressive. As I have said a few times before there is something very wrong with player development in this country and it is clear the current structure including Super Rugby is not producing the quality of player required for Australian Rugby to be competitive at an international level. It has to change and it has to change now!