Up the Students

Congrats to Sydney University Rugby Club on winning both the first grade and second grade grand finals for the second year in a row. Uni is a great club and I hope that they, along with other strong clubs in Sydney and Brisbane fight against the imposition of the proposed national competition next year. This is not what Australian rugby needs, the third tier competition already exists and it exists at club level. Rugby power brokers should be pouring funds into the already existing club structure and strengthening it even further. Clubs like Uni, Randwick, and Eastwood are already producing the bulk of the Wallabies, so they clearly represent a strong foundation in Australian rugby. Why introduce a new competition with 8 brand new teams? These teams have no financial backing, no supporters base, no tradition or history. Surely it would be better to enhance the current club competition when a club like Uni already has a base of players, fans, sponsors and the history and tradition associated with being the oldest rugby club outside of the British Isles.

If a national competition is what we must have, then let's make it one made out of existing clubs. Take the strongest clubs from Sydney and Brisbane, add in the Canberra Vikings and a team from Perth. A first and reserve grade competition could exist concurrently within this format; lower grades, as well as the remaining Sydney and Brisbane teams not included in the national comp, could continue the club competitions in their current format. Surely this is a recipe for success! At the very least it is a much more cost effective option than what is currently being proposed. The national competition as it has been proposed is a huge risk and faces losses amounting to millions of dollars within its first few years.

The powers that be at Australian Rugby headquarters need to look at what has and what currently makes Australian rugby strong; that is, the foundation and strength that Sydney and Brisbane club rugby provides. The people who support their clubs at this level are the real supporters of the game, don't take away the clubs they support!

The ARU should give Australian rugby supporters what they want, and not what they think they should have.