Prince Charles now the Patron of AFL Europe

[Rabbit]

The Wallabies are poised to accept pay cuts to help stop the cash-strapped code going broke.
A new collective bargaining agreement is set to end the days of players earning a guaranteed $14,000 a Test, win, lose or draw.
The Australian Rugby Union's survival is at stake. It is in a perilous financial position, recording a $19 million deficit in the past two years and a worrying slump in support for the 15-man game.
The Wallabies' dismal results this year - winning just three of their nine Tests to drop to No. 4 in the world - have also hit attendances and sponsorship.
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In eight months since replacing John O'Neill as the union's chief executive, Bill Pulver, in his own words, has ''brutally attacked the cost base'' by making cuts across the board.
Even a windfall from the British and Irish Lions tour in winter will not get the ARU out of the hole dug by years of over-expenditure, largely with executive salaries.
Pulver has already slashed staff at the ARU. ''My first six months at the ARU, a lot of my time, has been spent ripping costs out of the place, basically,'' Pulver said.
''It's not been a lot of fun but it's been a very important cleansing experience.
''From a financial perspective we're going to be skating on thin ice for the next couple of years. Can we get through? Yes, we can. Is it going to be bloody hard? Yes, it is.''
Warnings of cuts to club rugby has made Pulver - thinking of a new third-tier national competition - unpopular in club circles, but he is making no apologies for drastic measures.
A cut in player salaries has firmly been on the agenda and should be revealed in the next two months, when a new agreement, the first since 2005, is expected to be finalised.
The ARU board meets on Monday to discuss the negotiations with the Rugby Union Players Association.
Both Pulver and the players' association boss, Greg Harris, confirmed that Test match payments - which would see a Wallaby earn $196,000 if he played all 15 Tests this year on top of his salary - were among the issues.
The former World Cup-winning skipper, Nick Farr-Jones, has led calls for incentive-based pay, claiming that Wallabies should be paid far less for defeats. Harris said the players' union was taking a conciliatory approach to ensure the game did not go under.
''Player directors [RUPA] have been united in their commitment in trying to assist the game in trying to confront the financial issues,'' Harris said.
The last time a new agreement was drafted, in 2005, the code was in rude health, with $35 million in the ARU war chest and crowd numbers that challenged rugby league as the nation's No. 2 code.
Harris hinted that top players benefited from a generous deal in the prosperous times.
''My predecessor [Tony Dempsey] did a very good job of negotiating for the players when the dams were full,'' he said. ''But we have a drought at the moment.''

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union ... z2hw9dGaTI

[Swans4ever]

Yes - know its broke - but doesn't change the fact that it is number 2 in WC stakes, it has a NATIONAL presence (RL only has interest in two states of Australia and RU will bounce back. Mismanagement can happen anywhere - that's why the NRL is employing AFL personnel to make it more professional!

[pHyR3]

RU will never bounce back, trust me it is dying in the place of RL. all the kids of today support their NRL team more than even the wallabies.

[Rabbit]

It is only going to get worse as more and more union juniors covert to league.

[NRLCrap1]

You're dreaming, both of you! In order to even scratch RU you HAVE to improve your presence in WA and Victoria! Otherwise you won't touch it!

[pHyR3]

You're dreaming, both of you! In order to even scratch RU you HAVE to improve your presence in WA and Victoria! Otherwise you won't touch it!

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/going- ... ce-trends/

Union crowds trending down, except last year in NZ which would be from the RWC in 2011 generating interest and everything.

Australian Super Rugby crowd firgures:
Year/Total/Average

2006/ 624,443/ 24,017
2007/ 530,818/ 21,233
2008/ 474,273/ 20,621
2009/ 504,198/ 19,392
2010/ 518,255/ 19,933
2011/ 419,613/ 19,073
2012/ N/A / N/A
2013/ N/A / 16,912 [After 8 rounds out of 19]

http://www.superrugbytips.com/2013/07/w ... dance.html

Can't seem to find 2012 or total 2013 crowd figures...

http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/10/26/le ... -in-rugby/


looking good from RU.

[Raiderdave]

You're dreaming, both of you! In order to even scratch RU you HAVE to improve your presence in WA and Victoria! Otherwise you won't touch it!

in order to scratch RU >

:_<> :_<>

fuck me
could this twat be any dumber ?

they LOST 19 Million in the last 2 years while the NRL made 45 Million in profits this year alone
so what has a bigger presence in WA & Vic done for them exactly ?

they need to improve to scratch us *****
not the other way around
:_<> :_<>
seriously
NFI is your middle name

[cos789]

Too painful to stick to the topic dave?

[pHyR3]

Too painful to stick to the topic dave?

just ignore the damning stats i provided RU is dying, RL will take over in Australia and eventually in the very distant future, will compete with union in NZ too. We definitely need to start expansion into RSA though, buy up players there and drum up support then put a club there too.

[Swans4ever]

Too painful to stick to the topic dave?

just ignore the damning stats i provided RU is dying, RL will take over in Australia and eventually in the very distant future, will compete with union in NZ too. We definitely need to start expansion into RSA though, buy up players there and drum up support then put a club there too.

Time will tell

[pHyR3]

Too painful to stick to the topic dave?

just ignore the damning stats i provided RU is dying, RL will take over in Australia and eventually in the very distant future, will compete with union in NZ too. We definitely need to start expansion into RSA though, buy up players there and drum up support then put a club there too.

Time will tell

Time HAS told 24k in 2006, below 17k in 2013. Did anyone bat an eyelid at bledisloe? oh yeah...i think australia lost or something.

did people pay attention for SOO?? YES!

similar trends in NZ bar 2012 after RWC, and same in RSA. Although south africa is a bit stranger cause there's little RL there to turn to. Dunno where the spectators are going, guess GFC woulda affected them.

[pHyR3]

you don't remember the hype that surrounded the RWC of 2003? too young i gues.

one of australia's highest rated sporting events ever

now look at it, barely measured on australia's sporting calendar. even 2011 wasn't thattt big.

[Swans4ever]

you don't remember the hype that surrounded the RWC of 2003? too young i gues.

one of australia's highest rated sporting events ever

now look at it, barely measured on australia's sporting calendar. even 2011 wasn't thattt big.

I think you'll find things are circular - they will pick up again as there is the private school aust wide who promote RU (even in Melb). Most of the money lost was poor admin. I wouldn't be writing off RU like they did to RL after Superleague!

[NRLCrap1]

Too painful to stick to the topic dave?

just ignore the damning stats i provided RU is dying, RL will take over in Australia and eventually in the very distant future, will compete with union in NZ too. We definitely need to start expansion into RSA though, buy up players there and drum up support then put a club there too.

Time will tell

Time HAS told 24k in 2006, below 17k in 2013. Did anyone bat an eyelid at bledisloe? oh yeah...i think australia lost or something.

did people pay attention for SOO?? YES!

similar trends in NZ bar 2012 after RWC, and same in RSA. Although south africa is a bit stranger cause there's little RL there to turn to. Dunno where the spectators are going, guess GFC woulda affected them.

Get back to us in 2031, a generation after that 2006 figure. THEN claim that "time has told". Seven years means nothing.

[pHyR3]

you don't remember the hype that surrounded the RWC of 2003? too young i gues.

one of australia's highest rated sporting events ever

now look at it, barely measured on australia's sporting calendar. even 2011 wasn't thattt big.

I think you'll find things are circular - they will pick up again as there is the private school aust wide who promote RU (even in Melb). Most of the money lost was poor admin. I wouldn't be writing off RU like they did to RL after Superleague!

private school kids only care about league these days

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union ... 2u5bk.html

i know quite a few, no one gives a flying fuck about union except perhaps the RWC.