Pumas to field strongest combinations
9 Nov 2011
Australia Rugby Union boss John O’Neill has allayed concerns that Argentina won’t have their best players available for the 2012 Rugby Championship.
The newly-established tournament will see the Pumas pitted against South Africa, Australia and world champions New Zealand. However, the tournament schedule overlaps with the European rugby season. Many of Argentina’s key players ply their trade there, and their potential unavailability was the major obstacle to the Pumas’ competitiveness.
European sides have generally been reluctant to release their Argentina internationals during the club season, however, O’Neill said negotiations with the IRB on this issue were successful.
‘The IRB, with our help, changed the regulations relating to the availability, so opened the window such that the clubs had to release the players to play in the Rugby Championship,’ O’Neill said.
‘They need to be competitive, they’ll be found out if they are not. That’s not a suggestion they are on trial, they are a fiercely proud, fiercely competitive nation. On the day, the way they play, they can choke you to death. I’m confident we’re going to see an enhanced Rugby Championship.’
O’Neill continued, suggesting that the southern hemisphere’s calendar was now full in light of an expanded Super Rugby tournament and the Rugby Championship. ‘That’s really at the maximum level of tolerance in terms of just how much rugby we can fit into a year and the player welfare component of it is quite significant,’ O’Neill said.
‘The coaches in particular and the medical staff and the strength and conditioning people in all four countries, particularly the SANZAR countries, are very conscious of the need to manage the playing stocks sensibly. But it’s as much rugby as we can possibly play without being ridiculous.’
27 Comments
9 Nov 2011, 09:22 am
o neill is a ***.
9 Nov 2011, 09:42 am
Going to awesome
9 Nov 2011, 09:48 am
Time to keep negativity in captivity !!!!
9 Nov 2011, 10:19 am
O’Niel talks too much. He is trying to paper over the cracks. IRB might say one thing, but European clubs have more power then them over the players. Argentinian International Rugby players playing in France from end of August to of June already, the rugby Championship is set to go from beginning of August to October. Thats one month less recovery time already for the players, which is more or less physical abuse!!! But from the clubs perspective its 3 months less time with their players on top of when they already lose them, during November and June! Its not going to happen unless Argentina pays them a massive compensation, but they have no money, so South Africa, New Zealand and Australia will have to pay a massive compensation. That aint gonna happen either…..
9 Nov 2011, 10:34 am
Too much rugby.
9 Nov 2011, 10:44 am
@stew(stew)-3:
is it ryme time?…
9 Nov 2011, 10:44 am
J O’Niell- sports administrative genius… the Don of Southern Hemisphere rugby.
9 Nov 2011, 12:05 pm
O’Neill is playing to his audience. He was opposed to Argentina’s inclusion right from the start. Only South Africa really supported them in their bid to join the Tri Nations. One voice out of three can’t do anything within SANZAR so that is why the IRB had to get involved. The first excuse the Aussies (and their Kiwi lapdog, Steve Tew) proposed was this question of players at French clubs. Augustin Pichot and others visited all the French clubs and got them to agree to call ups, and the IRB created an official window so that countries have first call on the players. There has been a change to regulation 9.
What he is saying now is just spin to cover the fact that his view on the matter was defeated. He might as well say, “They PROMISED me they would field their best players, I’ll be the first to complain if they ever send a weakened team to Australia and ticket sales are low.”
You will notice that although Argentina have joined the Rugby Championship, they are not members of SANZAR. That is something the IRB cannot insist on. The whole idea of SANZAR is getting out of control anyway. All they do is organise two competitions, something that can probably done by a relatively small department of SARU and their partners. However, SANZAR now have a registered company (in Australia), a salaried CEO (Australian) and a salaried manager of referees (New Zealander). Funny that we don’t need a separate company to organise the England tour next June.
In the parallel universe of John O’Neill, Australia would only play the All Blacks twelve times a year and the ARU would make millions from that. They tolerate, rather than embrace, South African involvement because of the TV audience, and TV rights contracts, that South Africa brings.
It’s getting to the stage where it might be beneficial to SARU to get out of SANZAR and sell the rights for all home tests directly to Supersport, as they do now for the June tests.
Also, a word of praise for SARU who included the Pampas XV in the Vodacom Cup. Many players made their way into the Pumas World Cup team from the 2010 and 2011 Vodacom Cup squads, proving that there is an alternative to playing professional rugby in France. While Australia and New Zealand were finding reasons to exclude Argentina, SARU were actually fixing the problem.
9 Nov 2011, 13:32 pm
@Alicamousa(Slider)-8: O’Neill opposed Argentina joining up until Australia began to take 5 thumpings a year from NZ. Then he decided having the Argies on board wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I will laugh when they beat the Aussies in Buenos Aires.
9 Nov 2011, 14:37 pm
Maybe this will open up opportunities for Argentinian players to play for Super rugby teams.
I can see a couple of Australian franchise teams trying to sign an Argentinian prop or two.
9 Nov 2011, 15:48 pm
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-10: and the stormers
9 Nov 2011, 16:42 pm
@Alicamousa(Slider)-8: Great post. I have been saying the way to make it work is to first get a couple of provincial Argentinian teams involved in the Super tournament, to get their players away from Europe and then bring them in internationally. The other way around will be a disaster. There is no way the Argentinian players will be able to play the season proposed to them if they play in the French league, where funnily enough the majority of them do!
10 Nov 2011, 00:46 am
@HongKongSlong(HongKongSlong)-4: @Alicamousa(Slider)-8: Farken GREAT posts chaps… VERY interesting.
10 Nov 2011, 06:26 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-7:
are you on crack?
you must be sshitting me?
is that just a windup or do you actually believe what you said?
10 Nov 2011, 06:45 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-14:
Which part don’t you agree with mate?
The sports-administration genius?
In that case read-up on how he transformed Australian soccer into the A league in just a few seasons… or look at the immediate effect an extra Australian team has had on the dramatic 28% in subscription television rugby union viewership in just one season (the revenue of which ALL of the SANZAR unions get to share the spoils)…
The Don of Southern Hemisphere rugby?
Well it’s very difficult to argue that he cannot just have his way with SANZ at the ‘negotiating table’ now innit?
10 Nov 2011, 07:14 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-15:
lets just agree that it would take an ozzie to see the administrative ‘genius’ in him and then label him a ‘don’.
problem is you dont get to give yourself labels and hope the world will call you that…the world will call you for what it sees you…and he’s a chump for the most part.
i read he’s announced he’s stepping down at the end of his term. this must be due to political wrangling of sorts going on internally at the aru, no?
10 Nov 2011, 07:33 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-16:
Yet I’d have him at SARU in a flash over the incompetent dilettantes currently at the helm…
His end of term is 2013, he’s already achieved what he’s set out to… I’d think a second 3 yr stint with the ARU is enough for anyone…
10 Nov 2011, 07:49 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-17:
cant say you’d find anyone calling any saru admin guys ‘geniuses’ or ‘dons’ anytime soon…that just reinforces the point i’m trying to make doesn’t it.
but having said that i must say i have to some extent been pleasantly surprised by jurie roux as ceo, so far. he’s still under 40 so will hopefully grow more skilled with time, thats if he stays in rugby admin.
10 Nov 2011, 08:21 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-18: O’Neill has been able to improve rugby’s position in a very difficult domestic environment, while ensuring that they maintain a high level of success on the field (currently second in the world, third at the world cup, and an Australian team are Super 15 Champions), while also having the skills to get what he wants and what Australian rugby needs out of SANZAR, and in turn strengthening SANZARs position, as well as currently, along with the Kiwis, taking on the IRB with regards to World Cup in 2015.
You might not like him, and you might think he is a chump, but he is a very successful and clever sports administrator, and has left Australian rugby is a far better situation than it was when he started his second term. SANZAR is probably also stronger.
Sad thing is, he is probably the 3rd best sports administrator in Australia.
10 Nov 2011, 08:30 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-19:
Who do you rate better Howels?
10 Nov 2011, 08:35 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-20: In Australia? I would rate the AFL dude (Demitriou?) and the NRL guy (Gallop) as better.
10 Nov 2011, 08:45 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-18:
Agreed on Juries Roux… seems to be ticking all the boxes… however it’s the bumbling duo of front-man Hoskins and his side-kick Marinos that do the negotiating… too many cooks at SARU…
ARU hired one Guru for this…
10 Nov 2011, 08:45 am
Oxymoron for the day: African leadership
10 Nov 2011, 08:53 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-21:
Not sure, if you look at what they have to play with (including media support etc.) and compare to O’Neill I think he is better than both.
10 Nov 2011, 09:18 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-19:
yes i agree, thats more or less my opinion of him too wrt his abilities as an admin/executive in rugby. its just that bryce_in_oz goes so far as to call the guy a ‘genius’ and a ‘don’ when at best he should, as you say, be called succesfull and clever.
he has been good for oz rugby overall as well as slanting in favour of the kiwis in regards to our relations as ‘partners’ in sanzar but as you say thats the point isnt it, getting what your union/country wants out of sanzar to your own benefit. sadly i cant say the same for our ffucking admin guys wrt their ability to get whats best for sa rugby. just look at the ffucking travel schedule for next seasons four nations, another typical example of saru being fast ffucking asleep. the kiwis seem to have gotten themselves the sweetest home and away travel deal for the all blacks and oz the 2nd best.
10 Nov 2011, 09:32 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-24: Gallop does well in a poisonous environment. The NRL is more complex than rugby in South Africa, with all the politics and scandals. His ability to keep it all together, despite major stakeholders hating him (Manly and Melbourne, for example), and then to negotiate a massive TV deal, and setting about to financially stabilize the game is impressive.
John O’Neill, I think, realises that rugby in Australia will never compete with NRL and AFL, and it doesn’t need to. It is strong in parts of Sydney and Queensland, and has a decent base in Melbourne and WA, especially among migrant communities. All it needs is 150 professional players, and then a smattering of under 20s and semi-professionals in order to exist as a professional sport. That is easy enough to get, between private schools, Polynesians, former league players, the Sydney club scene and clever recruitment of young players from overseas.
The major point of difference between rugby and NRL and AFL is that rugby has an international level of genuine quality, and that is something to play on.
11 Nov 2011, 01:09 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-13: wow u talk sh it every where
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