Less Wobblie bums on seats

One of the more interesting things I discovered about rugby in the last three weeks is that Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher loves it too, wrties JJ HARMSE.

Sport24

There he was, tweeting away while promoting a movie in Melbourne, lamenting the fact that there is not enough rugby on the TV networks back home in the States.

Wow! Problem is, who in Melbourne cared? No really, who cared?

On the same day, a report from the ARU revealed that the popularity of the code has dropped alarmingly in the last couple of years.

Rugby, it was reported, has dropped from an all-time high popularity rating in 2003 of 22% to a measly 13% in 2010.

John O’Neill, the dial-a-quote CEO of Australian Rugby, responded in his usual optimistic way that the rugby community would take the challenge head-on and fight hard to regain some of the lost souls who converted to league, soccer or whatever other sport that has rules unique to Australia.

So, with that in mind, what a fantastic opportunity arose, as luck would have it, the Wallabies were due to open their Tri-Nations campaign (a tournament played between South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, for any of those 87% of Australians reading this), against the world champion Springboks.

The Springboks managed to sell out the National Stadium in Soweto in a matter of hours, with nearly 90 000 fans paying serious coin to cheer their team on against the All Blacks on August 21.

Anyway, back to the opening leg of the Wallabies’ opening Tri-Nations fixture against the Springboks.

Here we had the ideal opportunity for the ARU to get those fans back who may have lost interest in the sport for a number of reasons, including:
a) the Wallabies have a poor record, winning just over 50% of their games since Robbie Deans took over as coach
b) lost to “minnows” Scotland on their end of year tour in 2009
c) have lost seven times in a row to the All Blacks

So what do the great custodians of Wallaby rugby, the media, do to promote this clash against the Springboks?

They trash them. They call them thugs. They dismiss their coach as a clown. They call their playing style outdated, their world stars too fat and too old. In short, they treated them with disdain and no respect.

Sure, it is their right. It is called freedom of expression. Well done on exercising that one!

So how did the 13% of Australians left following the game respond? A sell-out crowd at Suncorp Stadium perhaps?

In your dreams, John O’Neill. In your dreams, Brendan Cannon.

You had a chance to sell out that game by urging fans to come and watch the Wallabies take on the best in the world (and maybe beat them), but no, you elected to spend time trashing the Boks instead.

The result? A Suncorp Stadium around 75% full. Well done, to all those Australian rugby writers, analysts and former players.