Rugby Australia chief executive Andy Marinos has voiced his concern over the dire performances of the NSW Waratahs as a once proud rugby state hurtles towards its worst season in the professional era.
But while the 0-4 Waratahs are attracting some unwanted headlines, Marinos tempered that by showering praise on Australia's other four Super Rugby teams and the overall product and audience growth since partnering with Nine and Stan Sport.
"I've been really impressed in general around how the competition has gone," Marinos told reporters at Wednesday's launch of the 2021 Aon University Sevens Series in Sydney.
"We're in an interesting phase in Australian rugby, a lot of new, young talent coming through and we've seen that displayed through the competition. There have been some unfortunate performances and that's been well documented, the Waratahs have been struggling this year and that's obviously a concern for everyone.
"But at the same time, the Brumbies, Force, Rebels, Reds have all put in some really good displays and the games have been really compelling. So that's been really positive from a Super Rugby AU perspective."
It is an interesting, and delicate situation for Marinos, RA and those close to the NSW predicament.
Queensland thriving again is a massive shot in the arm for the game while Melbourne is finally delivering home grown talent that looks bound for the international arena.
A vibrant Waratahs would be the icing on the cake but Marinos played down fears that Super Rugby AU was Sydney or bust.
New Zealand used to think it needed strong Auckland and Blues teams to prop it up but largely thanks to the Crusaders that outdated theory has well and truly been put to bed.
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"It is obviously a big market for everyone but if you look at all of our metrics, from the start of the season, Stan and Nine have done a fantastic job of promoting it," the former SANZAAR boss said.
"We've almost trebled all of our broadcast numbers since the start of the season so there's been exponential growth, week on week, in terms of the viewership and audiences we've been getting. So that has been positive.
"Yes, a big market like this when they've not been performing, it will have an impact, but at the same time there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes, at all the clubs – but probably more so here at the Waratahs – for them to get their season and their games back on track."
The two Daves – Wallabies coach Rennie and 'mind coach' Diggle – have been offering their expertise at NSW's Daceyville base this week and Marinos emphasised the spirit of collaboration that had been fostered by his predecessor Raelene Castle.
"We continually engage with them and our coaches are – as they are to every franchise – going around and lending a hand and just giving some input.
"I know Dave (Rennie) was up at the Rebels last week, spent some time at the Brumbies a couple of weeks before that and at the Waratahs this week.
"So we'll continue to share and help where we can, to make sure that they get back to where they need to get back to."
Marinos also weighed in on some other meaty issues on Wednesday.
The likelihood of Super Rugby trans-Tasman going ahead as planned in a COVID-19 landscape…
"We remain positive on that. If those borders open then it's all systems go and full steam ahead. We're in continual dialogue with both New Zealand and our government around what those restrictions may look like going forward. We've got to keep flexible and see what happens in the next couple of weeks."
The plan B if that trans-Tasman bubble doesn't eventuate…
"We'd certainly be very keen to see if we can hub a team in either of the countries. The big challenge around that is if there are going to be quarantine restrictions, how does that impact on our July preparations because we're coming up pretty hard against that window. There's a couple of different points you've got to address – if we're going to hub it, what does that mean for the July internationals, when are they going to start, are we going to stick to the traditional window or are we going to have to look at moving that around. Again, with the French coming over, what are the impacts going to be around that. At this point in time, we're keeping all options on the table and being pretty fluid about it."
His confidence levels on France coming Down Under for a scheduled three-Test tour…
"Absolutely. I've been engaging on a regular basis with the French. They certainly have a huge desire to come over and play against us. Unless there is a major event that restricts us from a national health and safety perspective, we absolutely plan that we'll be playing against the French."
On how strong that French team might be given star players' club commitments…
"We're looking at that with them. They've got a semifinal on the 19th (June) and the final on the 26th and whether we're going to have the teams come over in two batches or one, that becomes part of a bigger conversation as to when do we actually start that window. The French final is on the 26th, we may have to have the first round (of Tests) either the 10th or the 17th of July. That's part of the ongoing discussions with them and also trying to understand what is the impact of how many players in the current French team will be playing in those teams that get to the finals. We're monitoring all of those dynamics."
On what the Rugby Championship might look like this year…
"From a SANZAAR perspective we have started having those conversations around what does it mean this year. I think we've all resigned ourselves to the fact that we're probably going to be in a bubble, in some way, shape of form. So we're going to go through a process in determining where that needs to be. Obviously from an Australian point of view we successfully hosted the Tri Nations last year on a very short turnaround.
"Our request to SANZAAR is let's get ahead of the game a lot earlier and be able to build a proper model. I think there's a fair appetite that we can see whether essentially hosting it here in Australia again is an option and something that we'll put a lot of effort into."
Is playing games in South Africa an option following the Lions series developments?
"We need to have those robust conversations with South Africa, what does it mean There's more of a concern from our guys having to go over, potentially quarantining over there then coming back and quarantining here. Which I know the South Africans are going to have to do if they come here.
"This announcement this morning, to be honest, caught me a little bit by surprise, that they're going to host the Lions tour. I don't know what the structure around that is looking like. Like anything in this day and age, we've just got to keep an open mind and if that model evolves into something that looks like it could be a viable option, I'm sure we'll have a look from a SANZAAR perspective.
How does a COVID-19 vaccine change the game?
"My understanding, and rightfully so, is the government is going to continue its rollout plan, making sure that the right demographic of the population gets vaccinated first. I don't think athletes are necessarily going to get pushed to the front of the queue, and nor should they really.
"So will vaccinations change? Well, we've heard Mr (Greg) Hunt (Minister for Health) say that there is a possibility that with a vaccinated population, quarantine may not be as onerous. But then again there are absolutely no guarantees. Everything we are doing right now, it's all on assumptions. Until we actually get to that point will we know if it's going to have a big impact or not."
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