Let’s say this right off the bat – Simon Raiwalui is a great asset for New South Wales, and his appointment should be heavily applauded.
An accomplished player for Fiji, his transition into being a coach has also been nothing short of exceptional, his successes and growth throughout France in the early 2010s culminated in a stint as the Wallabies’ forward coach, followed in 2023 with him orchestrating one of his country’s greatest rugby achievements – coaching Fiji to a first-time victory over England, before defeating Australia for the first time since 1954 and equalling their best-ever World Cup finish.
Even better, from personal interactions on social media to producing episodes of the Roar Rugby Podcast that featured him, he seems like a lovely bloke – a trait sorely underappreciated in today’s world.
He is a fantastic candidate for the Waratahs’ director of performance, having played a lot of his schoolboy rugby in Sydney, and representing both the Australian Schoolboys team (alongside Wallabies Ben Tune and Joe Roff) as well as the Manly Marlins Colts.
When he commences his role in Daceyville, the only thing fans can control is expectations – and fans need to give him time, patience and every opportunity to succeed – because he will have many mountains to climb.
Rugby in New South Wales is a complicated beast, one filled with conflicting viewpoints, perspectives, and issues.
At its worst, it has been a battlefield of warring fiefdoms, of experienced heads who cannot come to any agreement at all on how to fix its many issues.
It has often been said the health of the Wallabies is dependent on the state of rugby in Queensland and New South Wales – a not-unfair assessment to make given most of our players still come from those two states.
A great barometer of this often comes down to Wallabies squads, as in the end, all players are aiming to achieve national honours.
The Reds have won seven of their last ten clashes against the Waratahs.
While folks in Queensland may say their rugby program is far from perfect, its more centralised approach and careful management over the last few years sees the Reds in the best financial position of all Australian franchises, combined with a playing unit that has stuck together through the several NRC seasons and the Brad Thorn era, and under Les Kiss is clearly in an upward trajectory.
That clear progression is well reflected in the 13Reds selected in the Wallabies squad.
While New South Wales fans will say, hang on, there are NSW players all over the country, it’s what those franchises are doing with those players that is just as important.
The Brumbies program has been highly regarded for several years now and has been reflected in strong performances on the field – despite of many semi-final knockouts. It is also bolstered by the fact that many players are opting to stay in Canberra to further their rugby development – reflected in the ten Brumbies that have made the Wallabies squad.
Ben Donaldson of the Force runs in for a try during the round 13 Super Rugby Pacific match between Western Force and NSW Waratahs at HBF Park, on May 18, 2024, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
While a more mixed bag, the Force and Rebels’ key recruitment has seen individual players, in one way or another, improve their performance in that environment – making up five and seven players in the squad, respectively.
When the Waratahs only have three players selected for national honours (before Joey Walton’s injury inclusion), something is wrong. Not just with the team, but with the organisation and system in place. How can the state that statistically provides the most number of players in the whole country be the least represented at the national level?
While the likes of the Shute Shield remain a valuable nursery for state and national talent, the gap between the two competitions has now widened so significantly that players cannot maintain consistent performances when transitioning to higher levels – with 2024’s horror run of injuries only further confirming this divide.
The club’s challenges continue off the field, with a $4.8m deficit for 2023, crowd numbers sitting in the low tens of thousands, while Paul Doorn admitted in January that membership signups ahead of the season were at “less than 4,000.”
Following finishing as the wooden spooners, the exodus of players and coaches from the franchise (seven players announced their departure before the season was over, with Jake Gordon being denied a release from his contract) suggests all is not well in Daceyville, whether it be due to team performance or culture.
Considering the situation at the Rebels means a flurry of players with Super Rugby experience are available and considering their futures, the fact many would prefer to go to other franchises when positions are up for grabs in New South Wales is also concerning.
“I’ll tell you where they’re going to do… they’re gonna go overseas!”@mtoomua believes that unless Rugby Australia removes many barriers in place, most of the Rebels cohort will simply leave Australian rugby.
— The Roar (@TheRoarSports) June 28, 2024
LISTEN: https://t.co/9Lg91nAnzQ@ChristypDoran pic.twitter.com/mlBaObxwaQ
How can one of the ‘heartland’ states be so undesirable that other professional rugby players seem actively not to want to go? As much as it pains other fans to admit it, if Australian rugby is to succeed, one of the first key things that needs to happen is a seismic shift of approach in Sydney.
Raiwalui is a brave man to take on such a role, but if there is one positive that can be said to Tahs fans, it is that he knows what success looks like in NSW Rugby.
“I genuinely wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think that the Waratahs are a success-in-waiting,” he said in his press conference with Doorn last Friday.
“I do think they have the bones, they have the pillars, they have the people in place to have success.”
Such a gargantuan challenge means Raiwalui needs to be given as much support and time as possible. His first and most obvious goal is to turn the Waratahs around – and given he is a well-respected figure, his arrival could change the minds of several players to give New South Wales a shot.
By the looks of the personnel departing, it seems to be a situation Rugby Australia is already addressing. Maybe this cleanout is a reflection of where they feel the club sits now. Maybe it is in such a disorganised state, that the much-publicised tear-it-all-up-and-start-again approach is being undertaken in the offices of Moore Park.
If true, it is commendable, but you can throw the baby out with the bath water with such an approach.
While his last two years at the Waratahs were far from successful, Darren Coleman is one of the most connected and respected coaches in New South Wales rugby – coming from country rugby, coaching multiple Shute Shield clubs to titles, coaching an NRC club – he is someone with a wealth of experience around NSW rugby specifically, the sort of knowledge that gave fans pause to saying goodbye to him entirely from the organisation.
Waratahs head coach Darren Coleman speaks to the media during a Rugby Australia media opportunity at NSW Rugby on March 28, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Yet, it cannot be denied that his last two seasons don’t make for pretty viewing – and such a record can also be an indication of system shortcomings.
Unlike Queensland, New South Wales’ chaotic approach to the NRC has meant they juggled much of their playing group, with one real season of stability in 2019 before Rob Penney arrived as coach – and his tenure not only saw the inexperience of the group exposed at higher levels, it was further compounded by many leaders, such as Michael Hooper, departing.
Yet, all is not lost from DC’s time at the helm, despite what the record suggests. There are still leaders staying such as Angus Bell, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Charlie Gamble, Jed Holloway, Lalakai Foketi and Jake Gordon, plus the arrival of Andrew Kellaway – guys you can build a squad around.
Turning the Tahs around is more achievable than what the current lie of the land might suggest – the open role of head coach has options available, notably Dan McKellar, and such an appointment can also serve to inspire players on the market to try their luck in Sydney.
Maybe we will see a vastly improved Tahs next year, one that has a renewed energy, culture, and a heartbeat that resonates with a round rugby community enough to bring them all together?
But this is the second key challenge for Raiwalui, and it is something likely above his station, but something he will be critical in the discourse of – there needs to be discussion around the future of rugby in NSW, especially Sydney.
The Waratahs punching under their weight at higher levels has happened many times before. A notable example took place in the 1970s, when Queensland made massive changes and started playing longer seasons – a result that saw them dominate NSW in head-to-head clashes for the better part of 15 years – and laid the groundwork for future Wallaby success in the 1980s.
The Tahs did not get here overnight. It has been a sequence of dominoes falling that sees them in this position. If 2024 is a moment of realisation, then the next three years are critical for their reversal, and all potential reasons for that decline must be addressed.
When there have been so many years of disappointment, you cannot just put it down to the failure of one coach, or the underperformance of one team.
At a point you have to ask, if Sydney claims to be one of the heartlands of Australian rugby with a boundless array of talent that can transform the game, why isn’t it acting like it?
Because the system itself also needs change.
Nick Wasilievhttps://https://ift.tt/VOf8RiJ Raiwalui is perfect for NSW – but he has TWO major mountains to climb to return premier state to top
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