Phil Gifford: Why the stadiums were ‘empty’ for Black Ferns

Ruby Tui in action for New Zealand against England. Photo / Photosport

Phil Gifford lists four talking points from the world of rugby.

Would the captain of the Titanic do the same again?

The Eddie Jones World Cup fiasco continues to haunt Australian rugby.

The results in France were bad enough. It now seems highly likely Jones will be heading off to coach Japan, where he remains a revered figure thanks to the 2015 team he coached stunningly upsetting the Springboks 34-32 in Brighton at that year’s World Cup.

To be fair to Fast Eddie, he’s now apologised to Aussie fans many times for what happened in France at the Cup.

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLellan, the key man in the sacking of Dave Rennie and the appointment of Jones, says he too apologises for the World Cup performances.

But remarkably, he’s also said that while hiring Jones wasn’t his decision alone, he “was certainly an advocate for Eddie, and I think given the circumstances I would make the same call again”.

There’s always been a touch of a destructive element in Australian rugby, often along state lines. A prime example is how reluctant Australia has been over the decades to appoint a Queenslander national coach. A highly successful Queensland Reds coach, John “Knuckles” Connelly, had to spend six years coaching in Europe before the power brokers in Sydney gave him a shot at the Wallabies in 2006.

If there’s now brutal internecine strife across the Tasman, no pleasure should be felt in New Zealand.

Super Rugby Pacific, already badly missing South African teams, needs the Australian sides to be genuine contenders if the competition is to win hearts and minds.

The timing didn’t help either

An illuminating explanation from Alice Soper in the Herald, revealing that clever, very targeted marketing by a London firm helped draw so many fans into stadiums for last year’s women’s World Cup here, answered the sort of questions many rugby fans had been asking.

After the massive turnouts for the women’s Cup, why were crowds at the WXV1 tournament here so sparse they led to winning English captain Marlie Packer describing our stadiums as “empty”?

Soper’s clarification showed how skilled promotion for the Cup meant women who don’t usually go to international rugby games were engaged. Without the same expertise there was a huge drop in numbers for WXV 1.

Sadly, the clash with the men’s World Cup in France, where the All Blacks performed beyond many expectations, also limited the attendance of a smaller group who went to the 2022 Cup, rugby diehards, both male and female.

So thanks World Rugby, for offering the best of the women’s game at almost exactly the same time as the best men’s teams in the world were reaching the sharp end of their competition.

I’m with Nigel

Nigel Owens is one of my favourite people in rugby. We’ve never met, but in 2016 he gave a wonderful charity speech in Auckland, speaking of his experiences as a young man in a conservative Welsh town when he acknowledged his sexuality.

The trauma he went through before he did must surely have been an element in how bravely he refereed, never afraid to trust his considerable skill and judgment.

So it’s no surprise he feels so keenly about on-field referees having their powers usurped by television match officials (TMO).

When you’ve refereed 100 test matches, as he has, you surely deserve to be listened to. He suggests a return to what TMOs were originally brought into the game for, to help referees decide whether a try has been scored, full stop. Owens believes the referee on the field, who at the top level is now connected electronically with two assistants on the sideline of the field, is the one who should make all the rest of the calls, not someone in front of a screen. I’ve never agreed with a referee more.

Former international rugby referee Nigel Owens believes the code could do with some improvements. Photo / Photosport

You want to know what she really thinks?

The intrusion of corporate speak into the professional game means my nomination for the rugby quote of the year faces very little competition.

But even if players said what they really felt, a passionate outburst from Polly Barnes, the co-founder of the Women’s Rugby Association and wife of World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes, would leave other challengers kicking in the dust.

Her tweet? “What a vile atmosphere at the Stade de France. It’s just a game ****heads... See ya later World Rugby Cup. Won’t miss you, or the death threats.”