Un champion du monde suspendu trois ans pour dopage

I get they've lost a lot of viewers to other sports but that's RAs fault not fickle fans. Terribly run from top to bottom. Professional club teams folding etc.

Farrell - deservedly - gets huge praise for what he's doing with Ireland. For me though, Nucifora was even more important. Irish rugby is now basically pre and post Nucifora. Lunacy that RA let him go or couldn't see his potential.

His interference with Quade Cooper trying to play 10 once while Foley was selected at 12, where he had never played before, was a disgrace.

Anger at the Tahs setting out to sabotage the Wallabies for themselves for so many years, is deep.

I'm not sure what happened with Nucifora but losing him to Scotland was another big blow. Success has followed him around which is not a coincidence, and I thought him and Schmidt being reunited would be a big boost for rugby in Australia.

If you combine the decisions to appoint Jones, to pay millions to Suaalii even though he has never played rugby in his life and the high failure rate of converts, along with their inability to retain talent like Nucifora and Nawaqanitawase, it does not fill you with much confidence about the future.

With a Lions tour and a home world cup it seems like Australia's last chance to revive interest in the game. Sadly I don't think the current administrators have the nouse to maximise the opportunity though, and Australia are destined for permanent Tier 2 status.

Nienaber ofc asks for a completely diff defensive commitment from the players, so the transition may not be quite as smooth as it was.