The hybrid 'bruiser' that Brad Shields is tipping for England

Competition structure clearly a problem in both countries.

IMO too little too late in both places.

Really, Australia should have 2 teams in SR or whatever comp they are in from 2026 onwards.

Call them North and South or whatever you like, but one team playing most of it's matches out of Brisbane/Queensland, and the other playing most of their matches out of Sydney/NSW.

Combined these two make up 80-90% of the players and supporters (and crowds)

Get real.

Add Western Australia (Force) to Queensland because they have some cultural similarities. Let 20% of games be played in Perth.

Down South, let the team play 20% of games in Canberra, despite the fact that crowds in Brumby-land are tiny.

If North and South don't suit, call the teams the Maroons and the Chardonnays, or if that doesn't suit, the Cane Toads and the Cockroaches.

Just do something to avoid a slow and agonising death

They've talked about Steve Tandy and maybe Danny Wilson, but they are both in contract to Scotland and Quins.

Having said that I think they could improve the quality of soem of Gatlands support coaches. He doesn't do any himself and of the current group, only Mike Forshaw looks like he knows what he's doing!

Adding two more SR franchises was suicide on the field, whatever pathways it may have created off it in other parts of Aussie.

That bit you did unto yourself. Since then you've hardly put up a fight in SR against the Kiwis.

Wales the same - we only went for the likes of Henry, Hansen and Gatland because we were not cutting it by ourselves. Jeez we lost by almost 100 points to the Boks before Ted arrived, next game we only lost by 8, then beat them the following year!

Go tell the current WBs that you they are 'not trying' for Joe Schmidt and you will end up in a heap on the floor, where you belong...😁

It is just beyond sad to see this proud rugby nation where they are now. I read of the calls for Warren Gatland to step down, and think " Who on God's earth can be found who will do any better ?" Gatland knows this, and I suspect that is why he is not for shifting.

I do actually, thought you'd never ask:

It was a cold Friday evening when the doorbell rang is Mrs Molloy’s house. When she answered the door, Pat Glynn, her husband’s manager at the brewery, was stood on the doorstep.

‘Pat. Hello. Where’s my husband? He should have been home from work 3 hours ago?’

The man sighed. ‘I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Mrs Molloy, but there was an accident over in the brewery. Your husband fell into a vat of Guinness and drowned’.

‘Oh my God’ she replied. ‘Please tell me it was quick?!’

‘Well… no. It wasn’t. He climbed out 4 times to take a p1ss‘

This is the same for anyone, anywhere. If there is an economic opportunity for someone to take, should they lose national privilege because they are looking for a better paycheck somewhere else? What a silly idea. The government doesn't refuse your passport because you work in another country, why should you lose your national jersey for this? If a player leaves to a so-called lesser league and their ability to represent their national jersey at a high level diminishes bc of it, then that should say it all. If Mounga were to return to the ABs and his playmaking is better than D-Mac and BB, then he is the better player for the position. If BB and D-Mac eclipse him, then they are the better players and should get the nod. Why is this so difficult to understand? Surely you want the best players to play in the national team, regardless of who pays their monthly salary? Closing borders is historically a silly economic idea, why should it be any different in national level sports?

The old boys tradition in rugby has created a culture of wonderful sportsmanship, it is why we all (presumably) prefer the game to football. But when tradition gets in the way of common sense and sporting success, perhaps traditions should change. Players have the right to earn money, there is no need to punish them for it. Rugby needs to think globally if it wants to survive.