- Australian rugby has hit an all-time low
- The Wallabies have a tough schedule ahead
- Fears the NRL could further erode rugby’s popularity
A rugby legend fears rival nations are already excluding Australia from the iconic Bledisloe Cup tournament and the code could be forgotten unless results come quickly.
The Wallabies sense a ‘huge opportunity’ to finally bring the coveted trophy back to Australia for the first time since 2002 when they face an All Blacks side coming off a rare back-to-back Test defeat.
But after a disastrous World Cup campaign that saw Australia exit at the pool stage for the first time in history, coupled with the decimated state of the Super Rugby competition, one former rugby star fears the worst.
Former England fly-half Stuart Barnes has suggested the upcoming Bledisloe Cup, which will carry over directly into a British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, and the World Cup in 2027 could spell the end for Australian rugby.
He fears the NRL has already gained too much ground and that if Australia suffers a drubbing in future tournaments, rugby will not be able to recover and will become a minority sport in Australia.
Australia and New Zealand are preparing to contest the Bledisloe Cup once again, but there are fears for their future
The Wallabies have not won a Bledisloe Cup since 2002, when players such as Mat Rogers (pictured) left the NRL to join Australian rugby.
“While rugby league looms on the horizon with its dizzying running lines, pinpoint passing and sheer athletic excellence, rugby union increasingly fades from Australian sporting minds,” Barnes wrote for the UK Times.
‘So here we are, with a British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in less than a year. The stadiums will be packed, there’s no doubt about that.
‘The travelling contingent will fill the stadiums, but if the result is a one-sided thrashing – and who can’t at least foresee such a scenario? – the damage before the 2027 World Cup could be irreparable.
‘Next year and 2027 should be opportunities for Australian rugby to fight back against league dominance, but with the way the game is going, opportunity could equally turn into threat, with national pain combined with humiliation to send the union into a minority sport at best and oblivion at worst.’
Australia have struggled against nations like Argentina in recent times due to a talent drain.
Former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes fears further heavy results against the Australians could play into the NRL’s hands
Barnes highlighted the upcoming schedule which will see powerful nations face each other before the World Cup without involving Australia, proving the sport is in serious danger.
“New Zealand and South Africa’s plan to tour each other in 2026 and 2030 is an isolated statement that gives a one-finger salute to their union ally in crisis,” he wrote.
‘Australia will have to beg to play in the Bledisloe Cup. And if they get beaten constantly, where will the code be?’
Fear of becoming the first team in almost a quarter of a century to forfeit the Bledisloe Cup is driving the All Blacks ahead of Saturday’s big trans-Tasman match against the Wallabies in Sydney.
Australia will need to put recent poor results behind them with major tournaments coming up
The Wallabies sense a ‘huge opportunity’ to finally bring the coveted trophy back to Australia for the first time since 2002 when they face an All Blacks side coming off a rare back-to-back Test defeat.
But New Zealand captain Scott Barrett says his class of 2024 is desperate to avoid being that team in All Blacks history that loses the beloved Bledisloe.
“I guess we draw on our history and the times when the Bledisloe Cup ended here and past players have said there were certainly some dark times when they were in the team,” he said.
“This group certainly doesn’t want to go through that and we want to do everything we can tomorrow afternoon to get our hands on the trophy.”