Queensland Rugby has for a while claimed that it has been the nursery for the Super 14 talent in the Australian Super Rugby franchise, and to be honest a few years ago that was the case.
One of the problems facing Australian Rugby is that the numbers of Super Rugby players coming out of Queensland is on the wane. This is worrying as it means that the national squad will ultimately suffer. Australia needs the traditional powerbases of Queensland and New South Wales to be strong for the Wallabies to be strong.
The Western Force academy is making headway but it is unlikely to produce a large amount of talent ready for international duty so early in its development. The ACT has done its bit but again not enough to lay strong foundations for the Wallabies.
In the Force’s second year there were more Super Rugby players from Queensland playing for Australian sides than any other franchise. Is it a coincidence that this decline in numbers has seen the Wallabies decline?
Last season there were only 22 players playing for Australian Super Rugby sides from Queensland, as opposed to 52 from New South Wales, 8 from the ACT, 3 from WA and 2 from VIC*.
Every Rugby fan has watched the QRU self destruct in recent years. They have also watched the revolving door policy on the Reds coaching position. For the sake of Australian Rugby they need to intervene and assist in getting Queensland rugby back on track, for the good of the Australian game. Another bad season this year could spell huge problems in the coming years.
*based on player birthplaces
