Australian rugby fans have made it clear they want more rugby, whether that be Test or Super Rugby level, with a survey revealing more than 80% of responders were in favour of increasing the number of professional fixtures to the season calendar.
According to a recent Freshwater Strategy survey that polled just under 1000 rugby fans across Australia, an expanded Rugby Championship [TRC] to include both Fiji and Japan has received plenty of fan backing with over 60% of respondents in favour of expansion, while over 70% were interested in an additional end-of-year tournament featuring Australian Super Rugby sides.
Perhaps most interestingly, a majority of those polled said they'd like to see TRC rescheduled to align with the Six Nations championship played in February and March each year, in order to create a more aligned global Test calendar. Given World Rugby's announcement in 2023 of a new global competition set to kick-off in 2026 to be played across the July and November Test windows, shifting TRC to March is highly unlikely.
The results come days into the new Super Rugby Pacific season, which saw all three Australian sides claim an opening round victory, and also featured a significant increase in fan satisfaction with the Wallabies (86%) after the side finished 2024 with six wins including a stunning come-from-behind victory over England at Twickenham during the Autumn Nations series.
It'll be music to the ears of Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh after a similar poll last year found just 16% of responders were happy with the Wallabies results at the 2023 Rugby World Cup under Eddie Jones, which saw the side fail to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, while a majority of fans also believe rugby is heading in the right direction, up from just 33% a year ago.
It's a noticeable improvement in sentiment, which has no doubt been driven by the Wallabies' recent results under Joe Schmidt with a majority of respondents expressing their strong support for the New Zealand coach, while over 70% say the next coach does not have to be an Australian, a very different sentiment after the Robbie Deans era just 12 years ago.
It's not all good news for RA though, with more than 40% believing the national body is doing a poor job running the code in Australia with many criticising their lack of focus on grassroots and player pathways to national representation, while a majority believe the Wallabies won't win the British & Irish Lions series in July.
"A lack of revenue, retention of high-quality players and staff. Low quality coaching, facilities, practices, high injury volumes. Not keeping up with science/evidence-based practices," one person said in response to their biggest concern about rugby in Australia.
A major concern for fans was also the marketing of the sport and the disconnect between community and the professional game, especially in regional grassroots, while a lack of free-to-air games remains an issue for many.
With Schmidt set to step away from his Wallabies role following TRC, RA have the potential to build further trust with their fan base with another strong coaching signing.