The Breakdown

Australian rugby once had $40 million in the bank. Crowds over 100,000. TV audiences of 3 million. Today the Wallabies have sunk to their lowest world ranking ever. Off the field rugby is a "war zone" with a $20 million deficit last year alone. The Breakdown is a gripping podcast investigation from The Australian, exploring just how far "the game they play in heaven" has fallen - and why. Jessica Halloran and Claire Harvey have interviewed everyone from ex-PMs and billionaires to Wallabies...

Australian rugby once had $40 million in the bank. Crowds over 100,000. TV audiences of 3 million. Today the Wallabies have sunk to their lowest world ranking ever. Off the field rugby is a "war zone" with a $20 million deficit last year alone. The Breakdown is a gripping podcast investigation from The Australian, exploring just how far "the game they play in heaven" has fallen - and why. Jessica Halloran and Claire Harvey have interviewed everyone from ex-PMs and billionaires to Wallabies legends, boardroom insiders and the volunteers battling to keep the game alive. Raw and emotional, The Breakdown is the new binge-listen everyone will be talking about. The Breakdown can be heard via The Australian's app right now. Search for and download The Australian's app to hear The Breakdown first. Host: Jessica Halloran, Chief Sports Writer - The Australian Producer: Claire Harvey, Editorial Director - The Australian Production: Dylan Adams Guests: David Campese - Australia’s greatest ever try-scorer Teki Tuipulotu - President of the Blacktown Scorpions Khoder Nasser - Player agent of Quade Cooper and Sonny Bill Williams Nick Farr-Jones - Former Wallabies captain John Eales - Former Wallabies captain and long-time ARU board member John Howard - Former PM and devoted Wallabies fan John O’Neill - Former ARU CEO John Coates - President of the Australian Olympic Committee and Chair of the Australian Olympic Foundation Mat Rogers - Dual code star Justin Harrison - Former Wallaby and RUPA boss George Gregan - Former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns - Former Wallabies captain Alan Jones - Former Wallabies coach and broadcaster Andrew Forrest - Billionaire and Western Force owner Michael Cheika - Former Wallabies coach Ann Sherry - Former ARU board member Stephen Moore - Former Wallabies captain Hamish McLennan - Current Rugby Australia chair Colin Smith - sports broadcast rights expert Gary Flowers - Former ARU CEO Jeff Messitt - The Wavers Falcons rugby club secretary To read about The Breakdown and dive deeper into the multimedia experience take out a subscription at theaustralian.com.au/thebreakdown or download The Australian app at your app store