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In light of the news SANZAAR prefer a 15-team Super Rugby format, the Western Force are being heavily viewed as the team most likely to be axed.
A meeting will be held on April 6 to decide the fate of the Force, with there still being a possibility the Brumbies, Rebels or two South African teams could be scrapped instead.
But why are the Force being looked at in this way? Are they just an easy target?
Over their 11 season history, the Force have finished in the bottom three of Super Rugby on six occasions, and have never reached the finals. Ugly reading from a numbers perspective.
They have however produced multiple Wallabies and have a strong youth setup in place. Former Western Force stars include Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, James O’Connor, Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock and the ‘Honey Badger’ Nick Cummins.
The 2017 squad even includes current Wallabies Dane Haylett-Petty and Adam Coleman.
This isn’t to mention some of Australia’s best young talent have come through WA rugby, namely Kyle Godwin, Luke Burton, Ross Haylett-Petty and Nick Jooste.
The problem with the Force is holding onto these players, and being able to offer young talent the same opportunities the Eastern States sides can. Of that group of youngsters, Godwin and Jooste have already been snatched away from Western Australia rugby and now both ply their trade for the Brumbies.
This leads us to whether Super Rugby would be a success if you took away a team from a major Australian city.
Could you take away a team from Canberra?
Probably not. Plus the Brumbies are Australia’s most successful side.
Could you take away a team from Melbourne?
Well there wasn’t a team in Melbourne until the inception of the Rebels before the 2011 season. But as the newest Australian team who have the backing of the Victorian Government, all things sway towards them staying put.
Could you take away a team from Perth?
Yes.
Here’s why.
Unfortunately for Western Australia they are the easy state to pick on when it comes to rugby. They have a below average Super Rugby side, and do not have a team that competes in the NRL.
The team has been on a downward spiral in recent years, highlighted by the sponsorship embarrassment of 2016. After main sponsor Emirates decided to walk away from the Force, no suitor could be found, leaving players with a different sponsor on each shirt.
No one can say they didn’t see this day coming.
This lack of rugby support and basic organisation, coupled with SAANZAR’s preference of a 15-team model makes the Force a prime candidate to be axed.
In an ideal world we would revert back to the 15-team model, while having five representatives from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The likelihood of this happening though is very slim, and in a little over a week, the future of the Force might be sealed.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.