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Last week I waved the Force flag at the Bledisloe game in Sydney. Today, I point a finger at the rugby establishment. No, not the ARU Board, but the Super Rugby club unions in the east.
What is happening to the Force is completely wrong and simply un-Australian.
The ARU is a corporate entity and you are its key members. You appoint the ARU Board and the ARU Board’s decisions are your decisions.
The high ball is up there and you have to take it by supporting rugby in Western Australia.
The financial argument for cutting the Force had some merit at one point, but with Andrew Forrest’s generosity, the “Own the Force” raising and the Victorian rescue package, there has been a fundamental shift in that landscape.
Decisions should be made on current facts only.
The ARU apparently lacks the resources to fix Australian rugby’s financial mess.
Andrew Forrest, however, does not.
A Western Force that will never be a financial burden and funds that can be injected immediately will improve the ARU’s resources instantly. The Force can buy back its licence and thereby inject more cash.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
Twiggy can be looked to for other relief. The Victorian deal funds the Rebels.
So then why is finance still an issue?
RUPA advocates strongly for five teams.
Without five, how do the new players get a gig and their chance to become legends too?
What happens to the lesser players of each state side when the surviving clubs pick over the Western Force’s carcass? Do all our experienced players now take the gap to the north? Where will these elements place our player stocks?
Remember we had:
• 5 clubs when the Reds won their only Super flag in 2011,
• 5 clubs when we drew against the All Blacks in 2012 and 2014 and beat them in 2015,
• 5 clubs when the Tahs won their only flag in 2014,
• 5 clubs when we almost matched the All Blacks at World Cup 2015.
Take note that broadcasters aren’t philanthropists. They pay if the return will be more viewers who in turn bring in more advertising dollars. Rugby crowds and viewers are being sucked into a vortex.
What about next year’s Super Rugby if the Force stays?
While not perfect, the answer is simple:
Three conferences – #1 South Africa/Argentina (five teams) #2 New Zealand (five teams) and #3 Australia/Japan (six teams).
The extra team in the AUSJAP Conference can be balanced by the number of games they play against the other conferences’ teams and the number of games the other conference play between them. It’s a compromise but it can be made to work.
Stand up and be counted NSW, Queensland, ACT and Victoria. We in the West are your rugby brothers and the outcome for all is on your head.
I implore you to ask the ARU Board to take Andrew Forrest’s package so that we may all survive and restore our bond and the good name of rugby union in Australia.
That lofted ball is coming down and all of you in the eastern states are standing flat-footed beneath it.
Sonny Bill Williams is only metres away, Retallick and Reid closely follow him, and all three are steaming in. Williams’ head tilts sideways and his shoulder thrusts forward…
You must think and think quickly. You must act now.
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.