UPDATE: Western Force respond to reports Super Rugby franchise will be cut

Hasn't helped the tahs with their special treatment

Due to Birth of child? And you call yourself hardcore fan? ;) Like you Mr Angry, I have been a force member since day dot. I can't see myself following Super Rugby should the Force fold, and the Wallabies will barely hold any interest for me either. Only good thing to come of this will be I will go back and watch more local club games..something I have shamefully neglectful of the past few years. As for NRC.. not sure, why would I want to go and watch some great local product, only to see them get snaffled by an east coast or overseas club? Good for the individual, but heartbreaking for local rugby. F U A R U!

That's what they've been doing Jock..look at their roster.

Tommo! The ARU is broke by all accounts and because the rugby product in Australia is so underperformed, the ARU has very little bargaining power at all, the South Africans have hardly any either, so with the NZRU sticking very close to the South African brand anything could happen. I would imagine the NZRU will just sit back and see what happens if anything as they alone are the only ones in a viable position, but it will be very interesting as to what happens if the South Africans dig their toes in! You've got the right idea mate, trust you wallet and vote with your feet, just totally ignore Aussie rugby if the Force does fall!, I intend to!

Fionn: If perchance the Force get canned, then as a fervent rugby supporter and a Kiwi to boot, Australian Rugby can get stuffed, the is no way I'll support another Australian team. I may be cutting my snout off to spite my face but as an absolute rugby tragic I backed the introduction of a team to be based in Perth to satisfy my love for the game close in,I was a foundation Member and had many wonderful times attending and barracking for my Team. The term "the Force was set up to fail" is very real as they have never ever had any hard support from the ARU or anyone else and they have pretty much been left to their own devices and in my opinion they've done OK in difficult circumstances. There are a great number of enthusiastic Force Supporters in and around Perth consisting of South African and Kiwis' who with the rest of the avid Force supporters just want their Team to do well. Rugby League has little or no interest here in Perth we just want out team of rugby players representing this beautiful State of W.A.! Why the Western Force has been singled out for removal is beyond me and if any team should have to go, the least viable team should surely be that team. Western Force as an entity contrary to popular belief, is not broke, but the Brumbies are so how does it stack up when someone or other is going to have to bail the Brumbies out for the umpteenth time just to keep them? Canberra and it's environs is too small to really be able to make a dollar mainly because they don't have the population, whereas Perth City has close on 2 million people and some of those are wealthy individuals who are also rugby supporters who will, if needed front up with some folding stuff I'm sure and in fact one of them already has! If everyone was true to themselves, the Rebels should go and we all know why but the only thing that will save them is the fact they are privately owned and being in hostile AFL dominated territory won't unduly worry them one bit, they'll just keep rocking up to get beaten most games they play because they have someone who pays the bills! No one knows what exactly what will eventuate but the situation is and has been accentuated by the exceptionally bad management of the ARU because they have allowed this to happen. As a complete rugby nut and living in Australia, I have always been a keen Aussie' rugby supporter and will and always have done get in behind the Aussies excepting when they play my own beloved Kiwi teams, it's then and only then I back against the Aussie boys! The cutting of a team may not eventuate at all, but if it does and it happens to be the Western Force, I will never darken an Australian rugby gate again ever, for all that'll achieve, but it's called principle, and I'll be sticking to it.

Absolutely man, hence the universal GDP Per Capita metric (and in USD) Not trying to say, hey our mining industry is wayyyy better than your mining industry. But you've got us when it comes to dairy....

Yes you do ODB. The very definition of giving a damn, considering you jumped into it feet first trying to discredit the validity of the question, and now you've been proven wrong you've resorted to making childish onomatopoeic noises. Not to mention you keep replying. You da man bro

Republican the only comfort I could take from the Force being cut is that the Brumbies survive

This is more suitable for Jeff https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lifeofadustbin2

Interestingly enough OB the first time I witnessed a player anything other than pure white playing was at the Pam Brink Stadium 1970 , Eastern Transvaal against the All Blacks and Bryan Williams was on the wing . Terrific player with tree trunk legs. In a small way already got me thinking at that young age. ... As an aside same game Skip Henderson put a boot into Pinetree Meads and broke his arm. Can also tell you that 2 rows below me sat Kevin Skinner , Cauliflower ears and all. No special privilges or box seats for VIP's in those days. My father took me together with a work colleague from NZ. Led to a bit of a barney in the crowd cause he was cheering for NZ and some idiot took exception. Good news is my old man sorted him out.

Yesterday Franco Smith Cheetahs coach has hit out saying the uncertainty is affecting team preparations.

The Sea of Blue phenomenon is part passion for rugby, part pride in WA and part derision of easterners It's a perfect storm

How is that for starters chief? For starters, incorrect... chief

Back to the Crusaders for me

Exactly the same feeling here. Unfortunately for aus rugby, i was born in SA so if it all comes crashing down; its back to supporting the Sharks I go...

Trump politics 101 - lie, then repeat the lie til people believe it

Funny no one's ever talked about killing the Dockers despite their long tradition of non excellence

Hi Bakkies , when I say its a non-issue , I don't mean we are disinterested its just that we have been fed such a diet of misinformation and false expectations on so many other things that a lets wait and see attitude prevails , certainly in my circles. But yes you are absolutely correct in that legal action will certainly come into play depending on outcomes. SARU incidentally reported an "Acceptable loss "of 2,4 million for the current financial year . Phew , I run a small business , no loss is acceptable. No wonder they have to stick with Alistair Coetzee , there really is no cash to buy him out.

When rugby went professional I felt pity for the other rugby nations......at last Oz was going to get their fair share of the athletic talent. We were going to steam roll the world. How's that worked out for us, ARU? Before I moved to Perth for work, I became a foundation member of the Force because I knew I was always going to end up living there. I am still a member. I had high hopes of us winning a few Super rugby premierships in the early years...or at least the Australian conference a few times. Why? Because the other Oz sporting bodies, the AFL and NRL ensured that their fledgling teams did well. Think West Coast Eagles, Melborne Storm etc. Surely they wouldn't let a new club flounder? How has that worked out ARU? Then I gradually became resigned to the fact that we were never going to do well. Why? Because its the last destination for most east coast players....too far away from friends and family. And the ARU were slack in their allowance of marquee players and salary top ups. Sydney and Brisbane are the bigger markets and get first choice for that. Thanks ARU. The ARU even took away the Force's junior academy and moved it to Brisbane at one stage. Therefore no continuity with the senior squad or if the Force needed a late game replacement, no chance to learn structures and combinations. So, with time, I accepted that the Force were never going to do well. I was just thankful that I could go to a ground in Perth and see some great, live rugby played...it's just a shame that it was usually by the visiting team. I have 2 mates who have corporate boxes and I can pretty much go when I like. For the last 2 years, they have never been really full. It's always hard to get people to come and watch a losing team in the winter. Even with free food and drink. Now my team, the Force is going to be cut (so I'm led to believe). This being released by the Sydney press just before the Force try and issue shares in the brand as a last ditch effort to save the team is the last straw. That's the lowest of the low. Will I boycott any ARU test in Perth? You bet. Why should I give them any more money than I have over the years? What have they done to earn my loyalty? Will I stand outside the stadium wearing my Force jumper and carrying a I Hate ARU placard? No way. I'm just going to watch the free to air rugby league broadcast every weekend, thanks very much. Hey ARU, how's that plan for world dominance working out since we turned professional? We'll be lucky if rugby doesn't become about as popular as badminton in this country. So the solution? It's easy peasy and has been mentioned many times here on the Roar. Instead of shrinking...grow. We have a tiger by the tail, why not see how far it will drag us? Have 3 separate conferences. 6 x SA teams, 5 x Oz + Sunwolves, 5 x NZ + Jags. The top 2 from each conference play off in the finals. More home derbies for Oz and everyone else. Less running cost. Beautifully simple. This is what the ARU should be batting for if they want to help save rugby in Oz. It will never happen. Too much politics in sport. Too many egos involved. Too many real or imagined issues. Too hard. End of story. The ARU should grow some cojones and tell the rest it will happen, or we will just have our own conference. Lets just grow rugby in Oz. How about just expanding the NRC - teams from West Sydney, West Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin and Alice Springs while we're at it? I kid you not - how much worse off would we be? The NPC and Currie Cup seem to work elsewhere, don't they? Why do we have to be part of Super Rugby? In the meantime, I look forward to the rugby league on free to air every weekend. From what I've seen, their skill level, speed, strength and entertainment far outpaces anything Oz rugby has to offer - could be some lessons their ARU! The ARU needs to go into a room of mirrors and have a good hard, long look at themselves. The top down model hasn't worked. They need to scrap every strategic plan they have and start again - from the grass roots up. The ARU board needs to reflect all of the rugby communities in Oz, not just a select few from select suburbs in Sydney and Brisbane. Over to you ARU, man is the ball in your court to save rugby in Oz now.

......love a good conspiracy theory but I reckon all is fair in love and war.........