So here we are. SANZAAR have committed to strengthening the Super Rugby competition by chopping teams, and the ARU will play their part in the process by choosing to effectively kill the game off in either Melbourne or Perth from 2018.
There’s any number of questions that deserve answers as to how we got to this point, but they’re largely inconsequential now to fans of the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force.
On Monday, the ARU confirmed that the Brumbies met all the criteria developed to make the decision on which team to chop, which makes you wonder why there wasn’t more support for them in the first place.
The ARU will now enter a period of “consultation” with the Rebels and Force over the next few days, before deciding which team will be boarded up. On their own “48-72 hours” timeframe, the decision should come sometime on Wednesday, though a Western Force statement late on Monday said, “we have now been advised that we will have further time to present our business case.”
ARU Chairman Cameron Clyne and CEO Bill Pulver said on Monday that the thought of cutting a Super Rugby team had been discussed internally for some time now, pointing to the changing environment of professional rugby globally, as well as the state of the game at the professional level in Australia.
“Performance declines by our teams since the expansion of Super Rugby [to five teams back in 2011] has had a direct correlation with declines in revenue across their businesses,” Clyne said.
That being the case, why did the ARU bother going through with the sale of the Rebels to the Imperium Group back in June 2015? That was a clear opportunity to make the same concessions that have now been made, and with far less emotional and financial pain.
As part of the deal, the ARU agreed to pay the Imperium Group $6 Million over five years, over and above the annual Super Rugby grant.
Interestingly, Clyne also indicated that the Rebels being privately owned did not give them an advantage over the Force. That would at least indicate that the decision has not already been made.
Legal action could still eventuate from the Imperium Group, and indeed, RugbyWA advised ARU representatives in Perth on Monday afternoon of their intention to seek an injunction against any team-chopping moves. It’s clear this is not going to be a simple process.
Regardless of how messy it may or may not become, the wheels are now in process to make a decision.
And I firmly believe that Australian rugby will lose the least by closing down the Melbourne Rebels.
In all reality, rugby in Melbourne and broader Victoria is well down the pecking order. The AFL dwarfs all comers, but the A-League, NRL, Super Netball, and NBL competitions all have significantly more awareness of their brands than the Rebels and Super Rugby enjoy. The Rebels-Waratahs report after their Friday night home game several weeks ago saw half a column jammed in alongside the provincial trots and greyhound results in the Herald-Sun.
TV ratings for Rebels games are as flat as any of the other Australian sides.
By their own admission, the Rebels’ membership has nearly halved from more than 10,000 in 2016 to around 5500 this season. You can’t imagine that has grown much since, given their current form on the field, and the once-strong Rebel Army is virtually non-existent.
Meanwhile, over in the west, around that same number of people have signed up to $1000 shares to own part of their team, under the ‘Own The Force’ community campaign.
Future financial sustainability and ongoing sponsorship we said to be among the ARU’s criteria for the decision, and while the Imperium Group are running the Rebels on their own books, it’s notable that the Rebels have the only clean jersey-front in Super Rugby this season. They haven’t replaced this significant naming rights revenue stream since foundation partner RaboBank ended their association after the 2015 season.
After three seasons of their clever ‘multiple sponsors’ initiative (which to my understanding was still worth near $950,000 a year in total), the WA Government’s Road Safety Commission took up the naming rights for $1.5 Million in 2017, and with a three-year roll over renewal option. Several of their ‘community’ sponsors, now on the back of the jersey have announced recent extensions beyond 2017.
Significantly, new WA Premier Mark McGowan underlined his Government’s support for the Force, taking to social media just two weeks into his new Premiership:
I’ll stand corrected, but I can’t recall Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews even mentioning the Rebels.
Rugby as a sport has grown significantly in Western Australia since the admission to Super Rugby of the Western Force, and the pathways are now starting to bear serious fruit. The Force’s Super Rugby squad has around a dozen local players in their squad in 2017, ten of whom have taken the field this season.
The Future Force program has converted half a dozen young players into Super Rugby debutants in three season, and Perth Spirit’s maiden NRC title last season came after playing in the inaugural Final in 2014.
While the Rebels obviously haven’t been around as long, it’s hard to see how they meet the same game development marks as the Force, and even with private ownership, their ongoing financial position is still reliant on ARU input. The oft-referred promised land of the stronger corporate market in Melbourne really hasn’t been of any great benefit, and the though the game may be stronger at grade level, it isn’t really growing.
And with Melbourne’s higher population completely engulfed by AFL, and football to a lesser degree, it’s hard to see that changing. The Melbourne Storm really hasn’t done much for rugby league in Melbourne in nearly two decades, and let’s see how much traction they have in a few years’ time once their group of generational players call time on their careers.
There is no doubt the ARU is in for a legal fight whichever way they go. Compensation to the Imperium Group has already been mentioned and probably threatened, yet the ‘greater good’ argument should actually value the development of the game at all levels in Western Australia higher anyway.
If the ARU want to strengthen the game in Australia, they won’t ignore where it is genuinely stronger.
Ruminate
Roar Guru
So it would seem that Vic has a far more solid grass roots and development pathway...despite WA being in their 11th season, 5 more than the Rebels. There seems to be more players in Melbourne and ultimately, it's numbers playing that will make the Wallabies better
Ruminate
Roar Guru
Check the Wallabies under 20 squad as to where the players come from.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Hutchinson has reportedly signed with the Rebels for next season too so he's 'coming home'.
Nick
Guest
ARU website reported "Super Rugby and Aussie Sevens duties have also shaped the final squad, with nine players unavailable because of their tournament duties - Sham Vui (Western Force), Jordan Uelese (Melbourne Rebels), Esei Haangana (Melbourne Rebels), Izaia Perese (Queensland Reds), Sione Tuipulotu (Melbourne Rebels), Liam McNamara (Aussie 7s), Henry Hutchinson (Aussie 7s), Simon Kennewell (Aussie 7s) and Lachlan Anderson (Aussie 7s)". Interestingly, Henry Hutchinson also learnt his rugby in Melbourne with the Melb Unicorns and a great local rugby school called St Kevins College
Browny
Roar Rookie
Pretty sure there's 3 U20s players that Rebels pulled rank on and took on tour to South Africa due to their massive injury list. I'm not sure if the same was the case with WA but I haven't heard anything to suggest otherwise.
Browny
Roar Rookie
Leali'ifano has 19 Wallabies caps and Ben Tapuai has 7...
Nick
Guest
Can't think of any been researching?
Ruminate
Roar Guru
Brett, if I'm right, in the recently named Wallabies under 20 squad, Vic had 4 players plus 4 Rebels, and WA had 2 players...this seems relevant in terms of player development for this discussion
AndyS
Guest
No I meant all those players that made their way into Super Rugby without the benefit of having a team in Melbourne. WA is out of sight, out of mind and any good player was invisible until the Force. Not so in Melbourne as a number of players managed to get scouted without a SR team, by the Brumbies in particular. From a player development/Australian rugby point of view, less of a loss...?
Browny
Roar Rookie
I think you're trying to read into that a little too hard. The proximity comment relates to regular travel for conference games and any wallaby camps where across the course of the season those extra few kms/hours add up and can affect performance. I don't think that saving a couple of hours on a flight from one city to another when you're relocating to live really matters much at all. Might be a bit harder if you were planning to drive from Perth to Sydney but that's a different story, and even then it's a one off trip. Personally I don't think either case is particularly strong if that "travel time equals pathway strength is a major component of the argument for which team should stay.
AndyS
Guest
Haven't you just made the case that, unlike WA, history shows that proximity to the other teams means cutting the Rebels wouldn't cut off the development pathway?
Browny
Roar Rookie
Add Rob Valetini who's Melbourne born-and-bred but has moved up to Canberra for opportunities. Shame he's not still down here at the moment as he'd be getting a game with McMahon, Timani, Reid, Leota, Fox and Toolis all injured or suspended and to add to it Colby will miss at least the first game of the tour, possibly the whole thing, depending on when Fainga'a Jr decides to show up.
Nick
Guest
Rebels Siliva Siliva (Endeavour Hills rugby club), Jordon Usese (St Kevins College), Rob Leota (Northern Rugby Club), Sione Tuipulotu (St Kevins College), Fereti Saaga (Melb Grammar School) and Sefa Naivalu (Box Hill RC) all developed from the Vic community rugby. The Rebel U20 side played in last years final and had 6 in the national team. This year they again bet the Force and Brumbies and lost at full time to the Tahs. All locally develop players. They have 9 players in the national squad which is more than the Brumbies and Force combined. The Force only have 1. The Rebel U18 are also doing very well and they bet QLD 1 last year so the development pipeline has become very impressive. Neither WA or ACT can match this progress.
Nick
Guest
Brumbies can't sustain them,selves Forec and Rebels can
Browny
Roar Rookie
Christian Leali'ifano and Ben Tapuai are both Wallabies and there's probably a couple of current WA homegrown Wallabies that deserve a mention (particularly DHP) but aside from that I like what you're puttin' down, Nick. Cheers
Nick
Guest
Brett you are not that well informed. Before the Rebels existed but during the super rugby era Vic rugby contributed 3 wallabies in David Fitter, Llyod Johansson and Digby Ioane. Viic rugby also contributed super rugby players in Tamaiti Horua (Force & Brumbies), Tom McVerry (Reds), Ole Avei (Reds), John Ulugia (Brumbies & Tahs), Christian Lealiifano (Brumbies), David Palavi (Brumbies) & Marc L'Huillier (Vic & USA). Both Ben Tapuai (Reds) and Rex Tapuai (Reds) played junior rugby in Melbourne. Ewen McKenzie was also boy and raised in Melbourne. Players like Rocky Elsom and Nick Stiles we also born in Melbourne. By contrast WA rugby only produced John Welborn and Adam Wallace-Harrison (Reds) prior to the Force being. For some reason they could not develop players of rep standard at that time. Current Force player Terera Faulkner is also from Melbourne. NRC Rams prop Cameron Betham is from Melbourne. Rebels Siliva Siliva (Endeavour Hills rugby club), Jordon Usese (St Kevins College), Rob Leota (Northern Rugby Club), Sione Tuipulotu (St Kevins College), Fereti Saaga (Melb Grammar School) and Sefa Naivalu (Box Hill RC) all developed from the Vic community rugby. The Rebel U20 side played in last years final and had 6 in the national team. This year they again bet the Force and Brumbies and lost at full time to the Tahs. All locally develop players. They have 9 players in the national squad which is more than the Brumbies and Force combined. The Force only have 1. The Rebel U18 are also doing very well and they bet QLD 1 last year so the development pipeline has become very impressive. Neither WA or ACT can match this progress. AFL is under some pressure in Melbourne as it has reached saturation in terms of participation. Parents are paying $500 for their kids to play soccer over $180 for rugby over $50 for Auskick. If the ARU wants to understand how to protect its self from AFL in Sydney then they need a base here so that they can understand that code. The development of player talent has been accelerated by the establishment of the Rebels. Crowd numbers at Rebel games appear higher than at Force games. The access to sponsorship is better and the corporate participation is close to sold out each game. Melbourne is also closer to the other Australian franchises which makes it easier for Wallaby team management and player welfare. Victorian rugby would be number three in Australian rugby based on the overall metrics of participation and rep performance (junior to U20 level). Vic juniors and school player numbers are growing substantially. Image an all Victorian Rebel front row of Siliva Siliva, Jordon Usese, Fereti Saaga, Cameron Betham and Terera Faulkner. Then add to this the remaining U20 national players (6) from past season and this year's 9. Little has been said of the Rebels local talent development. It is very impressive and why they can claim to be number 3 in Australia. If I was the ARU I would have proposed a 3 x 6 conference system with the Jaguars playing in the NZ conference. That way we keep the Force. The ARU cannot afford to keep making mistakes like they did in 1996, 2006 and 2015 with the 18 team comp and not keep Melbourne. If they must cut please select the Force or perhaps the Brumbies given they have neither the population, financial or growth participation potential. This represents a major drain on NSW and QLD rugby. The cut team can remain in the NRC.
Ad-0
Guest
+1 I agree, surely have to ditch the 'tahs.
Piru
Guest
What? I'm confused as to why you think I tried to tell you he should just give the licence back. Quotation marks are not used for highlighting or emphasis. They are used to indicate a quote, which is how I used them.
Chop
Roar Guru
Rugby Thunderdome I love it !
As a Rebels fan, the solution is simple: it comes down to results and frankly the Rebels have been woeful. The players are a reflection of the coaching staff who have had 4 seasons to turn them around, and nothing! Time to cut the and move on, similar to the Southern Kings being cut. The newest franchise needs to be cut. Melbourne club rugby will unfortunately have to divert its talents between the Brumbies and Tahs. Plus, the Force geographically makes sense. A great stopover for teams moving on to SA or vice versa.