History provides the greatest catalogue of lessons worth learning and applying.
In the matter whether to favour the Melbourne Rebels or Western Force to be cut from Super Rugby, well, it has already been comprehensively dealt with.
Wind back the clock, folks, to October 2004.
That’s when the ARU under chief executive Gary Flowers undertook an intense scrutiny of bids to provide Australia’s fourth Super rugby franchise.
On October 20 it culled the also-rans and declared a final showdown between Perth and Melbourne. Each state association was given a month to finalise its bid, including existing and future funding, and the proposals were presented to the ARU for a vote and decision on ten December.
The Force bid was selected on the basis of greater community support and financial sustainability.
The VRU proposal relied heavily on a raft of sponsors engaged in short-term State Government projects such as roads, giving rise to concern they were there for show only, whereas the Force landed Emirates as major sponsor, backed up by mining money.
For several seasons, the Force worked well, albeit despite some horrible mistakes… Firepower, anybody?
Re-enter John O’Neill. His second stint as ARU chief was not nearly as successful as his first, when he filled the organisation’s coffers with World Cup money.
During his reign, the Force lost union funding for its academy and was lumped with coach Richard Graham, before what out West was considered the great betrayal: the creation of the Melbourne Rebels, complete with start-up benefits not given to the Force in 2006.
That’s when rugby fans in Perth really started to debate whether the ARU was fair dinkum about the Force, and many let their feet do the talking.
Did former banker O’Neill simply count the respective number of autobanks in each city, or did he truly consider the difficulty of taking on the AFL head to head in its own citadel?
If he did, and thought he would succeed as he had done with World Cup campaigns in two sports, it was a mighty case of hubris.
Right now the AFL will be delighted the Rebels exist. The club is bleeding dry its parent body. Perhaps the gurus of the SMH with strong connections into North Sydney can discover exactly how much money the ARU has spent propping up the Rebels and Force respectively per year of existence.
Keep in mind the AFL is still maintaining a watching brief of the situation in Melbourne, whereas the WA Football Commission was overtly hostile to the Force for the first four years until rugby departed for Members Equity Stadium, curtailing the embarrassment of periodically outdrawing the Dockers at Subiaco Oval.
When the true financials are published, let the experts then ask if the ARU has a big enough war chest to win the Battle of Melbourne against the AFL?
Two words: no chance. If the ARU gambles and loses in Melbourne, it could itself become a bankrupted footnote in sporting history.
ScottD
Roar Guru
U I agree with your comments on taking on the ARU. NZ has 4 of the 5 best SR teams and is world champion. I doubt they have much incentive to start up another franchise and just don't see them doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. I am heartened by the SA action from the Cheetahs. If SA and ARU have the same legal issues then it will force SANZAR to return to the drawing board and consider the other two options their review suggested. Sheek may get his wish for a decent 3x6 team conference system yet!!!
piru
Roar Rookie
All the teams should have been in the mix - if NSW and QLD are so important then surely they'd have met all the necessary criteria with flying colours. Like I said before, if all the teams were up for possible canning, the vote might have gone a different way
piru
Roar Rookie
Has the ARU and SARU jumped the gun a bit? Would they have been better off waiting til 2020 and the new contract?
ukkiwi
Guest
I know it's not funny but I had to laugh at the last line.
piru
Roar Rookie
Rebellion - your girlfriend left you for a West Australian didn't she?
wyn
Guest
Yes, why not do a poll - I'm a Rebels member and something has to change in Aus rugby. If Rebels/Brumbies merge the other franchise can chip in by playing their home and away games against merged team in Melbourne and Canberra respectively and the remaining Kiwi, SA and Sunwolves home games to be split evenly between the venues. That gives 5/6 games in each of Melbourne/Canberra and 7 in the other capitals.
Train Without A Station
Guest
They only own it because it was gifted to them. They get credit for luck?
A joke
Guest
Why not come up with an even dumber idea. Let's have just one Aussie team and they play in a different city every home game like the circus or Grand Prix. Let towns bid for matches. Hobart, then Geelong, Rockhampton whoever has the cash and while we are at it, shift to a pay per view model. You pay for every match like the boxing.
A joke
Guest
Has Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies offered to pay back all the money they have sucked out of the game. What you said it something that Tony Abbot would come up with, think before you spout shite!
A joke
Guest
Melbourne's population is larger than the population of NZ. To be honest it would not be much less than the white population of Southern Africa. Economically Melbourne would monster NZ. Rugby's problem is not that it cannot compete with AFL, it's problem is that it is not putting on a decent show and is a 'secret league'. Games are only held on pay to and teams playing are uncompetitive. Why can't the Rebels recruit the best union players from around the world? As a Victorian who follows union, I do not care anymore if the Rebels fold. the Super competition is just not worth the trouble because it is too hard to follow never being on tv. If you want my advice, form a Sydney and Brisbane club competition with a few clubs in places like Melbourne. From where I sit the who Super concept is doomed anyhow. Funding is dropping and participation also. They might as well bite the bullet and play to it's strengths. Northern Suburbs of Sydney, eastern Sydney, southern, and western. Possibly a Newcastle, Canberra and why not Wollongong to take advantage of the loss of the Steelers? Then toss in some sides from Brisbane and you have a great start. Super rugby won't survive, start planning for an alternative.
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Bakkies, Seemingly not the same criteria as the Brumbies got in by! - If it so turns out that the said "same criteria " doesn't apply, you can absolutely guarantee that there will be a helluva stoush in the Court, because you can bet that the Force and the Rebels are sussing that equital criterion right at this very moment!
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Bakkies, How did the Brumbies get suddenly viable financially when a few weeks ago they were broke, so to meet the mickey mouse criteria someone must have laid some dollars on them, and isn't part of the criteria incumbent on Sponsorship? - The SMH rugby Columnist suggests you have very little of the said Sponsorship! The Brumbies are worse off than the Force is for money in the bank, so why not the Brumbies?
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Sheek, Agree mate, who would want to be tied up in Provincial rugby when it's run by this mob! - If either the Force or Rebels are named as the ones to go, there will of course be one hell of a stoush in the Court, and considering the amount of folding stuff it would cost the ARU and with the purported lack of resources in the Bank balance of the Governing body, who knows? - I think the Brumbies will be looking over their shoulders once more! No teams should be put under this shocking duress through the incompetence of a governing body! I only hope that no team goes, period.
Ronb
Guest
No they wont, the easiest and cheapest option is to get rid of the Force!
Unanimous
Guest
From the latest on Friday it looks like cutting any team is not something the ARU was legally able to do. If that is the case, it might be an interesting couple of weeks and months coming up. Possibly court action overturning decision followed by wholesale board resignation followed by new board and further reworking of comp at SANZAAR? Talk of taking on AFL or not is just grossly stupid. The future is all sports played everywhere to some degree. Aussie Rugby can not afford to kill any of its areas. It needs to persuade NZ to get extra teams, and to put sensible equalisation measures in place as every other sport does - not cut Aussie teams.
Unanimous
Guest
Fitzroy did not move to Brisbane. Fitzroy effectivel disappeared and Brisbane got to choose what they wanted from the remains. Fitzroy supporters did not remain loyal. The few remaining Fitzroy supporters now support the Fitzroy VAFA club. Sydney moved and retained some supporters mostly because the team got extremely favourable treatment from the league and became successful after years of finishing near the bottom of the ladder. In most cases moving cities is hugely problematic and requires special circumstances and treatment by a league to work. None of those circumstances or special treatment is present here.
concerned supporter
Guest
At least they own land. The main saleable assets of the ARU seem to Plant, Office Equipment & Office Furniture. Their Employees Super & Entitlements owing is AUD $1.8 M
double agent
Guest
I've read Eastwood are so broke they're selling their land. Which was given to them.
Bakkies
Guest
The Cheetahs have now come out and said they are looking to take SARU based partially on the same reason why the Force are taking action against the ARU. They've stated that they have a signed agreement with SARU for the next 3 and a half years till 2020 (includes that season as the new contract will come in to effect in 2021) to play in the Super Rugby competition.
Bakkies
Guest
Exactly Sheek and most of the bs about mergers comes from the press and supporters of the Reds and Tahs who have not been affected by this in any way shape and form.