ARU drops plan for informal meeting to cut Super club

The case for cutting a team has more to do with the plummeting broadcaster viewing figures than anything else. That's who pays the real bills in Super Rugby. If people aren't watching the Rebels and Force on TV then they are not viable. The ARU getas a big cut of the broadcasting money, and the Australian Super Rugby teams get an equal cut of that. If this were a sport where an individual teams broadcasting revenue was related to their specific viewing figures then the Force and Rebels would both have been in big trouble years ago.

The business case to cut the Force and Rebels on financial grounds is now weak. Both parties have secure funding to progress to the end of the broadcasting deal at 2020 without no additional ARU funding than what is already committed. At the Rebels the private owner will take on more of the financial burden, the Force have the Own the Force and good sponsorships in place in spite of the uncertainty on the team's future and the respective state government have also stepped up. The remaining reasons to axe a team is that the ARU believe that redistributing players from the Force/Rebels to other franchises will improve the quality and depth of the remaining teams and the ARU's commitment to SANZAAR to axe a team. I disagree with the latter as the best team is not always the team with the best players. Coaching is more important

What do the VRU, RUPA and WA Rugby have to loose to attend this meeting......there is only one party that want to avoid scrutiny and their handling of this process....think....!

What business does this? Lots do. Many businesses who are making losses cut their costs by shrinking their business and come again. Happens everywhere mate including the company i work for or they would have had big problems. Whilst none of us like the idea of cutting a team, that is from a fans point of view, an accountant would probably say the aru are doing the right thing sadly

Another good news story from the ARU

Scheduling issues? Given current technology a meeting can take place with minimal travel. Maybe not face to face but surely a vid-conference. Gotta feel for the players):

Correct, it only says it won't go ahead because of "scheduling issues". However, with something as important as this would have thought all sides ld have rearranged schedules to fit this in.

Where does it say it was the ARU unable to make time and not the teams/RUPA? It doesn't.

If people are expecting some type of major changes or upheaval at the forthcoming EGM I think they may be disappointed. The ARU will see this move by the RUPA and VRU as a mere rumbling from the peasants and will most probably have the numbers to deflect any moves to oust the Board. What saddens me is that they had a perfect opportunity to answer a few questions and maybe even release some information so as to ease the growing tension and worry. But now nothing will happen till the Test series has started. Is this a deliberate move to distract the disillusioned Rugby Public?

Scheduling issues is a pretty weak argument Surely they have a teleconference set up available

As much as I would like to see an EGM and the board rolled and most of them culled, I don't for the life of me think that would happen. Nothing like this ever happens when you are dealing with the ARU, the processes are slow and grinding. In all my years of supporting rugby (50+) I have never seen any realistic radical decisions made at the top level. It is like glacier speed, it will all happen in good time. Meanwhile Rugby in Australia is dying a death of a thousand cuts. Slowly but surely the administration of the ARU are killing rugby as a sport in Australia. The cutting of a side from the super competition is ludicrous. What business does this. Is this the way to foster rugby in Australia by cutting a team and making it harder to reach your goal as a young player. Surely the ARU should have done some forward planning when they increased the number of teams to 5 so that this scenario would not happen. When you are running a business you always have forward planning ?????? The present circumstances with rugby in Australia are the most disappointing that I have ever experienced. You could always say to others that didn't follow, that rugby was a sport that was unique and that it is played around the world and that was an incentive to young men to play the game as opposed to playing league. Without the pathways offered by the 5 super teams now to be down to 4 that pathway is restricted and the lure of playing rugby in Australia is nowhere what is was 20 years ago. With the disarray that is in place at the moment more young men are turning to other sports to get to reach their potential. And there is a very great potential for Rugby to die in Australia

It will be very interesting to see who survives after this SGM, the ARU board intact or sacked due to lack of confidence. Most importantly,surely the ongoing decision to tell SANZAAR must be to keep the status quo of 18 teams until 2020,the end of current agreements. During this time period they need to create a better system for example 3 conferences x 6 teams,to see if the current problems with the 4 conferences,including lack of interest,time zones & travel costs,can be addressed while still building the growth of Rugby Union in the southern hemisphere.

Joking aside - :) just fossicked around the aru site and nothing there - is your AAP believable....

Well have we heard exactly why, Jibba? I don't think there's any blind love for the ARU on The Roar. Maybe there's a bit in the Pulver and Clyne households but I'm not sure it spreads any further than that Where there's some difference at the Roar is some point everything at the ARU while others acknowledge that they've played a part and are due some blame while also recognising that other parties (state unions, clubs, media... pretty much everyone...) also have contributed to the mess. I think if you're going to point the finger at Bill & Co. you've also got to extend that treatment to quite a few others.

Hahahhahahahaha you are destroying your credibility with your inane bllnd love for the aru... but then... you are the aru, hahahahha

I think the cancelling of this meeting shows exactly how incompetent the ARU is. This is the most important issue in Australian rugby at the moment and they don't have time. Isn't Pulver a full time and highly paid executive? What else is he doing? Lets have the EGM and chop out this dead wood!!

What can anyone say.....?? If this is a soap opera well then, its about time to chuck in the kitchen sink, the baby's crib and the toys while they're at it then, get the soap and clean 'em all out. An unbelievable trail of events right from the opening stanza, that just gets worse and worse, by the minute. The community doesn't deserve this, the supporters don't deserve this, the players don't deserve this and the franchises, don't deserve this.....this is a balls-up of gigantic proportions that just keeps getting bigger - isn't there only, so much embarrassment that can be taken, from this whole unfortunate incident??? Seems not......!!

Where does it say it was the ARU unable to make time? You've just decided that part.

Team Twassie must be on holiday... the aru is a train wreck...

I mainly follow rugby, cricket and athletics. As for rugby and cricket - aren't our national governing bodies doing a sterling job at present?