ARU locks in date for extraordinary general meeting

Super Rugby is NOT the answer for Australian Rugby Union. Its competitors are greater, AFL, NRL, A League and they have grown on the Australian domestic market. About a team Australian Rugby Union Championship with 2or 3 teams in Queensland; 3 or 4 around Sydney and the Central Coast (with one definitely in the Western Suburbs) and then ACT, Melbourne and Perth. Similarly, I wouldn't be surprised if NZ wouldn't prefer their own championship - the have the numbers for 10 teams. South Africa can do what ever they like. But you could have a Champions League like European soccer where the top two or three teams from each competition play off for a champions trophy. Spruiked properly to Foxtel they would buy the deal and travel costs would be reduced for each team. Look how AFL and Soccer have built up followings - dedicated fans who travel to support their team. The ARU has to look at the competing codes and build a product that will draw strong TV audiences. Their marketing strategy is dated for the 1960's - Get real.

Ok, you are just being argumentative. Cutting the Force is a dumb idea. Dumb ideas are the norm in Australia. You can polish this tankard all you like, but it still stinks.

I have to agree with this. The discussion has been had previously, and at the end of 2016 the ARU ended the year in profit and with little apparently earmarked for the extra $30M a year it is getting during this broadcast agreement. They gave the SR teams more, so assume that would continue, and they doubled the amount to grassroots, however coy they might be about who actually got that money. So unless they've managed to lose the lot some other way, the finances shouldn't be the issue. Personally, I think they've convinced themselves or been convinced that if they can just recreate the 1990's, they'll get the same results. Hence all the stuff about coaching panels, even with the same people, and IMO a plan to go back to three teams. Force first as the most expedient, then a hard line drawn under the Rebels - if they can finally sort themselves out, act as three teams and the other. If they can't and Cox wants to hand the license back, make it known that he is doing so in order for it to be shut down. Or he can sell it, along with all liabilities and the same approach taken by the ARU. If so, delusional to my mind and interesting that they think it will produce a different result than the Wallabies train wreck and imminent financial disaster of the early naughties. But I suppose worst case it will all fall down properly, by which time very few will care.

Agreed - it won't kill the game completely in WA - just professional rugby. RugbyWA should hit up the NPC and see if they'll let the Force compete over there - plenty of expats would be interested

If you axe the Force WA will go back to what it was in the early 2000s pre-Force.

Apparently not

His family being in Tassie is irrelevant considering he has lived in Sydney and Perth for his Rugby career.

But then he has to live in Qld, His family's all in Tassie

TWAS NIB stadium has a capacity of 20,000 and the Force has attracted bigger crowds in the past, there is no reason why they cannot fill the stadium. 2-4 pm at work on a Friday afternoon is better than 10-12 am of that game was played in the Eastern States. The Force time zone is only a problem if your world begin and ends in Eastern State Australian. Broaden your view, it is a bigger challenge to watch games live played in New Zealand in the early morning hours from South Africa or Europe. The Force are able to tap into markets that the Eastern States and New Zealand just cannot. As rugby become a more global game it will attract a larger following in other areas like Singapore and Hong Kong. Attend a 7s tournament in these areas and you will find that the game is well supported. You also do not understand how rugby in South Africa functions. Club rugby is small and junior rugby played at schools. The schools competition is on Saturday morning’s, making the 2-4 pm afternoon a prime time viewing slot and an appetizer for the local matches played directly after. The Force can tap into this market and also into Europe at the same time. The club competition intersect with local Superugby games anyway so these are not the live rugby viewers. “I don’t see the point of your last comment.” The ARU underestimate the passion for their own team in WA. This comment is a classic : “The region cut will basically be lost at least in the short term” – so you think you can burn your license to operate in in WA and restart a couple of years later! If you axe the Force, the public will react and not in the way that the ARU would like and that is perfectly rational.

I agree with ARU strategy - let the players, owners, sponsors, State Govts prove they want to keep their team. It was akin in a small way to news Ltd sacrificing the Storm in the salary cap dramas 5 years ago - the people of Melbourne were supposed to rally round their local team because Sydney HO were jealous of their success - meanwhile Storm had signed all the promising juniors on offer and then warehoused some players to Rugby and England and they came back in 2 years (Chambers, Hoffmann etc). Trouble is they didn't really rally. How long has AAMI park been open.

The following players from that Spirit team did in fact play Aus Schoolboys or 20s: 1. Pek Cowan; 2. Heath Tessman; 3. Jermaine Ainsley (NZ Baa Baas 20s); 4. Ross Haylett-Petty; 5. Brynard Stander (Springboks U18 Elite Squad); 6. Jono Lance; 7. Ben Tapuai; 8. Bill Meakes; 9. Luke Morahan; 10. Shambeckler Vui; 11. Ian Prior; Players to not were: Michael Ruru (Not in Aus at the time); Eric Vasukicakau; Semisi Masirewa (Wasn't in Aus until he was in his 20s); Kieran Stringer; Onehunga Havili; Richard Hardwick; Ryan Lourwens (He was in SA and banned for 2 years for steroids so wasn't eligible for 20s); Marcel Brache (Wasn't in Aus); Anaru Rangi (Don't think he was in Aus at the time either); Liaone Mulikihaamea (Don't think he was in Aus); Grayson Knapp; Kane Koteka; So even then 11 of the 23 were from these systems.

TWAS how many of those schoolboys and under 20s in any state go on to become full professional players? More than players who don't make it. Very few that don't make Aus 20s/Schoolboys (Obviously allowing for players missing due to injury) go on to make it as long term Super Rugby players.

Also the Force have never had more than 40,000 to a game. They had 37,000 to their first ever game in 2006 and have had 3 more games higher than 30,000 (but below 31,000) since then. By 2009 they couldn't not draw 20,000 to more than a single game. The Crusaders game in 2011 was the last game to draw more than 20,000 people. 2014 was one of their most successful seasons and the first time they dipped under 10,000 for attendance for a game. Nothing in the past 5 years suggests that the Force will fill Nib Stadium.

He is still a fool for signing with a team that it's in disarray. He is better off at the Reds as Douglas and Simmons both need to be put out to pasture

Understood, but it doesn't mean they should be allowed to forget who they work for Ie us

TWAS how many of those schoolboys and under 20s in any state go on to become full professional players? In the case of Australian Rugby still very little. The Force like the Brumbies are developing players out of under age and it's working. Perth won the NRC with mainly a local squad and some of them are starting to show something at Super Rugby level. The Brumbies are using more mature players in their early 20s out of the existing programs locally and around the country to replace players who have left.

He's worth more to the Rebels who have no good experienced locks than he is to the Force who have a couple of good alternatives.

What's the TV Ratings demand for Rugby in Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore? What are the numbers there now? Do they have any interest in Australian rugby games? Indonesia is almost the same time zone as Perth and they've got 250M people. Should we based keeping a team around them? 2-4PM is not prime time. On a Friday it's during business hours. On a Saturday it would impact with club rugby in SA. The ARU do not schedule the games. A Sanazaar consultant does and then all teams sign off on it. I'm aware they will take action for specific performance. You mentioned damages. I don't see the point of your last comment. You keep harping on this emotional argument. The region cut will basically be lost at least in the short term. That's the reality. Though I doubt that rugby's demise will make AFL more popular in WA, given it's history there I think they already reach everybody who has any interest. But even if that's not the case, it doesn't matter. They aren't cutting a team thinking they will keep all the fans. They are doing so knowing that losing them is the most appealing of the scenarios they feel they are facing.

I’m doubtful they would choose to invite this negative without significant financial risk necessitating it. You give them a lot more credit than I do. The way this played out I think they thought killing the Force would be a quick and quiet short term solution that no one would get too upset about. I think the reason for the massive delay, contradictory statements and general inability to organise a pi$$ up in a brewery is a result of no plan B.

Piru the ARU aren't on the stock market so they don't need those figures to be made public