After the ARU finally made the decision to remove the Western Force’s Super Rugby license, there’s plenty of confusion about the next steps in the process. Here are all the big questions – and some of the answers – facing Australian rugby right now.
What next?
A messy legal battle seems imminent. Rugby WA CEO Mark Sinderberry said they would be seeking an injunction, his statements coming after a defiant press release from Rugby WA following the ARU’s decision.
“RugbyWA remains committed to pursuing every possible means to ensure the Western Force remains a Super Rugby team in Perth,” the statement read.
“RugbyWA is considering all options including bringing urgent proceedings in the Supreme Court of NSW, and legal action relating to the circumstances which led it to enter into the Alliance Agreement with the ARU.
“Whilst the board of RugbyWA is extremely disappointed with the ARU’s stated position, with the support of the Rugby community and numerous WA business identities including Mr Andrew Forrest AO we will continue the fight to retain the Force in Western Australia.”
Such an eventuality has seemed likely ever since Forrest pledged his support to the franchise, and with the mining magnate’s billions behind them, it would seem the Force are intent on taking the matter as far as possible.
This isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.
So is Forrest sticking around for the fight?
In a word, yes.
If Rugby WA’s statement was defiant, then Twiggy’s was even moreso.
“This is like dumping the fastest improving athlete or the silver medalist from the Olympic swimming squad and leaving the worst performer in there,” Forrest said in a press release.
“It is a ludicrous and unfair legal initiative by the ARU. This would only get through litigation and never logic.”
He then followed it up by stating he – and the Force and Rugby WA – are up for the fight.
“We want leadership from the Australian Rugby Union, not cowardly litigation,” Forrest said.
“But if they want to continue to fight us, we will happily take them on for as long as it takes.”
Forrest will be at the forefront of the previously-mentioned injunction, and said he’s working on a plan B should that fail.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
What happens to the ARU?
Well, don’t expect to see Bill Pulver leading the organisation for too much longer. The ARU’s CEO has announced he will stand down as soon as they’ve found a replacement for him.
“I have made the decision to step down as CEO once the board finds someone to replace the position,” Pulver said.
“It’s been a tough year for rugby. It’s a good time for a renewed leadership. A clean slate. A new generation of rugby.”
The problem is, it’s hard to see who Pulver’s replacement will be. One of the criticisms of the ARU has been that there’s no obvious successor to Pulver waiting in the wings.
Former chief operating officer Rob Clarke had been touted as a possible candidate, but his resignation in May has scuppered the chances of that.
Whoever steps into Pulver’s shoes, they will no doubt have an unenviable job ahead of them. Let’s hope they’re up for the task.
Could the Force join a different competition?
Given South Africa’s two axed franchises have joined the European Pro 12 – or Pro 14 now – some are asking whether the Force could do the same.
You’d think it pretty damn unlikely though. Unlike the Cheetahs and Kings, the Force don’t share a timezone with any other significant rugby competition in the world – with the exception of Japan’s Top League – nor are they geographically close to any.
Even in Super Rugby they were a bit of a geographical outlier, something of a pit-stop between the Australian franchises on the east coast and South Africa.
So no, don’t expect to see the Force linking up with Europe anytime soon.
(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
What happens to the Force players?
In March, the ARU promised to honour all contracts signed by players, even if they were with a franchise that was subsequently cut from Super Rugby. They reiterated that commitment earlier today.
However, while that guarantees a bit of financial security, it doesn’t answer the question of what happens to those players next.
ARU chairman previously said they will sit down individually with players to work out the best course of action.
“If we do end up in a situation where there are less teams than there are, then we’ll sit down and it’ll be a player-by-player basis,” Clyne said in May.
“We’re saying to players, ‘We’ll give you the certainty of honouring your contract or pursuing early release or whatever you want to achieve’.”
No doubt the ideal situation is for the majority of players to be shifted to different Australian Super Rugby teams, but that’s something the ARU won’t be able to force on anyone.
Wallaby winger Dane Haylett-Petty, for example, previously stated he would not be too interested in moving from Perth if the Force were cut, raising the possibility that he could bypass next year’s Super Rugby tournament despite a contract that runs through to 2019.
The Force had six current Wallabies in their 2017 squad: Adam Coleman, Tetera Faulkner, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Haylett-Petty, Billy Meakes, and Curtis Rona. However, Faulkner has already signed a deal with the Melbourne Rebels for next year.
The entire squad won’t all be able to squeeze their way into the remaining franchises. Some Force players have already inked contracts with overseas clubs, a trend that we’d expect to see continue.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
What does it mean for the Perth Spirit?
The reigning NRC champions are closely linked to the Force – unsurprisingly, given they share a city – but there was no mention of them whatsoever in the ARU’s press release.
Given that, and that the ARU said “Western Australia will retain an important place in Australian rugby and the ARU will continue to support youth development programs and the community game in the West,” it’s safe to say the Spirit aren’t going anywhere.
What happens to people who invested in the ‘Own The Force’ campaign?
There’s no guarantee they’ll be refunded, however if there are any funds left over after the company set up by the campaign is closed, they will be distributed back to the Own The Force shareholders.
Could the NRL move into Perth?
It’s a move plenty of fans have proposed over the last few months. With the Force gone, it certainly would make sense for the NRL to look at breaking into the west coast market.
However, the NRL currently has its hands full with negotiating a new pay deal, which is undoubtedly a higher priority than attempting to break into an unfamiliar city.
The opportunity is there, but it would be a big surprise to see the NRL make a bold leap and take it.
Michael gardiner
Guest
There is one important reason why the the force has to be cut and I can see more teams must be cut, the reason being, Rugby is a boring game , it is in a market competing with two exciting fast codes NRL and AFL, unless the rules are changed ( which is almost impossible for Rugby ) the game will never compete. The blatant arrogant attitude by Rugby administrations over the years has been , our game is superior and if people are exposed to a game they will follow us. Well I believed the game has lost its excitement . I can see how it would have been exciting in the 18 hundreds. Besides the constant boring stoppages , scrums, line outs , penalties, the there is the nonsensical fact that many teams persist in kicking the ball back to the opposition, the opposition then brings the ball back past where the ball was kicked. I am thinking NRL is looking good.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Sure the ARU could have done more and it would have helped the Force. But had they done so, they likely would have gone broke as they themselves ran so low on funds in 2013 and 2015. You have to consider that the process was based on the team demonstrating how they were capable to enter Super Rugby. Not the ARU choosing a location and investing in it like the AFL does. If they needed additional support from the ARU then really, their bid was based on false pretenses. You could say the same about the Rebels as well.
Realist
Guest
Deans had access to the greatest crop of once-in-generation talent - in their absolute prime -since the 90's (O'Connor, Pocock, Genia, Cooper, Ioane and to a lesser extent Beale). He badly mismanaged them and is partly responsible for this death spiral the Wallabies have found themselves in (90% of the blame lies in Sydney ARU). I was intrigued to see how Link would go after the 2013 EOYT - unfortunately he got a handful of Waratahs offside during the Dublin Six episode and that was all she wrote.
Realist
Guest
I guess it is arrogant but then Aussies have always been great sporting innovators - AFL, Various Forms of cricket etc It wouldn't be the worst idea given how referees are still having to rely on guesswork for some of the scrummaging.
Realist
Guest
Nice lone stat iSteves But the Farce have been around for 12 seasons and have never 'ONCE' finished in the top half of the draw - let alone the finals series yet QLD and NSW have delivered over 95% of the players and a couple of Championships. You will never win an argument for your team by using performance as a benchmark
Jameswm
Guest
See ya
Jameswm
Guest
Where do you think the Force players come from?
Realist
Guest
Boot the Waratahs or Reds...someone's delusional
Glenn in Perth
Guest
Flogging a dead horse if they appeal this decision and fight through the courts. At the heart of the problem is that the whole experiment was done very poorly from day one at the Force by both the Force themselves but mainly the ARU by the insufficient support given while trying to establish in a non Rugby state. The point we are at now is that both sides of the argument have so much contempt for each other and such a lack of trust that a workable relationship between the ARU and RugbyWA/Western Force would be absolutely impossible. This whole process has damaged the sport in WA beyond repair. As a sport it will now be regarded with derision, when thought about at all, and the general view will be that it is another example of the East treating the West with contempt so why do we either care or bother. I hope the NRL have another try in Perth, the first time failed only because of Super League and Murdoch wanting a team in Melbourne. If the NRL are smart about it they can spend 5 years building the profile in WA and then make an informed decision on whether or not you put a team here or do you go down the same route as the AFL did in Tasmania and have teams playing there regularly.
Train Without A Station
Guest
People (commentors) on this site said Own the Force has raised over $8M. But you've said less than $3M has actually been raised, which I tend to believe. So I'm saying all these people who have been saying there is $8M in it are lying. It's not a comment on what you are saying, but more a dig at many of the Force fans around here who are unable to discuss the virtues of the Force without resorting to exaggerating and lying.
AndyS
Guest
But unlike NSW and Q'ld, none of the other states have the luxury of weighing up grassroots investment against a Super team. Outside of those two states, the SR team is what generates all the money for grassroots investment as the ARU provides next to nothing. So they've ensured there won't be anything like that, as no SR team and no money from the ARU will mean no grassroots, no pathways, no NRC and no players. Just as it would in the two main states, except they own the bank.
ForceFan
Guest
Amen....in much the same way as the more even playing field in NZ. Who can doubt the AFL success of creating the even playing field such that over time all clubs had a chance to make it. It's what helped the Western Bulldogs win its 1st flag in >60 years. Some historical relevance: 1. It took St Kilda 95 years to win its first VFL premiership in 1966. 2. It took the well-supported Waratahs 19 years in Super Rugby to win its first SR Title. During that time it too needed a bail-out from the ARU. A wrap-up on Aussie SR attendance figures in 2017: Queensland Reds - 15,100 (Brisbane population - 2 Million) NSW Waratahs - 14,500 (Sydney population - 5 Million) Western Force - 9,600 (Perth population - 2 Million) ACT Brumbies - 9,500 (Canberra population - 0.4 Million) Melbourne Rebels - 7,600 (Melbourne population - 4.5 Million) Notes: a. Waratahs number based on best available info as Allianz Stadiunm stopped showing Waratahs' crowd numbers (while still showing crowds for all other codes). b. Nothing shows the lack of engagement in SR more than the 10,000 who turned up to watch the Brumbies v Hurricanes Q Final. Yes it was a cold night. But no colder than the games when I've flown over from Perth to watch the Force play the Brumbies.
ForceFan
Guest
Amen....
ForceFan
Guest
As the Own the Force arrangements have all been open and above board, I struggle to understand your motivation behind your "lying" comment. The pledges were indications of intent - before the Prospectus was issued and things became more protracted with the ARU - to test whether the Own the Force scheme had backing. Nothing unusual. It's a very different situation from Pulver's lies about the Western Force's future being secure. etc etc. At the last WF Members' information evening the indication was that >$2.5 Million was already in the Trust account with MANY Members advising that they would follow through once the arbitration had been concluded and was in the Force's favour. Clearly the monies were to buy back the licence for the Force. If this wasn't going to happen then the monies weren't needed. Since then three things have happened: 1. The date was extended beyond the July close (as allowed for in the Prospectus). 2. Andrew Forest has personally stepped forward to back the Force. 3. Andrew Forest has offered interest free loans to people wanting to subscribe. The offer is that he will buy the share and the subscriber will pay the monies directly to the WF. (Yes this does sound like his matching $ for $).
Realist
Guest
There is a lot to build from. Perth Spirit are NRC Champions and pathways are seemingly starting to bear fruit. Don't throw your toys out of the cot - embrace what you have and when you get to a stage you can supply your own players then Super Rugby will have failed and there may be room for another team again. WA was lucky the ARU stuck by the Force when the mining boom ended and sponsors folded. Show some spirit, some pride and make a genuine case to fight your way back. The case you have right now is based on promises only. You have to accept that
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Except when it is rebuilt, all the power will rest with QLD and NSW who provide the bulk of the players and TV viewers, so as a result it would just end up being a system closer to the Pre-2010 structure which favoured them even more.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Because as we have been repeatedly told. The Force sought an interim injunction to prevent the ARU from doing so. Both parties then agreed to arbitration to speed up the process. The Force may still challenge now but it's unlikely any interim injunction will be granted to prevent the ARU from cutting them until the appeal is heard. They did not announce immediately because as I have responded to you twice now, the Force took action to prevent them from doing so. This action has since gone to arbitration and on Friday that found in favour of the ARU.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Just because I disagree with you? Had the Rebels needed bailing out last year, not 2 years earlier, it would have been them, not the Force being cut.
RahRah
Guest
You are so full of it Twas, so puffed up with your own sense of self importance and your sanctimonious pontifications and guru status. If you want to know the real cost to the ARU, here's a guy who should know a lot better than you https://www.rugbywa.asn.au/news/geoffrey-stooke-aru-board-resignation-statement/
Kirky
Roar Rookie
Drongo! Your nom de plume fits you mate, why don't you just go away and let us Force Dudes wallow in our own crap and do things the only way we know, ~ properly, ~ we don't need your divine self centred intervention or one eyed ideas!