A lack of Force weakens all Australian rugby

Been a Force fan from the very beginning... I won't support another Australian team or the Wallabies.. be sure of that ARU.. after the Perth Test (and I am wearing Blue hoping everyone else does the same!!) the ARU are not getting one cent more of my hard earned cash.. SHAME SHAME!!!

They aren't trying to take on Twiggy. Twiggy is trying to take on them The onus is on Twiggy to prove the Force's side. But with regards to Twiggy trying to induce somebody to break a contract. He's making public statements doing so. He can have all the money he wants, it won't prevent justice.

http://nedlandsrugby.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Letter-to-the-Cameron-Clyne-and-ARU-Board-of-Directors_-Mr-Andrew-Forres-.pdf

Give you bigger headache TWAS, Forrest is even talking about a breakaway international competition.... Read article below. If anyone thinks the Force issue will blow over or that the ARU can just move on then you clearly have not been at the rally today and saw the passion and support of the up to 10,000 fans. We will go down swinging and if that means bringing the ARU and Australian rugby down with us, then it will be so. We are like a migraine.... It only started and will get worst. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-20/western-force-supporters-rally-in-perth-after-super-rugby-axing/8824812

In a public rally in Perth and estimated 10,000 supporters turned up with a clear message that we do not believe the ARU has the right to axe the Force and that we will continue fighting. We will not accept that rugby in WA has to die because the whole ARU Board has no experience or understanding of how grassroots rugby function. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/08/20/thousands-rally-against-western-force-cull

No one except another Billionaire is seriously going to try and take on Twiggy personally in the courts. Not even the EARU is that stupid.

Clyne and his ARU mates are an absolute disgrace. We cannot,accept a dumb decison thar will kill rugby in WA

Letter by Mitch Hardy (Wallaby # 735): To the Board of the Australian Rugby Union through John Eales It is with regret and sadness I have to sit here and actually write this letter. Twelve years ago my family and I packed our things and we moved to Perth. Back then it was to work for RugbyWA and help in the running of their local competition, develop community programs, get rugby into schools, club and volunteer management plans and kick start the RugbyWA academy. There was already a thriving rugby community here and with the onset of the Western Force and its launch in 2005 over the last 12 years has seen the game flourish, expand and grow. I was lucky enough to have 7 good years working for the WA rugby community as an administrator, volunteer, coach, referee, high performance leader and assisted in building this game we all care about into something everyone was proud of. Since leaving RugbyWA I have continued to support rugby via coaching, refereeing and volunteering on committees. My sons have both played since they were 5 and both have represented WA in rugby. This is their home and they both aspire to represent their state and possibly play for the Western Force. This has been taken away by those that only look at numbers not the game. I have always been a servant to the game and those that know me understand what I am about. I played until I wasn't able to play retiring at the age of 42. I have played junior club rugby, Sydney club rugby, state rugby, super rugby, for the Wallabies and back to Sydney club back to Perth club and so on all the while living the true spirit and values rugby represents. I have coached many talented young players across this time and shared stories and great memories with many stalwarts of the game including Geoff Stooke whom I admire greatly for his attitude towards the game. My proudest moment was playing for Australia and being able to share the same turf with absolute legends of the game like yourself all of whom I respect and admire. I tell my kids all the time about the great players and what they could do on the field and how they carried themselves in victory and defeat. It is rare to see these attributes these days, but there are glimpses. Richard Hardwick is a great example of one who inspires young players. WA needs these champions as part of the process to engage kids. WA needs the Western Force and it what it stands for. I am gutted to say the least at the way the WA rugby community have been treated. The board of the ARU are not there for the Wallabies they are there for Rugby and I have to say you have let the game and yourselves down. You have let me down as a long standing supporter and advocate for the game. I and many others worked tirelessly for the game over here, clubs, teachers in schools, volunteers and staff at RugbyWA have worked only to be delivered a killer message and for you to stand by and let this happens begs disbelief that people I know and respect have not fought for the game around the board table. This won't end with a press conference it will drag on for a long time and the game will be destroyed from within, it will cost millions of dollars. Sydney club rugby and Brisbane club rugby will probably survive and the rest will be left to wither and die a slow painful death. This is the blackest day for rugby I can ever recall and those in other sports are laughing at us in disgust and bewilderment. You have all stood a party to this. You underestimate the passion and support for the game here in WA. Do you really want the ARU tarnished with this brush of hatred and disgust? I am astounded at the lack of empathy for the game in WA and the lack of any respect towards the WA rugby community and to hear that the game will be ok with no solution or package offered concerns me greatly. Where is the funding package that will be in place for the next 3 years to get the game to 2020? What is the community structure / staff structure pathways programs financial support that will assist in the game here? What work has been done on this by the staff at the ARU and the board ? Nothing has been forthcoming throughout this whole process as to the future, no vision has been shared or communicated! The silence by those that sit on the board and the lack of engagement is disrespectful to say the least. The board needs to get back on the front foot with this issue and deliver something to the WA community that is tangible. I understand the Western Force has not financially performed but RugbyWA has done more for the game in a short period of time than anyone one of you could have achieved or dreamed of. You have turned your back on the game itself. Think about that for a moment. What happens next is important for us all. I urge you to work with staff at ARU and RugbyWA levels to ensure there ARE truly strong pathway programs in place, there IS support for community rugby at development and competition level, the Western Force IS reinstated and we ALL work towards a common vision for Australian Rugby. I am here, there are good people here prepared to work hard for the game. I suggest you do the same and give some thought and purpose to the "what next" part of your role. I am a supporter of the game and will always be but it is wearing very thin at the moment. If you are close to losing a person like myself how many others have you already lost and how many more will you lose in the future. Yours in rugby Mitch Hardy Wallaby #735

There is a difference between an opinion and a fact. Piru doesn't have to accept people that disagree with his opinion because most of his opinions are based on facts and logic. His irrational support of the Saders is questionable but that is a preference based on loyalty, not an opinion and as such can be forgiven.

Crazy, Thankfully the Tahs don't play NRC. The Rays, Eagles and Rams play some pretty good rugby and have been unearthing some talented players for other franchises to spot and develop. Chieka's Tah's faves are not there allowing for more potential to be showcased.

Forrest could potentially find himself in legal trouble. He's now actively attempting to induce the ARU to break a contract with SANZAAR and broadcasters. A SANZAAR or broadcasters would need to suffer a loss to even pursue it, but still.

The Western Australian has sunk $150 million into the Force, provided a state of the art training facility (actually built not proposed) and had provided the largest ongoing sponsorship deal in Australian Rugby AND offered to advance the ARU $4 million against the the Bledisloe at the new stadium it has just spent many additional millions over an above what it would have cost for just AFL / Cricket to make it configurable for rugby.

Not surprised by it mate. If he was happy to play gridiron in WA with no pathway then it completely contradicts his statement about why he gave up Rugby is what I was getting at. If it's as popular in WA as it is in Vic and QLD I'm not surprised to hear about people playing.

Actually, to give Gina her due, the Hancock Foundation supports Swimming WA in a major way. She's still a nasty piece of work though.

The Tahs would presumably be in the 3rd tier.

http://nedlandsrugby.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Letter-to-the-Cameron-Clyne-and-ARU-Board-of-Directors_-Mr-Andrew-Forres-.pdf Letter from Forrest to Clyne stated that he is willing to support rugby across Australia as long as it retains a national footprint. Will the cash strap ARU refuse this offer, will Clyne reject a gift horse and at least meet with Forrest or are they so full of themselves that they will not even discuss this opportunity. The ARU Board members must ask if they are acting as the custodians of the game. My view is that is too much bad blood and the ARU Board needs to resign and especially Clyne as their incompetence got us into the mess we are today. Time to start over.

I am a die hard rugby fan I've played rugby all through school and understand it well. I've never played a game of soccer, afl or league. I was a Wallabies supporter before the Force existed but I feel totally betrayed by the ARU and their mismanagement of the game nationally. I totally agree with the sentiment in the article and I can also categorically say that while it will be difficult I will not be supporting the Wallabies until such time Western Australia are shown a great deal more respect from waxheads like you.

Sorry guys, it was free when I posted it. It Perhaps they have blocked hotlinks from the roar. Nick Farr Jones is pitching a sunwolves force merger. Nat an awful Plan C

Grass roots participation is the most important metric of all in any sport. It is the foundation that everything else is built on. Starting from zero and despite a couple of false starts in only 12 years the Force have a purpose built $100 million rugby stadium and state of the art $17 million training facility, that is being used on a fee for service basis by three other professional teams so bringing in revenue from other sports, a squad competitive with any in the Australian Conference that will only get stronger and a flow of locally produced players progressing to the Wallabies. A flow that will soon become a torrent when the kids who have come from the under 6s under the new system reach senior ranks in the next few years. Well it was going to but the EARU wants to turn off the tap. As for the EARU. They seem content to become involved in grassroots rugby in Sydney but no where else.

We're a long way from silenced.