This mess makes it clear: It's time for major change in global rugby

I hear you P2R2 , but if rugby does go global as incidentally is being propagated by none other than the NZRU then buying and selling of players becomes a huge reality . Money is money . Would a Messi , Neymar or Renaldo prefer to play for their home clubs , I don't know but they do prefer playing for cash.

...NZ in particular are staring down a barrel with NH teams itching to sign their stars....why down the barrell, the lure of the AB Jersey is what keeps NZ players in NZ...anyone can go North and earn money for their pension....AMAZON is about to buy into the TV Rights for the ABs....BIG MONEY....so financially the NZRU will be looking good. But I do agree, a GLOBAL CALENDAR...but it will be the NH who will put up the barriers, as long as NZ/AB's continue to dominate world rugby, all other teams will want to play them.... I watched the first round of the Aviva P/Ship and couldn't believe how many overseas players are playing in it, add to that the PRO14 and that is alot of players who are keeping OUT UK and FRENCH players.....it will end up like the EPL where any of the big teams will be lucky to have 2 or 3 English players in their teams...now that can't be good for NH rugby??

How do you expand a competition or a sporting code by culling a viable club with a 12 year history??? Has anybody at World Rugby given this more than a passing thought and the message it sends to people at the new expansion clubs? You can give all the guarantees you like to new clubs but this thought will be sitting in the back of peoples minds eating away at the sustainability of any new club.

Play in summer.now we know why they cut the force.it hits mid 40s for weeks on end here in perth

Having been a rugby supporter for more 60 odd years I have become totally frustrated and disillusioned with the current position that the game has been forced into by a bunch of people who seem to think that they own it.Every time I see Clynes uncaring face it reminds me of a bank manager foreclosing on some poor cow cocky who has slogged his guts out and gone without for years only to have some bugger in the city who has no understanding of rural matters shut him down without a care in the world.I have seen that happen many times and now I see it happen to the Western Force.Out of sight out of mind.Clyne seems to think he can scatter a few dollars here and there in the west and it will go away.In my opinion humble as it is I believe that Mr Forrest can benefit rugby in this country much better than a Sydney Centric ARU with the help of a couple of gutless Directors from other Eastern franchises.Why did Clyne allow the South Africans to walk all over Australian rugby.I am a Queenslander and one eyed Reds and Wallaby supporter and have been for longer than Mr Clyne has been alive,I have given up many years coaching junior rugby and served on club rugby committees sold chooks in the pub and did all the coaching courses available in the 1980's.I will still support the Wallabies as long as the team is selected from a truely national base including what ever is going on in WA but if I see or feel that players from that state are excluded for any reason other than ability I would have to rethink my allegiance How any organisation in the financial position that Australian Rugby is in can not spend time exploring opportunities with the financial windfall that Mr.Forrest would create is beyond me.If the ARU goes bankrupt because ARU backed a South African idea then I hope that there is a class action against the people who have made these terrible decisions.I hope that WA supports their National team and that there is a sea of blue at Saturdays game in Perth..I also hope that all those wonderful players and the coaching staff are not lost to our game in our country because of decisions made by a few big headed buffoons

This leave NZ with much reduced competition in test matches. It would leave them with much less money also. But that could be an option also. If rugby in Japan really takes off, they could become a much bigger golden goose for NZR than SARU ever has been. I actually think that keeping SA in the SH and not involving Japan in the Tasman rugby is a handbrake on rugby's potential growth. If it all plays out well, everyone would become richer and fans would be able to see all games at reasonable time slots.

Thanks, for this. Many valid points here. It has been debated before here at The Roar that the SH should start following NH season. It would be very hot in some places in OZ, SA, and Arg, but overall I think it is doable (smart scheduling, late kick offs, extra water breaks etc.) For union in OZ, I think it would be a major advantage hence union would compete against cricket and soccer instead of AFL and NRL. And away games in the cooking sun could be a challenge for any team visiting OZ, hence the OZ players would probably be more used to it. SA clubs are indeed looking to the north and we shall see about the Springboks eventually. I doubt the Springboks would join the north right away after the broadcast deal for 2020 is done, hence they have an incoming Lions tour to look forward to 2021. Most likely if the Boks would go north also, that means no more Lions tours to the Republic. But to stay in the TRC just because of playing against NZ is a rather thin argument me think. They could play each other during the summer Tests or in the November window. Maybe we could even see Test series between the Boks and the AB's again. Totally agree that an AsiaPacific league and championship is the future. NZ, OZ, and Japan provide the foundation (and Japan provides the money). Japan could already today have its own conference in SR if one look at the quality of the players already in the country playing in the Top League (and the money floating rugby in the country). And Japan have all the other infrastructure in place also. If this future "Janzar" would fly and be a success, then it would easy to look at an expansion to the Pacific Islands, HK, Korea and China.

It will be interesting on Sat night....The thing is most would already have had expensive tickets before the cut...which may have been deliberate...so it may not affect attendances much but it would be funny to hear a blue crowd cheering a SA try and not an Aus one.......we will see

But...But...But...But...But...But...But...But arnt they moving towards a global season anyway?

Julius, you are correct, we have numerous impractical dreamers who think playing a sport out of season in Europe will resolve all ills. We struggle to tread water in this environment, do we honestly believe NZ / SA will play follow the unorganized dysfunctional ARU and have a 12 month season, with their best teams playing on distant shores. In most countries sport is seasonal and it is juvenile to think the populous will change their lifestyle to accommodate a code the public are becoming frustrated with. As noted it is time to clean house.

Okay, so you clearly didn't read the article then. Or is comprehension a bit tough for you?

Oh yes I did. It is yet another in the stream of inane ramblings by Australians who think that everyone else should abandon what works for them just to make it easier for Australian rugby. When did Australians become such snowflakes?

The ARU did not only burned their bridges in WA, they blew it up! There is no prospect of a return of anything that the ARU are part of in WA, the lost their license to operate. You will see it on Saturday when the ARU Wallabies play the Boks - few people will even turn up and those that do will not turn up to support the ARU. I will not be surprised if the ARU Board members that wanted to attend decide not to do so because it will not be a pleasant experience.

You didn't bother to read the article, did you Sherlock?

So Australian rugby has a problem and the solution is for EVERYONE ELSE in the world to change. Here's a radical thought: clean up your own mess and stop the incessant whining.

I tend to agree with the direction of the article. The zone need to realign to take up the new opportunities although tradition is a strong component of Rugby. Forrest's Asia Pacific idea is one I have held for some time as a second tier comp to Super Rugby. And these could be cross referenced as well with the a qualifying Wild Card from one to the other. Top team in T2 replaces lowest T1 team. Anyway the code needs to develop to offer the talent pool or they will simple go OS, as they are already. As for China, don't bother with that. Too big and too far away to develop. But Pacifics and Japan and closer location should be part of new comp. And their population will secure the funds and TV rights as they open up more players in that market than FOX and some ailing free to air station in Australia. And lastly without Free to Air, the NRC, Super Rugby and new comp just won't fly to far. Just watch the ABC and see who gets the news headlines every day and consider who has the Free To Air component of those main sports get. Rugby, has Free to AIr, Test at all hours, poor repeats if any, No Super Rugby, can't say on NRC, never heard if they get any FTA. I don't watch Soccer and don't know a single player so I imagine if you can't watch Rugby you'd have the same issue and same lack of interest.

You say major change is needed globally, but that statement is incorrect. The game is powering ahead in all the major Rugby nations except Australia. This is OUR issue, not the rest of the world's. They are not going to implement major change just to accommodate Australia.

This article is almost a play on words, the author believes because the ARU are so dysfunctional and inept at managing their purview the rest of the SH needs to change direction. Australian rugby at the top end of town is poorly coached, trained and managed when you peel back the layers, if we are not competitive against NZ teams. Highly motivated European clubs would be less than excited about our inclusion. If we are struggling to attract lucrative sponsorship now because gate receipts and the viewing public are becoming despondent, how would this venture be financed? The only teams that would capture NH curiosity would be NZ teams as they are the sporting bench mark. As reiterated before, at this time we can’t even cross the ditch and make a splash.