Another day, another Andrew Forrest press conference, it seems, and yesterday we finally welcomed some actual detail about the mining magnate’s grand plans to… well, make Australian rugby great again.
In confirming his Indo-Pacific Rugby Championship – which I was happy to run with ‘IndoPac’ as a label, but will now cede to the proper ‘IPRC’ acronym – will kick off in mid-August next year, Forrest answered one of the bigger questions floating around about his proposed competition: that no, it won’t compete with Super Rugby.
But an August 13, 2018 start date for the IPRC is a curious one, as it means the new competition will overlap – and almost certainly compete for players with – Australia’s National Rugby Championship, in which Perth Spirit will continue playing in next season, and which Forrest himself has pledged to become the new naming rights sponsor of with ‘immediate effect’, if the ARU will allow Australian Super Rugby player to bolster the IPRC playing stocks while also maintaining Wallabies eligibility!
Still following?
The ARU, to their credit has said they will continue “collaborative discussions with Andrew Forrest and his Minderoo team” over the coming weeks, a clear sign that more than a few bridges have been extinguished and rebuilt in recent days.
On the surface, this feels like good news for the game locally, that one of the country’s richest people is wanting to invest in the game at a whole new level and with the stated goal of luring players back home, and with a pledge to “go toe-to-toe” with cashed-up clubs in Europe and Japan.
I still can’t quite get my head around the bit where Forrest would become the naming rights sponsor of the NRC while at the same time actively luring the best NRC players over to the IPRC to be run at the same time, but perhaps that will become clearer in time, too.
If we’ve gone from what felt like a bloodless rugby coup last week to now not only wanting to work with the ARU but actively engage and assist the governing body do something it has only been able to dream of doing in recent years, then I’m sure a small little quibble like a pretty obvious conflict of priorities will be cleared up soon enough.
Banks the bolter another tick for the NRC development pathways
Injured Wallabies winger Dane Haylett-Petty didn’t have a replacement named at first, when the squad for the Argentina Test in Canberra was named last Sunday, but by Monday morning’s first training session, it was hard to miss the smile on Brumbies and Canberra Vikings fullback Tom Banks’ face, as he got around on the training track in a fresh, new Wallabies kit.
The time last year, Banks was already starting to stand out (again) for Queensland Country in the NRC, and would finish 2016 as one of the leading players in the competition and an easy selection in the NRC Team of the Year. He jumped at the chance to sign a Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies, hoped when he first arrived that he might sneak a game or two from the bench.
By season’s end, such was Banks’ impact in taking an opportunity in the absence of injured fullback Aidan Toua and subsequently making the No.15 jersey his own, Toua headed for Japan. Banks has been brilliant for the Vikings again for the first two weeks of the competition, and it’s a not at all undeserved national call-up.
Whether he plays or not is another story of course, and he would certainly be a very different player to Haylett-Petty in that hybrid 14/15 role that ‘DHP’ plays. But with a tour to South Africa and Argentina around the corner, Banks is certainly in the right place at the right time, as far as winning a tour ticket goes.
It will be interesting to see if the similarly recalled lock Lukhan Tui can force his way into the touring squad, too, or whether Kane Douglas can do enough this week in a Brisbane City side rumoured to be including Quade Cooper and Nick Frisby, too. Regardless, it’s all another nod to the NRC doing its job.
Welcome home, Drua
The first match of NRC Round 3 might be the most anticipated match of the season to date; the crowds supporting the Fijians in Brisbane and Melbourne over the opening rounds have been truly wonderful, but you have the feeling that both those crowds will pale in comparison to the reception the Fijian Drua will receive at their first ever NRC match on home soil.
They were always going to be a wonderful addition to the competition, and it hasn’t take long for their on-field form to match the off-field expectations. Make no mistake, this Drua team are chock-full of talent, and after not being so sure initially if they could give the finals a shake, I now think they definitely can.
Realistically, if they win three of their four home games, and sneak one more win in Australia to lift them to five wins from eight games, they’ll finish in the top four. And on current form, it would be absolutely deserved.
Perth vs Greater Sydney also shapes as one of the games of the season, with the Spirit a tough team to beat in front of the McGillivray Oval hill, and the Rams winning their first two games in pretty convincing style.
NRC ladder
Greater Sydney Rams 9, Canberra Vikings 8, Fijian Drua 5, Queensland Country 5; Perth Spirit 5, Brisbane City 4; Sydney Rays 0, NSW Country Eagles 0, Melbourne Rising 0.
Round 3
SATURDAY
1pm: Fiji v NSW Country; Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka, Fiji – LIVE on Fox Sports 501
3pm: Sydney v Melbourne; Pittwater Rugby Park, Sydney – Live streamed
SUNDAY
1pm: Brisbane City v Canberra; University of Queensland, Brisbane – Live streamed
1pm AWST/3pm AEST: Perth v Greater Sydney; McGillivray Oval, Perth – LIVE on Fox Sports 501
Queensland Country have the bye.
Tips
Erred with Brisbane City and Melbourne last week, and immediately regretted not picking Queensland Country when I saw their team named. This week, I’ll have Fiji and the Rays on Saturday, Canberra and Perth – on suspicion they’ll recall the cavalry – on Sunday.
Enjoy your NRC rugby this weekend.
ForceFan
Guest
Keep up the good fight Piru. Run the race and don't grow weary. Helping to 'fill the hill" on Sunday?
ForceFan
Guest
I can't imagine that the IPRC has any plan to fill all 6 teams with OS players. The 5 non-Australian teams will come from countries where rugby is already being played. To raise the standard this is the opportunity to enhance the local team with players from elsewhere. In much the same way as in Japan's Top League but I would imagine with bigger numbers and more flexibility regarding playing time. All of these countries named to date have a World Rugby ranking - most of them below that of the main Pacific Island teams. This set-up is not going to suit all of the current Force squad - there will be changes. This too will be good for Perth and Australia as it injects new talent into the local competition.
ForceFan
Guest
Absolutely. Looking forward to the game against the Rams!
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
It could be a very big plus for the club scene if those in the Force squad not lent to other teams to play SR are full participating members of the Pindan teams instead of just a match here and there when not required for SR.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
You need 23 players for matchday. The professional squad will be 35-40. Add in the best of the 10 Pindan teams and there's easily enough for two teams to play simultaneously.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Thanks ForceFan. As the old saying goes "we have just begun to fight! See you on the Hill tomorrow.
ForceFan
Guest
Keep up the good fight Crazy Horse. I like your style.......
ForceFan
Guest
I see no problem with the IPRC going head-to-head with timing of the NRC. Players from the broader training group of the IPRC team (Force?) can still be part of the make-up of the Perth Spirit team. I expect that there will still be something similar to the Force Foundation for developing players into professional rugby. The IPRC team will be training in WA for most of our club rugby season. IPRC team players should be still be available to play club rugby - and maybe even more so in order to get game time during the build-up to the IPRC. Wouldn't it be good to have an NRC game one week and IPRC game the next? The possibility of Free to Air viewing even provides more attraction. Combine that with Club Rugby then it's going to be very easy to get my rugby fix during this extended rugby season.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
NEWS FLASH: The ARU has just announced the creation of a working party headed by Brett Robinson to assist the Western Force in the establishment of the IPRC. Positive news, as long as they don't try to have the Sydney establishment take over because that won't happen.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Matt Hodgson has been appointed "Director of Sports Relations" and is working on player recruitment for the IPRC.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Did the EARU really expect that WA Rugby would just roll over and die? They obviously don't know anything about how WA ticks. But then again they don't seem to know anything about WA Rugby at all. I think DeClyne would have been very surprised at the passion he saw at nib last Saturday. He shouldn't have been surprised but I bet he was.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
WA has 3000 miles of Indian Ocean Coast. Zero Pacific Coast. South-Africa is also an Indian Ocean state as is the second most populous country on the planet, India. So does Malaysia and Thailand.
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
What if the "Bangkok Barbarians" had some big name players from for example New Zealand playing for themt? There's plenty of quality players in NX that can't get a gig in the All Blacks. Plenty overseas as well.
Eddard
Guest
Freddy, what it'll do is provide a supplementary income to the guys around the fringes of national selection who currently play Super Rugby plus NRC (or M10 Cup or Currie Cup). These guys don't get top ups from the ARU, or small ones if they do, and thus can usually earn twice as much money in Europe. They get nothing or very little extra playing in the NRC. If all the SANZAAR unions were to get on board (by supporting the involvement of their players just beneath test level) it'd be a great vehicle for keeping more top players at home. And if they were all on board it wouldn't hurt the national competitions too much as only maybe the top 10% of players currently playing the NRC/Currie Cup/M10 Cup would be involved. It'd also be a great competition for big name players at the end of their career from all over the world as if they just played in this competition it'd be like semi-retirement. A chance to earn decent coin for just 3 months or so of games with a massive off-season. Not every 33+ year old player wants to put themselves through 10 straight months of rugby each year in France or England.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
TWAS - Numbers aren't quite as one way as your equation suggests. 2015/16 average Aviva wage was £70k 2015/16 salary cap was £5.1m. Salary cap has risen 38% to £7m. So lets increase average salary by 38% to £97,000. At today's exch. rate of $1.67 that is $162,000 If average SR player today on $157k is considering moving to the UK he is looking at a pay increase of $5k.
sheek
Roar Guru
As I had said previously, the "discontinuation" of the Force by the ARU might be seen as a pyrrhic victory. But even I didn't consider the possibility of a rival comp. Not even all the geniuses on The Roar predicted it either! What I love about the proposed IPRC is not whether it actually succeeds, or turns a profit, but it has given the "bird" to SANZAAR & the ARU. I doubt SANZAAR especially would be happy with the creation of the IPRC. It now provides everyone with an alternative to super rugby. So it's going to be interesting to see how the next few seasons play out. Two sayings come to mind here. The first is, "be careful what you wish for". In achieving the culling of the Force & two other South African franchises, SANZAAR would be a little uncomfortable that is not exactly how things were meant to happen. The second saying is "unintended consequences", which is precisely what the IPRC is to SANZAAR & its member unions. As they head to the next broadcast agreement, things are no longer as 'set in stone' as they would like. Personally, as someone who is abhorred at the action of the ARU & SANZAAR, & no longer believes in super rugby, I am loving the fallout from the so called "discontinuation" of the Force.
Dubaikiwi
Guest
Thankyou Andy, the most relevant and poignant view put forward to date.
Dubaikiwi
Guest
I think the timing is to align with the Asian season. The Japan leagues start at the begining of August. Think about this, if the super rugby is gone after 2020 then the NRC could become the Australian major competition and start earlier in the year to finish before this new competition starts in August.
Bakkies
Guest
Sometimes you have to deal with the devil first before you screw him 'which is not what you’ve said' I know you haven't travelled and live in a bubble sans Chairman means without. Comprehend?
Ex force fan
Guest
mtiger spot-on. Realist cannot see,the reality that rugby in WA is dead without a professional side. Twiggy will step on toes it is either the Superugby or NRC that will be impacted but the upside for WA and Australian rugby is huge. However NSW will loose some control a this is much needed