Force must accept Super conditions to re-enter comp

If you have something to say, I suggest you say it

Depends what you call community rugby. There are programs that Twiggy sponsors to attract young players and kids to rugby and Twiggy pays the Force players that in their contracts has an obligation to spend some of their time on these programs such as Rugbyroos. RA pulled back funding to Rugby WA so I am very surprised if you think RA can with that meagre level of funding achieve anything significant. They also sacked the people that ran these programs and left Rugby WA bankrupt. Yes poor WA...it is accurate. Rugby union would not survive in WA with Twiggy.

Yes, I agree. Which then leaves the Force on the outer again until 2030. If I was the Force I would be very circumspect about all of this.

Not the case Paulo, people do not understand the depth of resentment in WA towards RA or the lack of transparency to the process to remove the Force. Club Rugby is strong and the Board of RugbyWA who represents these Clubs understand this. We are in an acceptance stage recognising that to RA we are nothing but wanted $$$

No Paulo, the Force doesn't need RA at all.

Reasonable summary, but something I would add is that while RA and SANZAAR are in a bit of disarray at the moment, their best outcome (and what they will be working hardest towards) is a new contract and stabilisation of their situation. In which case, as SANZAAR has noted, things go back to how they were pre-COVID and stay that way until 2030.

If fairness Pegasus, their focus may be more towards Asia than eastward, but that would hardly be surprising. They were told there was no place for them and then left to make plans entirely for themselves, so that is what they did. It is the only reason they even exist to be discussed, but it is a situation of RA's making and no-one else's. If it had been left to Australian rugby, the Force would be nothing but a memory and WA would be as relevant to any planning as South Australia. But I am surprised to hear community rugby in WA is all about RA, especially given the historically laughable member's allocation they've received from RA. Even more so when community rugby in Perth comprises the Fortescue Premier Grade, FMG Reserve Grade, FMG Third Grade and FMG Community Grade.

He was the COO and nothing would have been put in front of the Board without his knowledge.

If I understand the statement from the Western Force and I put that together with this report and other known facts (versus speculation) the following seems to be true; 1. WF has been and remains in discussion with RA about a 2020 Australian wide competition with perhaps the Sunwolves as an add-on 2. The details are not yet available as RA hasn’t got a commitment from Sunwolves. For that matter, nowhere has it been stated that ANY team has committed. 3. RA hasn’t announced any details and the WF have confirmed that they haven’t received an invitation. 4. GRR is set up and started this year after 2 years of hard work to organise it. It is fully funded and WA is fairly treated. It’ll run as long as Twiggy Forrest wants to fund it. So WF must consider whether the long term is GRR or something else that is unknown. There may be contractual reasons why GRR must continue to be their focus given that there are other teams involved. The facts around what has been agreed contractually wrt GRR is unknown. 5. This article seems to suggest that in any 2020 competition the WF would be treated less favourably than the other teams in this “new” competition. 6. RA is in complete disarray and there is no guarantee that RA plans going forward after 2020 include WF or if RA can deliver on ANY 2021 promises. 7. SR is also in disarray and there is no guarantee that SANZAR will exist next year or if it does what form it will take. On the basis of the above, I don’t see any incentive for WF to be involved in any Australian wide competition if it has the potential to negatively impact GRR 2021. If RA want to treat all teams equally then they have a good chance of creating a 2020 only competition. If they play silly games and try to treat WF as 2nd class citizens then they’ll show their true colours and end up with an east coast competition only. In that case the 3 rd largest rugby state will have been driven even further away from RA. Personally, I doubt whether RA could be so stupid as to suggest they’d have a competition with a WA treated differently from other teams and so the speculation that this article has generated (suggested) is dubious to my mind. Having said that, on their history nothing RA does should surprise anybody unfortunately. As far as NFJ is concerned, if after all the crap he has stirred up, if he goes on to the RA board it will be one of the most divisive and destructive things I could imagine.

Well said Piru. The Force merely participating has to be to ‘their’ benefit. The ‘Robin Hood’ of Australian Rugby who robbed the rich until the rich became poor.

You still assume that Australian franchises want to play Superugby in 2021 and especially the Force. I think we are better off far from SANZAAR-RA. We may play this year as travel restrictions with other Australian teams however GRR is a too big opportunity to give up for a Superugby competition on its last legs.

Yes, 100% sure. The Force can’t play in the current top tier in Australia without RA. RA can certainly run the top tier without the Force. What next year or the year after or whenever holds for the top tier, RA will certainly be running it, whether we like or not. And it will happen with or without the Force. Now, I would like to seem them included, don’t get me wrong, but don’t be under the illusion that the Force are in the power seat.

Please tell me the Farce aren’t trying to make demands after stripping the life out of the code for 12 parasitic seasons. Next year the Rebels will be gone after just over nine seasons. If there is one thing we’ve learnt through the failed expansion period is very rarely can you build a culture in an artificial and entitled environment. Imagine if we could have reinstated all of those stripped players and lost capital into the original 3 x Super rugby sides. Thinly spread talent overly inflated player values (which player managers exploited), overall standard declines, conference system reduces integrity of the tournament. I know this is an olive branch to WA rugby but I still don’t think they deserve it.

Really? Are you sure about that? last time I looked RA's coffers were bare and had a management team and board in complete disarray..

EFF - go and talk to Bob Hunter (RugbyWA) about community rugby in WA. It is supported by RA and not Twiggy. Twiggy has his own agenda and it's not about rugby or the eastern seaboard ... just closer ties to Asia and especially China. COVID-19 has provided the WF with the opportunity to demonstrate their relevance - who knows what 2021 will look like - probably an internal SR format with NZ (if travel restrictions are lifted); can't see SA or Argentina involved, so here is there chance! Apologies but just sick of the "poor Western Force" bullshit!

So his selection process picked the only team it could?

Ugh. Why do you even bother?

As of today there is no offer to play anyway. RA are merely teasing the Force to try and keep an interest just in case they may want us to join their comp.

He was up to his neck with the CFO that ran a selection process that could only recommend a single team to be axed. The Board has no choice as one team could legally be axed.

I'm not sure what you are arguing. Is it that RA will have an ongoing involvement in this and the competition it replaces, so may take an averaging approach to a loss this year? That is possible, but as you've noted that logic won't apply for the Force and it is not even within RA's gift to suggest it might until it all plays out with SANZAAR. RWA already has a claim to the national footprint via the NRC, but as I noted, at the fully professional level in particular RWA isn't calling the shots. It is not their money being spent, so not their call.