Yep, I agree Bison, stay alive for now and be better placed to take advantage when Super Rugby dies
Printable View
Yep, I agree Bison, stay alive for now and be better placed to take advantage when Super Rugby dies
Like all of you, I am a wee bit bemused. I am also extremely excited. Andrew has got some great people on his Admin team. With Welborn, Stookie and Sinders you have a savvy ex Wallaby, a savvy one eyed sandgroper and the best sports administrator in the world.
However, you also have Andrew who is dynamic and I reckon with all the projects he has on the go, is either Energizer Bunny or ADHD.
We do know Super Rugby will die in 2020. We do know the level of interest IPRC has received is staggering. We do know a pathway to Wallabies is vital. However, we cannot forget about Community Rugby. Our boys and girls need to see a pathway from Baysie, Southern lions, Neddies, Soaks etc to State Representation, then to NRC, IPRC and finally the Wallabies. We must include similar pathways for coaches and refs.
Hansie, was RugbyWA not part of the process?
Wise words as ever Hansie - thank you :-)
RugbyWA have to focus on Community and plan for Community. Yes we have been engaged, yes we have been informed. We are working on Senate submission. The detail on IPRC are still being worked on.Quote:
Originally Posted by sittingbison
This makes almost no sense to me. The Perth Spirit cannot exist without a bigger team (i.e. the IPRC) in play to keep the talent over here. But the Perth Spirit probably also cannot exist if eligible WA players would be playing for the IPRC. I have no objection to us not playing in the NRC. I also fail to see how we would attract any Super Rugby quality players (e.g. Ross Haylett-Petty) he will have found a new home and probably won't want to relocate to Perth for a few months. The only way I could see this work is if the IPRC almost become an Australia "A". I can't fathom the rationale behind all this.
Andrew Forrest's announcement today seems a bit muted, I hope its not because the ARU are stonewalling to take the wind out. For me, I'd rather see a Perth team (based in Perth) flying under another country's flag than a watered down competition just to placate the ARU. This is bigger than Australian rugby, I'd hate to see it compromised. If needed we could link up with Top League in Japan instead of Super Rugby. Threats of ineligibility for the Wallabies haven't stopped players moving to Europe in the past, and I don't see why things would be different in the future. The ARU will already realise this, any threats of ineligibility for the Wallabies would only be very short lived. Of course I'd prefer to be able to work with the ARU, but it shouldn't be at any expense. And world rugby would be crazy not to go with this momentum - with or without the ARU.
I know I've been harping on about the Japanese Top-League for a while now, but I wonder if it would be possible for WA to play in two comps? If there is no Spirit, why not see if we can get into Japan in the summer season, in preparation for the IPRC with more of the top-line players back later in the year.
I still think the carrot should be dangled to the Japanese about a Top-League expansion, Twiggy's comp featuring Korea, HK, Singapore, Sri Lanka et al; could be seen as the "foreign conference" with cross-over finals series with the Japanese teams.
Either that, or just take the 50 million and Minderoo sponsorship to Japan and say, "please let us in" and can we bring our mates from Korea and Hong Kong with us?
The important thing for whatever WA plays in, is that we have some sort of free-to-air coverage. I'm not worried as to whether the whole league is only on payTV or not shown at all; but the exception is that ALL the WA games must be on free-to-air, especially as they will all be in a viewer-friendly timezone. Home games shouldn't be shown at all, but can be part of the weekly highlights package on a Monday evening for all I care; but those away games MUST be shown to the wider audience of Perth viewers, to show the richness and international scope of the league, and what WA is involved in. This is something the mainstream sports fans knew nothing about when it came to the Force. We were winning games in places like Tokyo and Buenos Aires and it barely raised an eyebrow.
OK, I have to lead with "yes, I'm disappointed that twiggy didn't challenge the status quo" but he is not fighting from a position of strength now. He has to field an idea that can start or we'll all be sitting here next year with limp dicks, still saying world rugby should stand the ARU up.
As for the top league links, I see a lot of alignment between the iPrc timing and the top league. I'd suggest that either a tl team should be admitted, or there are already replacement talks going on.
Ffs we all need to cool our jets and let the thing get started before we boycott it.
Rugby.Com.au said "it will clash with nrc in 2018"
And
More on the 7s and women's it will be an "afternoon at the rugby"
I'm keen on getting behind that, because it's a bookmark that we control, it gives WA boys AND GIRLS a place to go and when Sr is dead we will be in charge of the biggest comp in the region.
I wonder how it would go if the Twiggy comp went up AND the deal with the Sunwolves got up to take our players.
I would much prefer our Force players went into a partial merger with the Sunwolves than giving them to any of the pricks our East.
So is "Community" mainly junior rugby, schools rugby and club rugby, or is it wider than that (and what specifically)?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hansie
Any thoughts yet on what could be done with the $2,000,000+ which would have been spent on Force memberships in 2018 by the hard core of Western Force supporters and now won't be going to the ARU? Is it expected to be spent on attendances at the IPRC?
I reckon a place with some grass hills would suit that sort of day out. Wonder if they'd play somewhere else besides NIB?Quote:
Originally Posted by GIGS20
From what I understand, the ARU is abandoning the NRC after 2018 so we will only overlap for a year and then ours will be the only thing besides SuperRugby.
I wonder if Twiggy hadn't come along, whether the ARU was planning to an the NRC all along anyway?
Oh for sure. I have no doubt at all about that. The heartlands never wanted it in the first place and will have bleated about it taking money away from THEIR "grassroots".Quote:
Originally Posted by chibi