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I still like the idea of a more Indo/Asian start to the comp with future expansion to bring in the pacific.
My dream teams (World Ranking)
Force
Japan(11)
Hong Kong (21)
Korea (31)
Sri Lanka (40)
Malaysia (48)
Philippines (52)
China (87)
and then there are these
Singapore (60)
Chinese Taipei (63)
UAE (72)
India (84)
Pakistan (91)
Indonesia (97)
and potential expansion
Combined PI
NZ Maori
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Good point re Sri Lanka. I don't know how they are not getting much traction with 98 Rugby clubs and 122,000 registered players. Only topped by Japan wit a thousand more players and 1522 clubs.
By comparison Malaysia has 41,000 at 300 clubs.
Singapore 12000 and 24 clubs.
Honkers 7500 and 59 clubs.
How Korea with only 2600 @ 5 clubs, China (despite the hype) with 5500 at 15 clubs are even in the ball park is a mystery. Philipines with a paltry 1300 at 13 clubs is off the planet. But not so much a mystery why it made the list![]()
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
I'd like to see the Force with at least one and preferable more players who are in the Wallabies Rugby championship and End of Year tour squads. This is vital as it will show that Force players are genuinely in the running for the Wallabies, and invaluable in recruiting players who have aspirations for national honours.
Whether captured in this or not, I'd also like to see another hard nut Forward a'la Jacques Potgieter and a penetrating Centre in the Squad.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
I'm not sure how it would work, but I'd like to see a marquee "team" spot reserved in the competition. This marquee team could change each week, or be only there for part of the competition. For example, one week the marquee team could be Sri Lanka, then Edinburgh, then next week it could be Tonga, then say an indigenous all stars team from within Australia, then Namibia, etc, etc. This could be a way to let say Tonga into the competition without having the full financial commitment of being a permanent team. So they could say get a home and away game and exposure, without committing to the week in week out costs of playing for the whole competition. It could also be a way for potential new teams to be given the opportunity to see how well they would fit in before becoming a permanent team in the competition. The marquee team might not get any points on a competition table, but the games would be sort of more like exhibition games throughout the competition.
Sri Lanka's issues are Government interference, stability for players that they are going to have to recruit and money. Twiggy's team have been over there.
Fiji are a given. They have a ready made team and players they can bring back from overseas to strengthen the squad.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Exactly. I can see some hurdles that Bakkies has pointed out re Sri Lanka but the game has a healthy level of interest there. Parachuting a franchise into a place where nobody is interested is dumb. Hell, you could end up throwing millions upon millions down a bottomless pit and going broke. I'm sure that has happened somewhere.
Singapore is too artificial a construct and Korean just won't fly. The start up has to be realistic, not pie in the sky. Sri Lanka is a bridge too far at this stage. China as part of a Hong Kong endeavour can work.
Hong Kong and Singapore have 2 things that make them super prime candidates.
1. A strong ex-Pat English community
2. A tonne of money.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
I see that Twiggy has named IRB VP Gus Pichot as the CEO of Fortescue in Argentina.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Checkmate? or just killing two birds with one stone?
Agustín Pichot joins the mining industry Argentina as CEO of an Australian company
(maybe Google Translate didn't quite nail the last couple of paragraphs)
Andrew Forrest, CEO of the Australian mining company, Fortescue Metals Group, hired as former CEO for Latin America the former rugby player and former captain of the Pumas, Agustín Pichot. The love for this sport has made them deepen an interesting relationship that led the Anglo-Saxon to hire the services of the outstanding athlete. To this end, Forrest sent a letter to the National Mining Secretary, Daniel Meilán, to confirm the new functions of Pichot and the desire to invest in Argentina in the next five years.....................
.........................The incorporation of a figure of world prestige, to the mining world, can become a positive impact for this industry. The authentic, tangible and prestigious background, for his life inside and outside the court, has served Pichot to sustain an image of respect and social acceptance.
It is impossible to know if he is aware of this step he has taken in his post-rugby life, but the source that confirmed this news to Prensa GeoMinera understands that it is very positive for the sector and it is a great opportunity. If you do not devour the business mediocrity of the sector and the lobbyists who manage it, your time in this industry can be extremely positive.
http://noticiasmineras.com/agustin-p...a-australiana/
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
[QUOTE=shasta;458389]Checkmate? or just killing two birds with one stone?
[B]Agustín Pichot joins the mining industry Argentina as CEO of an Australian company
QUOTE]
haha! Twiggy is one shrewd mofo!
Great game, Fucken battled right through to the 80!