Pulver is particularly vulnerable on the subject of what teams will make up this new version of Super 15. To prioritise the survival of the Jaguares and the Sunwolves ahead of the Force will be portrayed as betraying Australia’s interests — no matter how persuasive the argument that the growth in those two countries will help Super Rugby in the long term.
WAYNE SMITH
Bill Pulver between a rock and a hard place as Force face oblivion
The Australian
12:00AM April 1, 2017
So where do we go from here? How on earth does this play out?
This is possibly the last week of Australia owning all five of its Super Rugby teams, the last week that — heaven help us — Australian rugby is in as good a shape as it is now.
At the moment, all the dominoes are lined up and will fall in a prearranged sequence. First, the broadcasters will record their verdict on the proposed new SANZAAR format for Super Rugby — 15 teams, three conferences of five, South Africa to lose two teams, Australia one; and Argentina and Japan, the newest additions to the competition, sailing high and dry because those in power see benefit in keeping them.
Then it is the turn of the South African general assembly, meeting on April 6. No doubt, there will be internal squabbles over which teams should go but the advice is that South African Rugby has the numbers to ditch the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings. Perhaps there will be some who will scoff at the Cheetahs, whose president Harold Verster came out two weeks ago and vowed that his club would be safe. I might even have been one of them. Now, regrettably, I see him in a different light, as a man who would do anything to protect the club he loves.
If the SA votes goes as intended, and the broadcasters do as SANZAAR desperately hopes they will do, then it becomes *Australia’s turn. It falls only to the ARU, its board, its chairman *Cameron Clyne and its CEO, Bill Pulver, to flick their collective middle finger and one Australian club will topple over in its turn, as it was always intended.
There is all manner of lip-*service and equivocating going on, but at the end of the day the axe will fall on the Western Force.
It was always the most vulnerable and isolated club. What the Force have been through in recent days gives you a new insight into how Western Australians see the east coast and in particular Sydney. They talk disparagingly about Sydney-centric decision-making, though mostly with a laugh. Not now. They dared to dream that they could carve out a place for themselves and while they operated at no cost to the ARU they were tolerated, but they were always viewed as outsiders.
They were, quite deliberately, given no assistance by the ARU to get themselves up and running and had to turn to the WA government for a $2 million loan. They paid it back within two years. For a while, the good times rolled but when the boom went bust and the money ran out, the ARU took it over. From that moment it was *always inevitable that, if a team had to go, it would be the Force.
Unless the domino doesn’t fall.
No one wants it to, not even the ARU. But the Force have become “unsustainable”, a problem readily fixed if the broadcasters continue to pay the same amount for a lesser product, which means that money that is currently spread five ways would instead be divided into four.
Pulver’s ability to sell this difficult scenario will be the test of his administration. Indeed, it will be the making or breaking of it. All Australian rugby ever demanded of him was strong leadership. If he makes the difficult decision to *jettison the Force and convinces the board that it is the best way to go, then, surely, whatever else he has done, he has provided strong leadership.
Now that the Force have been targeted, the rank and file of Australian rugby have formed behind them. It would be churlish perhaps to recall how many of them advocated for the Western Force to become the Western Sydney Force because, heaven knows, having three Super Rugby teams within three hours of each other was just what Australian rugby needed.
Still, now they have seen the light, they are right behind the club and the Rugby Union Players Association’s “Stronger as Five” campaign. A petition is about the limit of what RUPA can do to influence the fight. Talks of strikes or boycotts are hollow, indeed empty threats. Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with the ARU, the players are banned from striking for the duration of the CBA, which expires on December 31. Does anyone seriously believe that RUPA would organise a strike next year when the dust has settled, particularly with a swollen labour market after 35 players have been dispersed around the other four franchises?
Pulver is particularly vulnerable on the subject of what teams will make up this new version of Super 15. To prioritise the survival of the Jaguares and the Sunwolves ahead of the Force will be portrayed as betraying Australia’s interests — no matter how persuasive the argument that the growth in those two countries will help Super Rugby in the long term.
The sensible option would be to not let the domino fall, as Australia is entitled to do. As a joint venture partner in SANZAAR, it has the power of veto. But that then brings into play an entirely new and *menacing set of circumstances.
By agreeing in-principle to cut a team if circumstances worked out, Australia fell in with its SANZAAR partners, in particular NZ and SA. If Australia reneges on that agreement, there could be all manner if repercussions, including the dissolution of SANZAAR. Australians might raise a cheer at that but, consider: there is no Rugby Championship without SANZAAR. And there is no *competition with NZ without SANZAAR. It’s all very well to *assume NZ will see the logic and align with Australia to form some sort of trans-Tasman series but, *remember, all this was worked out in some detail at the London meeting three weeks ago.
Admittedly, it is all very well for the Kiwis to talk so boldly considering they have no skin in the game of axing teams. But if Australia proves an unreliable ally, they could do the unthinkable and move ahead with South Africa, *Argentina and Japan.
This is what’s known, colloquially, as being between a rock and a hard place. It’s a time for strong leadership, whichever way the domino falls. Do Pulver and Clyne have what it takes?
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...02ce0268f6c516
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Originally Posted by Alison
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