Children of the <rugby>wasteland?..well I hope not..
Is it this week that the decision is going to be made?
April 6 was supposed to be decisio. Day but I've read some speculation coming out of South Africa that the decision may be postponed again.
Planning for 2018 would have to start soon.
Damage has been done to Rugby in Australia already. The name of the game and Super Rugby as a completion is constantly being dragged through the mud at the moment.
Excellent article from Green & Gold Rugby.
Well done Simon Powell
Don't Take Away My Force
3 Apr 2017
I was born in Perth, Western Australia in March 1970.
Being born in Perth means two things: Australian Rules football and beer!
Until the age of 20, I didn’t know any better, I wasn’t exposed to anything else in fact, in WA at the time, there WAS nothing else. The West was making an impact ‘over East’ with the home grown heroes, West Coast Eagles. Despite the nay sayers, the Weagles kept winning. I even knew some of the players. Went to school with them. Very easy to relate too, very easy to get excited about.
At 20, I joined the Royal Australian Air Force. For 12 years I wore the uniform of my country. In the downtimes I discovered Rugby – as the waterboy for the base team and the Air Force National team and I discovered Bundy Rum.
2005 was a special year in my life. Out of the Air Force, working for the Public Service. Married and with a daughter. Going thru the motions – Rugby all but forgotten. Then on the news – something from the West. A Super Rugby team was coming to Perth.
That night I spent hours searching the internet trying to find out everything I could about this new Rugby Team. I sent emails, I read forums. I found likeminded Western Australians. I called RugbyWA when they announced expressions of interest in Memberships. They didn’t have a “interstate member” option. I can’t say I changed that, and I can’t say I was the first Interstate member – but I was involved.
RugbyWA brought out a T-Shirt. Blue, Black Swan logo on the front – “Get on board, or get out of the way” on the back. My order was placed that night. The thing about the Western Force – it was my reminder of where I came from. Sure, I lived in the western suburbs of Sydney, but I was from WA. I got my first Western Force Jersey for Christmas. It was love at first sight.
The first match was announced – Feb 2006 vs Canberra Brumbies at Subiaco Oval. I was there, I flew over for the weekend, took my Dad and my cousin to the match. When Nathan Sharpe lead the team out I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. When Scott Fava crossed for the first try I had a tear in my eyes.
Yes, we lost that first game. But I couldn’t be prouder of my team.
Later that year we drew with the Crusaders, and at 3am, sitting alone, in the dark watching the broadcast from South Africa, we defeated the Cheetahs for our first ever win. I cried. I love Rugby.
The next year, I was (again) in front of my TV watching the Force with my 5-year-old daughter, Zoe: she is a Force fan, too. Subiaco Oval: time is up. Force have just scored a try against the Hurricanes. Kick to come. Cam Shepherd kicks the conversion and the place goes nuts. On the broadcast, the crowd went beserk. At my house, on the other side of the continent, Zoe and I were bouncing off the ceiling. Rugby is Family.
Over the years the Western Force highlights were few. But memorable. Travelling to Wagga to watch Force v Tahs in an ARC match. Being in Canberra at a Brumbies match the day after the recruitment of Matt Gitteau. Wearing my Force Jersey. Beating the Tahs in Sydney. Beating the Crusaders in Perth. Taking Zoe to a pre-season match in Sydney, Zoe meeting Nathan Sharpe, James O’Connor, Richard Brown and David Pocock getting autographs and photographs. Nick the Honey Badger Cummins put the Force on the news for all the right reasons. He worked hard and was just naturally funny. Its hard not to forget his try and then him shaking hands with some young members of the Sea of Blue. And then a year or so later Cummins scores a hat trick of Trys against the ‘Tahs in Perth.
You know, sometimes it’s hard to be a fan of the Western Force. But the good times more than made up for that. Yes, it could be said that the good times are few and far between. But we are playing in the greatest provincial rugby competition in the world, up against the best players in the world.
If it was easy, the magic would be lost. It’s not supposed to be easy.
The Western Force are my team.
They have brought me joy and sadness for 12 years. Tears and heartache. A way for me to bond with my daughter. It’s given me the opportunity to watch amazing feats, in person or on TV, and meet players and administrators from all walks of life.
My name is Simon Powell.
I am from Western Australia.
I don’t watch Aussie rules, I don’t watch cricket.
I love Rugby Union.
I am a small part of the Sea of Blue.
Please don’t take away our Western Force.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/don...away-my-force/
I'm still going to apply for shares on Thursday (or whenever the shop opens) and on Sunday, I'm grabbing one of this years jerseys.Originally Posted by jargan83
"12 Years aSupporter" starring the #SeaOfBlue
Anyone with access to The Australian care to confirm the following in one of their articles?
"Meanwhile the ARU has been taken by surprise by indications out of South Africa that the SARU general assembly meeting on Thursday does not have any debate about Super Rugby on it's official agenda. According to a SARU spokesman, it will be SANZAAR that makes the decision on how many teams contest Super Rugby next season and once that is decided, South Africa will adjust accordingly."
If true, Monty Python has nothing on what has and is transpiring
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Yes - and the article is available on Google News. Click on The Roar article then the header will expand to include the article you want. It's, unfortunately, in the story about the Brumbies trying to poach our coach.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Thanks
and everyone wants to poach our coach.
he's the best coach in the Aus conferenece at the moment and, really, the other teams would be stupid not to want to get their hands on him.
I suspect though that if the Force do go under then the SA teams will be throwing larger amounts of money at him.
Saw the SA stuff-up it in The West today but can't find it online
T
Ackerman and the lions announced that they're parting ways this morning
Meanwhile, the ARU has been taken by surprise by indications out of South Africa that the SARU general assembly meeting on Thursday does not have any debate about Super Rugby on its official agenda. According to a SARU spokesman, it will be SANZAAR that makes the decision on how many teams contest Super Rugby next season and once that is decided, South Africa will adjust accordingly.
Indeed, the spokesman categorically stated no vote would be taken on whether South Africa approves of SANZAAR’s plan to cut two sides or which franchises will be cut, if any.
But that flies in the face of everything that the ARU and SANZAAR had expected. The ARU had a board meeting arranged for yesterday but cancelled it because it was considered pointless to make any decision before it was known whether South Africa was prepared to cut two teams. If it was, then Australia almost certainly would cut one of its own. If not, then the five Australian teams would continue in a presumably slightly tweaked Super Rugby competition next season.
The ARU has rescheduled its board meeting for Monday morning, just ahead of the annual general meeting, which would have been a timely occasion to announce any planned changes. But where the entire process stands now that South Africa has declared there will be no ballots on Thursday is anyone’s guess.
SANZAAR, too, is believed to be tearing its hair out at the frustrating delay being caused by South Africa. Its expectation was that firm decisions on what would form the building blocks of SA rugby would be made on Thursday.
But Australia is also dragging the chain. An ARU spokesman confirmed that the broadcasters had come back to them with an indication of how they would react to key questions — presumably how they would view a reduction in teams and whether they would demand any compensation.
From Wayne Smith and the Australian
Who would have thought that a bunch of Rugby people could be such pussies!
I get the feeling that they all want to cut teams but know that the fallout from fans and clubs is going to be huge.
So no one wants to make any decision at all.
Makes the ARU look even more soft. Any one of them can veto cutting teams.
Why the ARU doesn't come out and publicly announce their support for a 3 conference 18 team option until 2020 is anyone's guess.
Just an aside, Pulvers contract runs out this year and he has applied for a 3 year renewal. In my opinion, the way this mess has been handled and Pulvers willingness to throw us under the bus even though he entered the ARU into a mutually beneficial alliance agreement with us and most importantly his willingness to shit on us the fans and its willingness to shit on its participants is appalling and in no way does Billy Boy deserve a new contract. The way this is being handled is disgraceful. I think some of the current ARU board should be shown the door for the shafting they are proposing and are prepared to follow through towards RugbyWA if this whole "secret documents" crap is true.
And another aside, the ARU spent more money running head office than it gave to 4 of the 5 Super Rugby clubs last year. Also 5 of the 9 board membets were paid more in Salaries than the ARU gave to grassroots funding.
Time for Mr Sinderberry to take over Pulvers job i think.
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