Force set to be axed

[StimpsonJCat]

a point I acknowledged in my original post.

Sometimes it comes in handy to look at the bigger picture in a situation.

What's the bigger picture apart from the fact that people in NSW and Qld couldn't give a flying rats that a decision to cull the Force will kill rugby in WA. Why would they care, they've never been under threat despite continued hand outs from the ARU.

Rugby will be a clear and distant 4th behind Soccer soon (if it isn't already).

[jono]

I've finally got around to voicing my displeasure to the ARU - after reading that South Africa isn't even discussing the future of their franchises this Thursday I just don't see any end to this.

I love how the South Africans are apparently waiting for SAANZAR to make a decision!
So... what does the SA actually stand for? Given it apparently doesn't mean South Africa if they can't have an internal discussion about their own union (pardon the pun)

[zimeric]

To be fair Jono, there doesnt seem to much Internal discussion happening on this side of the Indian Ocean either

[Tonkar]

What's the bigger picture apart from the fact that people in NSW and Qld couldn't give a flying rats that a decision to cull the Force will kill rugby in WA. Why would they care, they've never been under threat despite continued hand outs from the ARU.

Rugby will be a clear and distant 4th behind Soccer soon (if it isn't already).

Rugby will be so far down the line it won't even make news in the jails

[GIGS20]

would they still be classified as a national sport and eligible for any of the benefits that go with that...?

I'm Pretty sure the imbalance in the governance structure precludes them from getting a lot of funding as a national sport. If it doesn't, it should, because any body that actually represents the national sport adequately would never consider closing the last team in any of its capital cities. But everything will be ok, because we can rely on the 10000 new south Welshmen who will turn up to watch the tahs every week that it isn't raining, thete isn't a nrl game playing, no big concert and they're playing a decent than. Smart move ARU.

[James]

The cynic in me says that the ARU will announce that no teams will be cut from Super rugby less than 3 days after it is announced that Adam Coleman will be joining the Waratahs due to uncertainty over the Force's future.

[AndyS]

Indeed...just coincidence that Skelton is back off overseas again next year...?

[MI5_Dog]

a point I acknowledged in my original post.

Sometimes it comes in handy to look at the bigger picture in a situation.

If I didn't know you better Reg I'd say you were being a troll.

What 'bigger picture' am I supposed to be looking at here?

Are you saying that the Force have to go for the greater good of rugby in Australia? Because if you are then clearly you mean rugby in the eastern states of Australia as it will set rugby back years here in WA.

Is the change in the ARU going back to the days when NSW and QLD made up 95% of the board and made decisions like paying the Shute Shield large amounts of money to give to players?

The Reds and the Waratahs will never have to worry about having their team disappear no matter their performance on the field, their financial mismanagement or their corruption in the ranks, and yet you come on here in a thread about the Force being axed and talk about how it's difficult for those teams in the east and there being a greater good? Either you are naive or stupid or trolling?

The Force are putting up with everything the eastern states are 'suffering' from and the possibility of being abandoned again by the ARU with a big kick in the teeth to everyone west of the Nullarbor.

Are we supposed to just roll over for the good of Rugby in Australia? Is that what was being suggested?

Personally I'm going to follow the lead of those wise men of the East and say 'bugger the problems with Australia rugby and those issues being faced by the eastern states teams. I'm concerned with the Force first and everyone else a distant second and if I have to throw the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies and Rebels under the buss to ensure the survival of the force I will, because I know damn well they're going to do it to us without hesitation.'

[GIGS20]

While your anger is completely understandable dog, I am increasingly convinced that cutting any team will be a backward step for the wallabies and, by extension the ARU.

I'm not sure the code can afford to lose 10-15 thousand fans just so that NSW and QLD can continue to pretend that their parochial nepotism is working.

It isn't even working for the beneficiaries, the Reds and the tahs.

We now have milk Byrne in the fold, he might not know everything about the all blacks any more, but he would surely be able to explain the decisions nzru made to work their way into their current Position.

I'd say we need to follow their lead with player development and coaching.

[DazloT]

And Mick has come out and said exactly how the game has changed and how the Kiwi teams changed to adapt by focusing on the unstructured parts of the game. But whether he is been listened to...... Even if he is being listened to it will take a few years for the effects to be seen.

What Oz rugby really needs is to not only adapt to how the Kiwis are playing but we need to be innovative in our play. Copying the kiwis won't do bugger all as we will always be behind them. We need to be looking to be the ones to create the next evolution in rugby style.
I thought the way the Wallabies played in the World Cup was a start, but they didn't seem to carry it through into 2016

[Cowboy]

a point I acknowledged in my original post.

Sometimes it comes in handy to look at the bigger picture in a situation.

Hi Reg, I haven't posted in a while and I know that you have been publicly supportive of WA rugby so this isn't aimed at you.

How the hell are the problems of NSW and QLD our fault?
The Force has cost the ARU bugger all in the big picture of things, although I acknowledge that our financial problems are at the worst possible time. The force have not caused the decline in participation in the eastern states, nor have they made Reds and Waratahs crowds decline. They have done that all by themselves.
However we appear to be the ones who are going to suffer the consequence of the incompetence of the ARU and the respective state unions.
Ironically by cutting the Force the ARU will kill off one of the few places where participation has improved.
If the underlying problems of rugby are not addressed culling a team will be nothing but a short term band aid, super rugby will still fail financially just a few years down the track.

[jargan83]

While your anger is completely understandable dog, I am increasingly convinced that cutting any team will be a backward step for the wallabies and, by extension the ARU.

I'm not sure the code can afford to lose 10-15 thousand fans just so that NSW and QLD can continue to pretend that their parochial nepotism is working.

It isn't even working for the beneficiaries, the Reds and the tahs.

We now have milk Byrne in the fold, he might not know everything about the all blacks any more, but he would surely be able to explain the decisions nzru made to work their way into their current Position.

I'd say we need to follow their lead with player development and coaching.

So to catch the All Blacks who are streets ahead in terms of player development at this point in time the ARU potentially thinks that closing off a player development pathway which is just starting to reap rewards will assist in the Wallabies bridging the gap with the AB's?

Do people actually think that limiting the Wallaby selection pool from 165 to 132 will reap long term rewards in terms of Australia's competitiveness on the international stage?

[Kalahard]

I think RugbyReg is being a bit misunderstood. He is saying rugby is in decline in every state. He isn't saying that it is anyones fault except for the ARU and its dithering. He is saying the ARUs dithering is making it worse and that if things continue then Qld and NSW will join the campaign to see change within the ARU.

[shasta]

Do people actually think that limiting the Wallaby selection pool from 165 to 132 will reap long term rewards in terms of Australia's competitiveness on the international stage?

Doubt that. IIRC, Pulver cut admin costs at the ARU early in his tenure. Stand correcting on that one. But they are still bleeding. So it's probable that they have gone into the negotiations simply with a plan to cut the logistics costs of their section of Super Rugby, plain and simple. As has been pointed out, Force is the easiest option - or so they think. I very much doubt they believe that plan will go any way towards closing the gap in skill and execution that we are seeing. As a lot of pundits have said, it all really depends on what the broadcasters are going to accept. Hopefully they have demanded enough compensation to make the exercise not worth the pain. That way, providing the share sale and sponsorship go OK, we will get to the next broadcast deal. By then I think the Rabble will have become a basket case of good money after bad, with the ARU money tap turned off.

That means more uncertainty, but it's preferable to being shot on the spot.

[jargan83]

The Rabble already are a basket case. Why the ARU has been funding a privately owned team to the tune of millions every year beyond TV money share is beyond me. Who ever signed the paperwork to agree to that at ARU head office should be marched out the door.

If SANZAAR thinks that the broadcasters aren't going to want compensation for losing two games every round (apart from bye rounds) then they've got rocks in their heads. The lack of content is what is killing SANZAAR come TV rights negotiations.