Force set to be axed

[beige]

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?

Getting rid of a team won't help anything if the development pathways are still broken. Why does Australia lose so many players after schoolboy level?

[GIGS20]

And people looking at the rabble deal can honestly say that cutting the force Is a financial decision?

I think not.

As jargs says, it's obviously not anything to do with improving the wallabies.

Looking at how thee draw usually runs the force playing actually breaks up travel schedules rather than extending them, so it isn't travel.

If the force are cut, it's all about the smaller Picture. A pool of players that are heading towards, or already at, wallaby selection who have actually got roots here.

NSW and QLD have done quite well poaching force developed players who are born on the east coast, maybe they're not so confident of getting their hooks into chance and Curtis unless the force are gone.

[Cowboy]

We can only hope that the current crisis for Australian rugby leads to long term reform.

The most insulting thing is that the ARU appears to believe that the sunwolves belong in super rugby but we do not.

[Tazzmania]

The most insulting thing is that the ARU appears to believe that the sunwolves belong in super rugby but we do not.

Frighteningly true, and throw in that the Wolves also belong before the Cheetahs (the life blood of RSA rugby for more than a century)

[jargan83]

Getting rid of a team won't help anything if the development pathways are still broken. Why does Australia lose so many players after schoolboy level?

You would think lack of opportunities would be one of the answers which makes culling a team equally mind boggling.

[PerthGirl]

We can only hope that the current crisis for Australian rugby leads to long term reform.

The most insulting thing is that the ARU appears to believe that the sunwolves belong in super rugby but we do not.

That is the point I've made in my Emails to the ARU. Their job is to grow Rugby in AUSTRALIA not overseas!

[Kalahard]

The frustrating thing that SANZAAR has seemed to miss in all this is most people who follow Super Rugby want the finals format changed not the makeup of teams in the competition. The overwhelming opinion is that the finals format needs to be merit based, positions based on points not conference preferenced, not on conference winners getting a free ride through to the home finals after finishing on less points than other finalists. Like last year, the Brumbies finished top 4 but had less points than teams in 5th and 6th. Thats what is disillusioning people with Super Rugby not which teams are in the competition.

[Kalahard]

We can only hope that the current crisis for Australian rugby leads to long term reform.

The most insulting thing is that the ARU appears to believe that the sunwolves belong in super rugby but we do not.

And Argentina. Any coincidence to Gus Pichot from Argentina being annointed the next IRB chairman? Is the ARU scared to step on few IRB toes while the house crumbles around them?

[beige]

And Argentina. Any coincidence to Gus Pichot from Argentina being annointed the next IRB chairman? Is the ARU scared to step on few IRB toes while the house crumbles around them?

Argentina is a full SANZAAR member so they're not going anywhere. I am a little bewildered that the Sunwolves have not come up in the conversation at all.

[chibi]

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.

And that there are payouts/safeguards to the private owners if they are cut. It really does make you wonder what was going on when they came up with that deal, almost as if the private side had an inside man.

[Alison]

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.

I am struggling to see how it could even be a short term band aid to be honest.

[Kalahard]

Argentina is a full SANZAAR member so they're not going anywhere. I am a little bewildered that the Sunwolves have not come up in the conversation at all.

Argentina was admitted to SANZAAR because of pressure from the IRB. Gus Pichot has been IRB deputy chairman throughout Argentinas admission to SANZAAR and super rugby. Im wondering if there are IRB deals and politicising in the background affecting SANZAAR in this convoluted process of expansion. I would put a $10er on the answer being a yes.

[yungfen]

Does anyone know how much the Rebels were bought for by Mr Cox from the ARU?

[sevenmile]

Argentina was admitted to SANZAAR because of pressure from the IRB. Gus Pichot has been IRB deputy chairman throughout Argentinas admission to SANZAAR and super rugby. Im wondering if there are IRB deals and politicising in the background affecting SANZAAR in this convoluted process of expansion. I would put a $10er on the answer being a yes.

Maybe the passionate Force supports need to stop and think , if they decided to drop one of the NZ francises out of the comp every other team would be in a mad rush to sign up any one of the squad but now take your sea of blue goggles off and look at the picture if they drop the Force all even the rebels out of the comp how many if any of the players would be snapped up from any other francise . Think about it . As well do you honestly think if the Force had being in the finals even once over last decade they would have had a better show of staying .
As for Gus Pichot , all us rugby folk know who he is , but how many people knew who Bill Pulver was to he had to come out after the rumours of the force when it hit the news, two little to late.

[Kalahard]

Maybe the passionate Force supports need to stop and think , if they decided to drop one of the NZ francises out of the comp every other team would be in a mad rush to sign up any one of the squad but now take your sea of blue goggles off and look at the picture if they drop the Force all even the rebels out of the comp how many if any of the players would be snapped up from any other francise . Think about it . As well do you honestly think if the Force had being in the finals even once over last decade they would have had a better show of staying .
As for Gus Pichot , all us rugby folk know who he is , but how many people knew who Bill Pulver was to he had to come out after the rumours of the force when it hit the news, two little to late.

Id say most rugby would know who Bill Pulver is. He's been the ARU CEO since 2013 and a lot of the wider public would know of the collarbomb incident.
On current form, more Force players would be snapped up than Rebels players.