How Twiggy will run his rebel rugby comp

[Bakkies]

Who knows. Look at how many entities the Rebels are run by and represent

[blueandblack]

Interesting that the “IPRU” was mentioned! Doesn’t that mean no FUARU?

Did notice that.

Edit: Interesting list of trademark names: https://search.ipaustralia.gov.au/tr...q=indo+pacific

[zimeric]

Www ok. Starting to look like they are preparing for the possibility that they won't be able to buy back the Force IP 😑

[Jules]

I don't Mind that! Prefer that to giving that useless bunch any money!

[andrewM]

From the West

https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-u...-ng-b88650426z

Mining magnate Andrew Forrest set to announce future of Indo Pacific Rugby Championship
Nick Taylor
Sunday, 5 November 2017 7:00AM
Andrew Forrest.
Andrew Forrest.Picture: Sharon Smith/The West Australian
Billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest is set to announce the future of his Indo Pacific Rugby Championship today.
The IPRC management team has been in tough talks with Rugby Australia after Forrest announced he would set up the new competition in direct response to the axing of the Western Force from Super Rugby.
The two bodies have been negotiating the timing of the IPRC launch and how Wallabies eligibility will affect players who join the new competition.
Forrest had set last Thursday as the deadline for agreements but talks spilled over to Japan where the Wallabies played in Yokohama at the start of their spring tour.
Forrest initially proposed starting the IPRC from August next year, up against Rugby AU’s third-tier National Rugby Championship.
But the most likely option will be March 2019. That would clash with Super Rugby but give IPRC time to organise the mammoth operation that includes player recruitment and broadcasting rights.
It would also give time for a “trial run” of the tournament.
The current SANZAAR broadcasting rights deals run out in 2020 and with Super Rugby proving to be unpopular with many fans and players it would also provide an alternative competition.
Some players have indicated they would join IPRC because they no longer want to play Super Rugby or want to return home from Europe with their families, IPRC representatives say.
Star Wallabies and overseas players have already been sounded out and Forrest has potential Asian backers for the four months competition of 10 home-and-away rounds plus finals.

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Forrest has not yet nominated a salary cap but said the IPRC would offer lucrative contracts to help stem the overseas flood of Australian players.
The Force will be the only Australian outfit involved and IPRC management team members have been talking with governments and rugby unions from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul.
The final six teams will be announced for World Rugby to sanction at a board meeting on November 14.
Forrest also wants the return of the Force intellectual property, including the name, bought by the governing body for $800,000 last year with a guarantee it could be bought back by the now defunct club.
He has said that it should be sold back for $1 - the amount Rugby AU sold the Melbourne Rebels to New Zealand businessman Andrew Cox and the same amount he sold it to the Victorian Rugby Union to effectively prevent the club’s closure ahead of the Force
Those deals are the focus of a senate inquiry into Australian rugby that will announce its findings later this month.

[beige]

Www ok. Starting to look like they are preparing for the possibility that they won't be able to buy back the Force IP 😑

I'm hoping the opposite - if they can't use "Western Force" surely they can't use "Perth Force" either?

[travelling_gerry]

Western Spirit and Perth Force.

[shasta]

I like Western Spirit. New name, new comp, new beginning. Let the bastards shove the IP where the sun don't shine. Encompasses the spirit needed for the fight to stay alive in international Rugby. It continues the Spirit name under which so many Premier Grade players have taken the next step. It also makes for an easier crowd chant than For-orce too. Keep the logo pretty similar. Doubt they could contest that, with the black swan being a WA institution and cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons pretty much generic.

[beige]

"Western Force" has a good ring to it.

[UAUdiver1959]

Do we know when he will make his announcement? I say a photo of him in the stands in Japan last night during the test. Maybe Japan is a key team/component and making the IPRC announcement from Tokyo has some sort of significance.....or he is just pissed off with hearing nothing back from the ARU and its going to be a big index finger move....?

[valzc]

It’s really gaining momentum now- am getting excited about an announcement. Looks like the ERU are trying their usual ploy of head in sand trick will make it all go away, but it always seems to backfire on them. The way The IPRC is forming, the ERU & Super Rugby just seem like minnows in a small pond compared to the big picture of what’s happening worldwide. They’re own pathetic, greedy shortsightedness will finally strangle them into oblivion. I can’t believe how TAF, one of the best props around will be left high & dry! If Cheika wants him for the Wallabies, they’re going to have to support IPRC, and we’ll retain TAF in Perth (keep hoping).

[BLR]

I like the idea of a 'trial run'.

With the Force gone & the Spirit likely gone as well having a year of no rugby would be tough but a series of ones off matches or mini tournaments during Super Rugby season next year would be perfect.

[Bakkies]

Perth-based Indo Pacific Rugby Championship thumbs up
Nick Taylor
Sunday, 5 November 2017 4:38PM
A sombre former Western Force captain and founder player Matt Hodgson with Andrew Forrest at Rugby WA headquarters in September.
A sombre former Western Force captain and founder player Matt Hodgson with Andrew Forrest at Rugby WA headquarters in September.Picture: Nic Ellis/The West Australian
The new Perth-based Indo Pacific Rugby Championship will go head-to-head against Super Rugby when it is launched in two years.
As revealed by The West Australian this morning, mining magnate Andrew Forrest’s competition will play its first matches in March 2019.
IPRC and Rugby Australia today agreed on a number of principles for the six-team competition that will include a “Western Force” side.
Forrest launched the competition as a direct result of the Force being axed from Super Rugby.
Importantly, Rugby Australia has not ruled out the possibility of IPRC players being eligible for the Wallabies.
“Further consideration to be given to allowing players in the Western Australian team to be eligible for the Wallabies,” it said.
IPRC has agreed to work with Rugby Australia to repatriate players who have been lost overseas to join the new “Western Force” side.
However, it is understood that IPRC wants Australian players in all sides to be eligible for national selection.
The two bodies will investigate what resources are required to support and supplement Rugby Australia’s elite pathway, including retention of key Wallabies in Super Rugby, the National Rugby Championship, club competitions and community programs.
They will also explore the possibility of using IPRC teams as “sister clubs” to support player, coach and match official development.
The developments were announced by Forrest today.
“This is a transformative day for the players and the fans of rugby in the Indo Pacific region,” Forrest said.
“I am so proud to have reached this position where we have aligned with Rugby Australia on some core principles and a path forward.”
He said the moves paved the way for further detailed planning with Rugby Australia, member unions, Rugby Asia, prospective new member unions and World Rugby.
The Force will be the only Australian side in the initial six-team competition.
IPRC has been talking with governments and unions from China, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul.
The final six teams will be announced for World Rugby to sanction at a board meeting on November 14.
World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper welcomed the progress.
“World Rugby is supportive of the IPRC’s objective to further help grow the game of rugby throughout the Indo Pacific region,” Gosper said.
“This massive region of the world is a key priority of World Rugby’s mission to grow the game globally.”
Rugby Australia working group chairman Brett Robinson said they were still talking to stakeholders but he was pleased with the progress.
“We are working through a range of scenarios relating to player contracting, commercial and logistical arrangements but the discussions, to date, have been incredibly positive,” Robinson said.
“Ultimately for Rugby Australia, the new competition must be in the best long-term interests of Australian Rugby.
“The principles we have agreed to will ensure that the IPRC has an opportunity to succeed and that the integrity of the Super Rugby competition is preserved.
“The IPRC has the potential to be an exciting addition to the international rugby calendar.”
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[UAUdiver1959]

Wether the ARU like it or not.

[SNOB]

So Wallabies cant play in the IPRC but will players in the IPRC become eligible to play the Wallabies? Sounds like a Confusian riddle!