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Rugby Australia
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Rugby Australia
Any further news on whether the Northern Hemisphere have agreed to the World Rugby? RA must be chewing their fingernails off.
Don’t know where to post this and we haven’t got a thread labelled “schadenfreude”
But here’s Wayne smiths article in the Oz on the rebels financial difficulties , mooted merger rebels and brumbies and soundings out for a cashed up W force to come to the rescue of the comp.
Article reads—
(“The Melbourne Rebels are struggling financially to such an extent they could be embarrassed if they top the Australian conference in Super Rugby and win the right to stage a home final.
With three rounds remaining in the regular season, the Rebels are in fifth place on 33 points, just one point behind the Brumbies.
But if they do overtake the Canberra side and come out on top in the Australian conference, it could prove to be their undoing since the home side must pay the visiting team a flat rate of $75,000 before pocketing any additional returns. It is understood the last two Australian teams to host a Super Rugby quarter-final, the Waratahs last year and the Brumbies in 2017, both made a loss on the night.
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THE MOCKER
Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson denied the club was bordering on insolvency and he insisted the recent departure of Melbourne’s finance officer was no indication of how dire the crisis was. “There is no doubt that things are becoming increasingly fairly tight, but I’m extremely lucky that I have an extremely supportive and proactive board,” Stephenson told The Australian.
“We had our monthly meeting yesterday (Wednesday) and we have some plans in place and we are working away. We are confident of what we have in the short term. The longer-term, post-2021, no one can crystal ball that.”
It is believed Melbourne are helping to meet their wage bill by charging Victorian Rugby Union sides $500 per club game any time a Rebels-contracted player is sent down to play club football.
A Rugby Australia spokesperson confirmed the national head body was aware of Melbourne’s predicament.
“The Rebels have had a challenging year financially and Rugby Australia is working closely alongside them to address their challenges,” the spokesperson said. “The Rebels have not *requested additional financial support from Rugby Australia.”
RA chief executive Raelene Castle flew to Melbourne yesterday, apparently not for any crisis meeting, but instead for today’s RA board meeting.
Melbourne’s financial situation nosedived after the $2.5 million front-of-jersey sponsorship it had signed with Legacy Property and Investment Group for the 2018 and 2019 seasons was thrown into chaos when the company went into liquidation. Then, having spent considerable time and energy securing a synergy with the Sunwolves, the Rebels were thwarted when the Japanese club was axed from Super Rugby from the start of the next broadcast deal in 2021.
“Out of all the teams that had worked bloody hard to build a *relationship in Japan, we had signed a MOU that had some significant commercial deliverables … they have come to a staggering halt,” Stephenson said. “Those two issues combined, which we didn’t have a hell of a lot of control over, over a two-year period, there was circa four million bucks there. When you’ve got contractors and your strategies and your P and L … it’s not small changes, those two decisions.”
Then there is the lingering baggage from the club’s previous owner. “Part of our challenge was the Andrew Cox deal done in 2016,” Stephenson said. “It was very much a front-loaded agreement and because he needed some resources to build up the club, which was probably fair enough. But when you consider what happened in 2017 (Melbourne were saved while the Western Force were culled by the then Australian Rugby Union) … the challenge for me is educating our current board. RA is very much aware that we are starting from a position behind our rival Super Rugby franchises before a ball is kicked in anger in regard to annual grants.”
With the Brumbies also struggling financially, attracting crowds of barely 6000 people to their home matches in Canberra this season, Melbourne’s crisis again raises the option of a Brumbies-Rebels merger. Certainly this option was raised — and rejected — in 2017 when the fight was on to preserve the Western Force.
“I don’t think either club is thinking that way,” Stephenson said. “I can’t see any long-term mergers or changes.”
Certainly the Force are now cashed-up and as solvent as any Australian professional rugby franchise, thanks to their billionaire owner Andrew Forrest. However, a spokesperson for the Perth club indicated it was unlikely the Force would step in to cover for any shortfalls in the numbers of Super Rugby clubs.
“We have committed to a Global Rapid Rugby competition next season and beyond,” a Force spokesperson said. “And we are still very interested in securing a team on the eastern seaboard, be it in Western Sydney or Brisbane. Still, we are also talking with Rugby Australia.”
Oh dear. Maybe they should ask Gary Grey, Tim North, Bill Pulver and Rob Clarke for a hand out. Rugby Union has given each of them so much that maybe it’s time for them to pay it back(wards).
Baden Stephenson uses surprisingly ‘informal’ language for a CEO. Maybe he didn’t realise he would be quoted.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve already been to Twiggy for some kind of deal. These car dealers have skins as thick as rhino hide, will do anything to get their hands on the money.
Have to admit that the last part of the article with the Force spokesperson basically flipping them the bird brought a big smile to my dial. As many posters here have noted, why would the Force want to jump back into the stinking pile that Australian Super Rugby has descended into? Nobody should be in the least surprised by these developments.
The Rats Arse mouthpiece also said “The Rebels have not *requested additional financial support from Rugby Australia.” Additional to what?? Have they already spent all the Victorian taxpayers subsidy as well as the millions that should have gone to grass roots??
What a fuggin' joke. All that dirty money spent to build a roster capable of proving the "Shrink to Greatness" strategy and they can't afford to host the finals. FFS!
Roll on tonight. :D
The financial disaster that Rugby Australia are spiraling towards puts a smile on my face.
Our fav troll TWAT is uncharacteristically quiet on Roar today re discussions on Rebels insolvency.......
Note, the Rebels "haven't requested additional financial support from rugby Australia" it doesn't say they haven't RECEIVED additional financial support.
Is my tinfoil hat too tight?
You reap what you sow . Lies deception bad decisions it’s all there . Don’t cry Baden you’re as culpable as the rest .