A bit perplexed as to the lack of promotion of GRR. I guess they’re just going to rely mostly on social media - facebook & Twitter, but its a bit sparse newspapee & poster/billboard wise apart from radio ads.
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A bit perplexed as to the lack of promotion of GRR. I guess they’re just going to rely mostly on social media - facebook & Twitter, but its a bit sparse newspapee & poster/billboard wise apart from radio ads.
https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/rugby/su...s-scope-season
Quote:
Asia-Pacific tournament cuts scope of season
By Steve Hepburn
14 March, 2019
0 6
Sport Rugby Super Rugby
Ryan Martin
Ryan Martin
After all the angst and head-shaking over players departing to play in Singapore this season, their season looks to be extremely limited and they could be back in Dunedin by early May.
The team the players have been sent to was set to play in a six-month competition, but will now play just four games inside four weeks.
The Global Rapid Rugby competition was launched to much fanfare late last year - the brainchild of Western Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest.
He announced an eight-team competition, with teams coming from Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Western Australia in the shape of the Force. It was to have started in February and run through to June.
Forrest was incensed when the Western Force was kicked out of Super Rugby in 2017, and vowed to launch his own competition and keep the sport alive in Perth and its surrounds.
But as time went on and deadlines were missed, the competition appeared to be in doubt.
The organisers of the competition then announced in late January that because of logistical issues and timing, the full competition would not be played until 2020.
Instead a series of invitation games, known as a showcase, will take place over the next few months, including a game in New Zealand.
The Asia Pacific Dragons is the team based in Singapore, and is coached by Otago assistant coach Ryan Martin and former Otago and Highlanders loose forward Hale T-Pole.
The Dragons have attracted six players who have Otago connections. Halfbacks Kurt Hammer and Melani Matavao have joined, as has hooker Sekonaia Pole, loose forward Naulia Dawai and lock Joketani Koroi. Young Dunedin outside back Zac Harrison-Jones is also a member of the Dragons.
Initially there were suggestions more players from Otago would join the move to the Singaporean team, leading to fears of a loss of many players capable of playing in Otago.
But only six players from Dunedin ended up travelling overseas.
Of those, Dawai and Matavao were not intending to return to Otago, while Harrison-Jones was not contracted to Otago. The other three are believed to be eyeing a return to play in the Dunedin club competition.
Martin is also expected to come back to Dunedin and is keen to once again be involved in coaching the Otago Mitre 10 Cup team.
The showcase series schedule has now been announced and will have games in three different continents.
It will all kick off next Friday night in Perth when the Western Force will take on a World XV, coached by former Crusaders and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.
The Dragons are scheduled to play two games at home in Singapore, a match in Perth and a game in Hong Kong. The side is scheduled to take on the Western Force in Perth on April 12, followed by a match in Hong Kong against the South China Tigers.
It then returns home to play the Tigers on April 28 and finishes its season with a match against the Western Force, on May 5.
The Western Force has 10 games to play over the coming months.
One game is scheduled to be played in New Zealand.
The match, between a Samoan side and a Fijian team, will be played at Pukekohe on June 7.
The establishment is relieved
https://www.rapidrugby.com/star-stud...owcase-opener/
Quote:
Star-studded World XV squad selected for showcase opener
March 14, 2019
Renowned coach and rugby mastermind, Robbie Deans, will guide a powerful World XV side including three Word Cup winners and 10 National Team representatives from across the globe in Rapid Rugby’s 2019 Showcase opener against the Western Force in Perth on Friday, 22 March.
The side includes former Wallaby and Western Force ‘favourite son’ Nick Cummins and foundation Force player Digby Ioane, as well as World Cup winning All Blacks Andy Ellis, Wyatt Crockett and Corey Flynn.
Ellis, who will captain the World XV, and Flynn
were part of New Zealand’s title winning squad of 2011, while Crockett, the only player to chalk up more than 200 Super Rugby games, featured in the All Blacks’ 2015 Rugby World Cup success.
The squad named is fit for purpose with representatives from six nations having been gathered within World XV ranks. New Zealand (9), Australia (6), Japan (4), Argentina (1), South Africa (1) and Tonga (1) are each represented.
Conquerors of the Japanese national side in three of the last four years, the World XV is run by Steve Berrick, the promoter behind the famed (UK) Barbarians rugby club, is selected along the same lines as the Baabaas, with players from all over the world invited to play. The concept is to bring together a combination of promising up-and-comers alongside established stars and veteran internationals.
With the match to be played in Perth, local fans will be able to reacquaint themselves with Cummins who built a cult following at the Force on the back of his on-field flair and off-field colloquialisms during 8 seasons in the west.
By the time he concluded his career in Australia at the end of the 2015 Super Rugby season, the popular winger had appeared on 87 times in the ocean blue jersey, while also representing his country on 15 occasions.
Also returning to WA is Ioane who featured in the Western Force’s debut outing against the Brumbies at Subiaco in 2006. The Wellington-born winger played for the Force on 20 occasions, from the 26 matches possible during the team’s opening two seasons, before returning east when he joined the Queensland Reds at the end of the 2007 campaign.
He went on to play 35 Tests for Australia, most under the guidance of former Wallaby boss Deans, who also introduced Cummins to Test ranks in 2012.
It’s not the first time Ioane has suited up for the World XV having been a member of the squad which downed Japan 47-27 at Fukuoka in 2017 while he was based with the Panasonic club.
South African fullback Gio Aplon, who has appeared for the Springboks on 17 occasions, and the 50-Test Argentinian loose forward Leonardo Senatore also lend their considerable experience to the World XV cause, while Japanese first-five-eighths Kosei Ono is a player the Force will have to keep a close eye on.
Ono filled the same role during his country’s historic 34-32 win over South Africa that set the 2015 Rugby World Cup alight. Fellow Japanese, winger Yoshikazu Fujita, was also a part of that squad, although he did not appear until later in the tournament.
Fujita has made a big impression playing for the World XV before, scoring twice against his countrymen during the invitation team’s win in Fukuoka two years ago.
Players will arrive in Perth four days ahead of the match and Deans is confident they will make a big impression against their well drilled opponents.
“We have achieved wins off similar time frames, in terms of preparation, against the Japanese Test side, and the players we have selected for this game won’t lack for motivation,” Deans says.
“In a few short years, this team [the World XV] has built up an outstanding history, to the extent that many who have played, have said afterwards that the experience ranked up there with the most enjoyable of their careers.
“There couldn’t be a more appropriate opponent for the Force to open the Showcase Series against. The week we have together in Perth will be a special opportunity for our players to embrace the Rapid Rugby concept, express themselves on the field and, most importantly, enjoy the experience, which is ultimately what the game is all about.
“I’m sure they will make the most of it.”
The World XV squad for the Global Series Showcase is: Gio Aplon* (South Africa), Yoshikazu Fujita* (Japan), Nick Cummins* (Australia), Digby Ioane* (Australia), Dylan Riley (Australia), Inga Finau (New Zealand), Kosei Ono* (Japan), Leon Fukofuka* (Tonga), Andy Ellis* (New Zealand, captain), Leonardo Senatore* (Argentina), Hugh Renton (New Zealand), Michael Curry (New Zealand), Shota Fukui (Japan), Michael Oakman-Hunt (Australia), Jack Cornelsen (Australia), Hamish Dalzell (New Zealand), Tom Moloney (Australia), Chris King** (New Zealand), Shohei Hirano (Japan), Wyatt Crockett* (New Zealand), Greg Pleasants-Tate** (New Zealand), Corey Flynn* (New Zealand)
Coach: Robbie Deans (Panasonic, Japan)
Assistant Coach: Joe Maddock (Canterbury, New Zealand)
* denotes has played Test rugby
** denotes others who have played Super Rugby
I thought I would do my bit for the GRR publicity and submitted an article to ROAR about all the big names in the World XV, and Honeybadger etc. Also the new Force defence coach and I talked about Newcastle possibly joining GRR etc. Their readers would have no idea of what is happening in GRR. It sat in my profile on ROAR for 3 days as "pending" publication, but has disappeared now, never to been published I assume.
I'm technically a 'Guru' according to their ranking systems. If they don't post it in the next few days if you're willing you could shoot it over to me and I'll give it a go in posting it. I'll credit it to you of course. And if they don't run that I'll make a point of doing so in the comments at several points.
Nice one, mate.
Buggers. You'd think they'd publish that.
I can't post comments at The Roar ... so can't help you there - maybe WCR can - but if you still get no joy I can access Green and Gold as a fall back to help you get on that website. Just let me know.
Thanks WCRugger. I have no journalistic skills. So so I cut and paste most of the bits off TWF postings and tried to tie them together under the theme of big names joining up with GRR and the Force, so as to attract reader attention and comments.
If you can polish it up and get it published, I dont need any credit.
Some big names in Global Rapid Rugby Showcase series
The honey badger is going home! Former Western Force winger Nick Cummins, with his cult following of woolly wig, head-bandaged fans, will be back for the club's Global Rapid Rugby showcase series opener against a World XV on Friday March 22 at HBF Park.
But the badger-army will have split loyalties - he will be hunting “meat pies” (tries) for the invitation side.
Cummins will team up with another former Force favourite, winger Digby Ioane, in a line-up studded with big names and World Cup and Super Rugby winners like former All Blacks and Crusaders players, Andy Ellis, Wyatt Crockett and Corey Flynn, and the Chiefs' Fijian flyer Asaeli Tikoirotuma.
The World XV coached by Robbie Deans.
Global Rapid Rugby will launch a unique combination of elite sport and super-charged entertainment with a 14 match Showcase series in six venues throughout Asia, the Pacific and Australasia this year. Teams will pay at least two matches in their home market, however construction work on Samoa’s main stadium means its “”home games”” will be payed in Queensland at Ballymore and in Auckland.
On top of that, Rapid Rugby will be played on Fiday the 9th of August in Perth on the eve of a historic sold out Blidisloe Cup clash.
The South China Tigers out of Hong Kong have announced Tom Varndell, ex-England Leicester Tigers and the English Premiership’s all-time record try-scorer. Fiji 7s Sami Viriviri amongst others in their squad.
Former Western Force assistant coach Steve Meehan has returned to the Global Rapid Rugby club as defence specialist.
It is a new role for Meehan who has spent much of his well-travelled coaching career as an attack coach, a position he held at the Force under Michael Foley in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
The highly experienced Meehan, who has a reputation for producing exciting rugby, was coach at English heavyweights Bath for five years and led them to the European Challenge Cup win in 2008.
He was an assistant coach at the Queensland Reds, was at Stade Francais when they won three French championship finals and a Heineken Cup and was at another French Top 14 club Toulon.
He coached Queensland Country in the inaugural National Rugby Championship and most recently was with Japanese Top league Kintetsu Liners.
Meehan replaces Jaque Fourie who is now with the USA Eagles as they prepare for the World Cup.
Mean while, Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union (NHRU) prsident, Bill Clifton, said initial discussions had been held with Global Rapid Rugby about entering a Hunter-based rugby team in the new competition.
“NHRU held talks last week with the head of Global Rapid Rugby, Matt Hodgson, and inspected facilities at No.2 Sportsground, McDonald Jones Stadium and the University of Newcastle,” said Clifton.
“The talks were at a high level where we discussed the ‘pros and cons’ of entering a team from the Hunter Region.”