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Twiggy hits back. Love it
Billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest dismissed reports his interest in Western Force is waning
Nick Taylor
The West Australian
Tue, 1 December 2020 3:13PM
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Nick Taylor
Andrew Forrest is committed to the Force.
Billionaire Western Force owner Andrew Forrest has blasted reports that he is not committed to the long term future of the Super Rugby club, dismissing them as complete and utter nonsense.
And the mining magnate has revealed his ambition is to make the Force the strongest club in world rugby.
Forrest fought a bitter three-year battle with Rugby Australia after they controversially dumped the Force, refused his $70 million offer to keep them alive and saved Melbourne Rebels.
He is now the most powerful player in Australian rugby and has been openly courted by RA who want him inside their tent
Forrest is furious at Eastern States media reports claiming his “generosity may be beginning to wane,” that he is “not completely committed to the next Super Rugby season” and that “questions have been raised about how long he will continue to remain involved.”
He hit back: “I am 100 per cent committed to the Western Force and securing the future of rugby union in Western Australia. Any suggestion to the contrary is complete and utter nonsense.
“We strongly suspect these rumours are being sown by the parties that sought to damage the Western Force in the past.
“It is this off-field disharmony that led to the disastrous near terminal funding decisions of the former board of Rugby Australia.
“The rebirth of the Force is one of Australia’s great sporting stories.
“My ambition is to now make the Western Force the strongest club in world rugby, with far more locally grown players.
“We have only just begun on this journey and I am committed to seeing it through for many years to come.
“Our commitment to grassroots rugby cannot be questioned. As recently as July, Nicola (his wife) and I announced another $5 million to create an elite pathways program in Western Australia.
“This is on top of the $2 million we had already committed to women’s and children’s rugby in WA.
“We want to build and support our passionate rugby community, the young players, the mums and dads, the schools, the clubs, the volunteers, and make Western Australia a true rugby heartland.”
The Force were invited into this year’s Australian Super Rugby competition and will play in both next year’s domestic and trans-Tasman competitions.
New RA chairman Hamish McLennan has been fulsome in his praise of Forrest who said McLennan had provided a “real light at the end of the tunnel” - unlike the last RA administration that he described as “puerile, pathetic, short-sighted and unfair”.
Forrest has said he would be prepared to look at investment in RA if changes are made to governance that would unlock the stranglehold of the NSW and Queensland unions.
RA said it has also had informal discussions with Forrest on private equity investment.