ARU Responds to luminaries letter with stakeholders summit

[FingerTips]

The Australian12:00AM October 21, 2016
WAYNE SMITH
Senior sport writerBrisbane
@WayneKeithSmith

Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has given his commitment that if a decision is taken to reduce the number of Australian Super Rugby teams from five to four that all contracts signed by players from the affected club will be honoured in full.

But if, as seems likely, the Western Force are chosen to be cut from Super Rugby from the end of next season, their players would be scattered around the other four Australian franchises.

They will know their fate soon enough, though not as soon as promised.

...

But Pulver confirmed the ARU is prepared to abandon its cherished “national footprint” if SANZAAR decides to go back to a 15-team model.

“I’ve already told SANZAAR that Australia is comfortable with the idea of looking at *dropping from five teams to four teams if the competition structure will be a better competition structure,” he said.

While the four other Aust*ralian franchises are experiencing financial difficulties, the Force made it easier for the ARU to jettison them by agreeing to an ARU takeover at the start of the year when they could no longer pay their bills.

Pulver vowed that, in the event that the Perth team, or indeed any of the other four franchises, was forced to close, all its players would be taken care of.

“We’re not going to breach agreements here. Whatever contracts are in place, we will honour them,” he said.

Asked if the players would be spread around the other franchises, he replied: “If that was the case, yes. If there was a change from five teams to four, it would be an opportunity to upgrade the number and standards of the remaining four teams.”

So the players will be taken care of.
What about the mug punters who have handed over a couple of grand each year for Force memberships since 2005?
We get the finger from the ARU, presumably.

[DazloT]

Hate to be pessimistic after a great win by the Spirit, but I couldn't help think that the ARU could just turn around and say WA is great at the NRC level but not Super Rugby. So us punters should accept the spirit in place of the force.

[chibi]

Hate to be pessimistic after a great win by the Spirit, but I couldn't help think that the ARU could just turn around and say WA is great at the NRC level but not Super Rugby. So us punters should accept the spirit in place of the force.

True, although I hope they look at it as though: at least we are good at one of them, while Victoria is good at neither.

[shasta]

Hate to be pessimistic after a great win by the Spirit, but I couldn't help think that the ARU could just turn around and say WA is great at the NRC level but not Super Rugby. So us punters should accept the spirit in place of the force.

Let's say the ARU already did that at the end of last season. How many of those players would have been still available for last night? I'd say a small few if any, as the Pindan Premier Grade would also be decimated should such a thing occur. In fact an NRC team would probably not be sustainable. Five or six years down the track the likes of DHP, RHP, Hardwick and Co would likely be playing in the NRL.

Enjoy the moment and hope that the ARU board has a bit of vision.

[ranga]

Remember the broadcasters have a big say in things and we are another time zone than any side in the comp

[PerthGirl]

So let's do it!! Need to form an organising committee. Who's interested?

I'll be in it Alison. What about Kalahard, he(?) seems to know what he's talking about

[WFDom]

I think that at the next Members' forum (22 Nov) we should ask Sinderberry what the latest is and whether it would make any difference if we had another rally like the one that got us into SuperRugby in 2005. RugbyWA could help us organise it if it came to that!

Like it! Go out as we came in!!!!

They can take our Super Rugby! But, they can't take our... ummmmmm, our.... NRC champion PIGGIES!

FU@K YOU ARU! FU@CK YOU ARU! FU@K YOU ARU!

[Rex Messup]

Rex has written to Bill Pulver at the ARU. The Force are saved. Australian rugby can now turn a profit and Papworth's soggy sao boysclub can continue buggering each other. Papworth turned his back on a wallaby jersey and the grass roots that fed him in his early 20s when he sold out to mungoes. His toxic, inward looking, regressive myopic views are a bit much considering his hypocrisy

[DazloT]

A petition has been put up calling for the sacking of Bill Pulver! Don't agree with it (hence haven't linked to it).

Looks like it is coming from someone in Sydney. Makes me think its a part of the Papworth saga.
They certainly are going in all guns blazing.

[The InnFORCEr]

Of course, sacking a CEO mid term will leave plenty of $$ for their Shite Shield, how much do you reckon it would cost to sack Pulver, more, or less than O'Neill???

[Kalahard]

A quick search of change.org shows a Sack Bill Pulver petition started by a G. Growden. It has 154 signatures in 2 months 😂😂😂

[shasta]

Maybe we should start a sack G. Growden peti......oh yeh...I forgot.

[jono]

Maybe we should start a sack G. Growden peti......oh yeh...I forgot.

"Sack G Robinson"?

[Kalahard]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/au...7839e6e0bf4553

Article from Brisbane paper pushing the grassroots campaign. Hope someone tells him about the stakeholders summit.

[valzc]

More bloody tossers! Had to leave a comment, couldn't help myself.