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Thread: Why Twiggy branched out into saving the Force

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    Why Twiggy branched out into saving the Force

    http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-unio...10-p4z3qz.html

    Why Twiggy branched out into saving the Force
    Tom Decent
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    Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, the billionaire mining magnate also known for donating ridiculously large sums of money, has come from the clouds to try and save the Western Force.

    While the franchise might not exist in Super Rugby anymore, Forrest has made it his mission to provide a rugby heartbeat in the west with his unveiling this week of World Series Rugby.

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    http://www.watoday.com.au/rugby-unio...10-p4z3qz.html
    Motivated: Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest is adamant the Western Force won't lie down.
    Motivated: Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest is adamant the Western Force won't lie down. Photo: Jason Alden
    Forrest took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with The Sun-Herald about his aspirations, why Rugby Australia needs to get on board and what he thinks about Raelene Castle.

    Tom Decent: To fill readers in, you’ve rebranded your new competition World Series Rugby and announced some Force fixtures for this year against the likes of the Crusaders and Rebels. What’s the mood like in the west?

    Andrew Forrest: We’ve launched World Series Rugby. We’re starting with seven home games this season, which will be great to get the sea of blue in action. It’s the fastest growing community support in the country. You’ve got a community over here that is incredibly relieved and happy and excited about rugby very much back in town. From the perspective of rugby across our nation, this is a new lease of life. It’s an injection of energy, of fun, of new rules.


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    TD: Can you elaborate on some of the innovations you’re looking at bringing in?

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    AF: We’re going to try ten-point tries as well as keeping scrums at less than a minute. Lineouts will be fast too. If the opposing team isn’t there, the ball gets thrown in. If scrums go beyond a minute then we award a kick to the other side. There’s a real reward for the skill of running that ball, particularly inside your own 22. You will be absolutely rewarded for having a crack. Having a crack is our motto.

    TD: What’s the process been like to get here?

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    AF: I just had someone say to me: “Andrew, this has come together so fast”. I said: “mate, for what we do, this is glacial, this is like watching the grass grow”. They laughed and said: “for rugby, let me assure you this is supersonic speed”. I’m happy to hear that it has come together quickly. You know why? There was a need for it in the marketplace amongst spectators, among the sporting industry in Australia. No one admired what happened last year. Everyone looked for a phoenix to rise from the ashes and do really well and that’s exactly what is happening. It’s a revitalisation in Australian rugby in the form of the Western Force on an international circuit. We’ve spoken to sovereign leaders all throughout the Asia-Pacific region and they would welcome rugby in there, so we intend to roll next year with the Asia-Pacific World Series Rugby tournament. Of course the Western Force will be a proud debutant into that.

    TD: Is there any trepidation about starting a rugby competition in the current sporting landscape?

    AF: Life is full of challenges and if I was to say that we don’t see the challenges ahead of us, I wouldn’t be straight-up with you. We can see a number of challenges but there is nothing which we feel we can’t handle, nothing we feel we can’t overcome on the way to creating a really good, vibrant and successful product watched by hundreds of millions of people.

    TD: Is free-to-air coverage in the pipeline?

    AF: We’re starting with free-to-air television for our initial series and really rolling rugby out to the community. It’s not announced yet. Nick Marvin, our chief executive, said that one thing rugby has always needed is regular free-to-air support to be able to thoroughly engage with the community. We intend to do exactly that.

    TD: Did you play rugby in your younger days? What made you come on board?

    AF: I was a forward and a back. I played hooker and breakaway and then inside-centre, so wherever I could get in the thick of the action. I always loved rugby like I loved sports generally but I only got seriously involved in the Western Force because of the rank unfairness I saw happening to it as opposed to being an out-and-out rugby tragic. We do have an organisation that will stand up. The resolution is to put the Western Force back on the map and I think history will judge that whole process to lead the rebirth of the Western Force. It’s a very good thing for Australian rugby.

    TD: There will be obvious parallels drawn with Kerry Packer with a name like World Series Rugby.

    AF: I don’t see any comparisons between us and Kerry Packer and cricket. We’ve been highly collegiate from day one to Rugby Australia. This is something for Rugby Australia to lose. It’s an open door for them.

    TD: You’ve met new Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle. What are your impressions?

    AF: I think Raelene is highly competent and comes with an open mind. I think she has inherited an extremely difficult challenge but if anyone can turn Rugby Australia around and have it do the U-turn it must, it will be Raelene.

    TD: Are you concerned that RA hasn’t approved the competition yet?

    AF: Wherever we’ve gone around the world, people have loved our competition and given us encouragement. We’ve been unendingly patient with them but as you can see, we’re going ahead regardless. There is no reason why World Series Rugby and Rugby Australia cannot cooperate to build a better, faster, stronger and much better attended and popular game than the one we’ve seen in 2016 and 2017.

    TD: Former Force club captain Matt Hodgson has been on board helping out. What esteem do you hold him in?

    AF: Matt is respected throughout the rugby world, not just in Australia. He’s put together a team here that has a really strong policy of getting the cogs right in the first place, decent people, a well-mannered team. Gentlemanship will be strong with the Western Force. In the Australian parlance, he’s a just good bloke.

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    Good interview from Twiggy.

    AF: We’re starting with free-to-air television for our initial series and really rolling rugby out to the community. It’s not announced yet. Nick Marvin, our chief executive, said that one thing rugby has always needed is regular free-to-air support to be able to thoroughly engage with the community. We intend to do exactly that.
    I don't know much about this Nick Marvin fellow, but I like what he's saying here.

    Seems switched on, which ... y'know ... is a good start for gaining success.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ham105 View Post
    Good interview from Twiggy.


    I don't know much about this Nick Marvin fellow, but I like what he's saying here.

    Seems switched on, which ... y'know ... is a good start for gaining success.
    He did a good interview on 6PR the other day.

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    https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne

    Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca

    https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ham105 View Post
    Good interview from Twiggy.


    I don't know much about this Nick Marvin fellow, but I like what he's saying here.

    Seems switched on, which ... y'know ... is a good start for gaining success.
    Was CEO of the Wildcats for a long time. So knows sport and Perth. Wildcats have made the finals for 32 years straight, won the most championships (just got knocked out in semis the other day) and has 12000 members in a 14000 seat stadium.

    Lets hope he can transfer that to the Force

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    Quote Originally Posted by Leo86 View Post
    Was CEO of the Wildcats for a long time. So knows sport and Perth. Wildcats have made the finals for 32 years straight, won the most championships (just got knocked out in semis the other day) and has 12000 members in a 14000 seat stadium.

    Lets hope he can transfer that to the Force
    I also had to google Nick Marvin when his name first came up. Yes, rugby can learn a lot from basketball on the promotion side.

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    Spiro has put out his first article about the Force and Twiggy this year

    http://www.theroar.com.au/2018/03/12...wiggy-forrest/

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    'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'


    https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne

    Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca

    https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board

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    It's a good article.. Shame about some of the comments 😡

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jules View Post
    It's a good article.. Shame about some of the comments 😡
    People are still falling for the RA's bullshit spin.

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    https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne

    Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca

    https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bakkies View Post
    People are still falling for the RA's bullshit spin.
    Spiro's article may be ok, but the comments section of the Roar forum is Trollsville.
    Don't waste your time reading the comments posted on it.

    About the only saving grace of that forum is that while the Trolls are busy posting comments to it, they are not able to cyber-bully vulnerable kids.

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    Last edited by FingerTips; 12-03-18 at 09:41.

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    Quote Originally Posted by FingerTips View Post
    Spiro's article may be ok, but the comments section of the Roar forum is Trollsville.
    Don't waste your time reading the comments posted on it.

    About the only saving grace of that forum is that while the Trolls are busy posting comments to it, they are not able to cyber-bully vulnerable kids.
    About 30% are trolls, apologists or just only get their Rugby news from their spin doctors.

    There are lot of people there now who are in support of the Force and what Twiggy is trying to achieve.

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    'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'


    https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne

    Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca

    https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bakkies View Post
    About 30% are trolls, apologists or just only get their Rugby news from their spin doctors.

    There are lot of people there now who are in support of the Force and what Twiggy is trying to achieve.
    30% of the personalities appear to write 07.3% of the comments

    and indulge in 75.87% of the moderation.

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    C'mon the

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    Their moderation policy seems to be "do not throw stones at the trolls"

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    Yes not a bad piece And he is right. If the Crusaders can do it why can't others.
    There are two vacancies on the board of Rugby Australia. One of the vacancies is to fill the place of Geoff Stokes, a long-time West Australian rugby identity. Why wouldn’t Rugby Australia offer the Stokes vacancy to Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest?
    Can you imagine Clyne reading this.
    Who is the Stokes bloke by the way?

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    Quote Originally Posted by wholetruth View Post
    Yes not a bad piece And he is right. If the Crusaders can do it why can't others.
    There are two vacancies on the board of Rugby Australia. One of the vacancies is to fill the place of Geoff Stokes, a long-time West Australian rugby identity. Why wouldn’t Rugby Australia offer the Stokes vacancy to Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest?
    Can you imagine Clyne reading this.
    Who is the Stokes bloke by the way?
    Spiro is good for a slip up. Usually he is spitting chips when he writes his articles. Particularly in regards to referees and European Rugby.

    I posted my conversation with Topo Rodriguez on Spartan's thread about Optus Stadium

    http://twf.com.au/showthread.php?t=39745

    What he says sums it up really.

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    'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'


    https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne

    Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca

    https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board

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    Quote Originally Posted by wholetruth View Post
    Yes not a bad piece And he is right. If the Crusaders can do it why can't others.
    There are two vacancies on the board of Rugby Australia. One of the vacancies is to fill the place of Geoff Stokes, a long-time West Australian rugby identity. Why wouldn’t Rugby Australia offer the Stokes vacancy to Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest?
    Can you imagine Clyne reading this.
    Who is the Stokes bloke by the way?
    Related to Kerry?

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    C'mon the

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