Castle under siege: 'Locked out' players fuming ahead of rugby's D-Day

[Bakkies]

Rumours are swirling around that mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, saviour of the axed Western Force, might be interested in buying all of Australia’s Super Rugby franchises


Well, they are only a dollar each...

But in seriousness, coming out of this the Rebels would want to watch their back. Maybe even their front.

That will do them a favour.

Always said the salary cap punishments were the best thing to happen to the Storm. They stopped being a bottomless pit for News Limited and they recruited players who wanted to be there.

[JSJ]

I don't know volvo/JSJ, it would make a certain sense. If he bought them all, I would expect he would want to control their trademarks/marketing and need to be in control of their involvement in SR/broadcast contract. Given they are all loss making entities the cost and license fees shouldn't be much, and I would expect he'd also need a firm "no competition" clause so they didn't then go off setting up a parallel competition.

Get all those and it might be worth it...

Yes, the trouble with buying them as existing Super teams even for $1, then he would also pick up all rugby political baggage in the RA, NSW and QLD, as well commitment to SANZAAR contracts etc. Plus expensive player contracts, like Michael Hooper's 5 year $5mil contract.
Let the Super teams put themselves out of business and then start lean administration GRR teams with the hungry players.

[AndyS]

You must have been a boy scout...what did RA do when they bought the Force license?

The next SR contract remains to be negotiated, so there are no SANZAAR contracts (assuming this year is done). So the teams get "merged" with GRR, RA can't start another competing comp, and what would they call the teams anyway...?

[Perth Girl]

The Chairperson might change but nothing else has! RA might regret turning down Twiggy money and putting all their eggs in the Rebels basket

[Bakkies]

The Chairperson might change but nothing else has! RA might regret turning down Twiggy money and putting all their eggs in the Rebels basket

The RA has to be insolvent they have no income and assets to trade their way out of this. The tickets sold for the Irish tests will have to be refunded as I can’t see them touring even if Australia is out of lockdowns by May. Ireland is at a different stage to here and the Irish Government don’t want a lot of travel.

The season ending has to be finalised as the next edition of the Heineken Cup is based upon this season’s standings. Six Nations games have to be rearranged if it is possible.

South Africa is going to be hit hard by the virus so I doubt the Rugby Championship can be played.

We can still play the Bledisloe Cup at any time. Queensland may come out of this earlier than the other states so we can play the All Blacks there if the NZ Government allows them to travel. Both teams can train out of Ballymore after serving isolation in nearby hotels. Bus them in to training.

The Reds can play a tour match against them.

Queensland’s rectangle stadia can be used year round.

The NRL is getting proactive. Time Rugby did to.

The NRL is getting proactive

[Bakkies]

You must have been a boy scout...what did RA do when they bought the Force license?

The next SR contract remains to be negotiated, so there are no SANZAAR contracts (assuming this year is done). So the teams get "merged" with GRR, RA can't start another competing comp, and what would they call the teams anyway...?

To negotiate with GRR the RA will have to negotiate with the Hong Kong RFU.

[AndyS]

Not if Twiggy bought the SR teams (the original premise). RA could be told to bugger off and mind their own business at that point....

[wholetruth]

[QUOTE=AndyS;473250]Rumours are swirling around that mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, saviour of the axed Western Force, might be interested in buying all of Australia’s Super Rugby franchises




We are talking about Brett Harris writing this aren't we. Just a quick Google will tell you all you need to remember about him from our past.

[valzc]

GRR’s & WA’s rugby first priority has to be the existing Asian Pacific teams. As far as I’m concerned, SR can take a running jump. Even the idea of dealing with all that baggage, bad feeling, condescension, tosser attitudes, back knifing makes me nauseous. I would welcome clubs like Eastwood coming in, but having the likes of Hooper, Beale, & such twats anywhere near GRR is too much to handle. We’ve made a commitment to the Asian teams, and that’s the only setup I want to follow. And maybe we can get our boys back!

[AndyS]

Funny, it is obviously a typical Harris brain fart, but I thought the notion of buying the rights to the SR teams, shutting them down, spreading their players around GRR, leaving RA with an interesting decision to make about selecting the Wallabies, sitting on the IP of teams like the 'Tahs/Reds/Brumbies, and blocking any moves to go off starting a new comp with new teams might appeal...guess not!

[Alison]

Bye bye Rugby Australia

[Chopper1]

Bye bye Rugby Australia

And don't come back..

[SNOB]

I suppose if one person (Brett Harris) says something that constitutes a rumour!

[GIGS20]

I suppose if one person (Brett Harris) says something that constitutes a rumour!

Dont panic, the number will double when he quotes himself as a source for his next story. We call it pulling a Growden

[valzc]

LOL! Whereas the Roar has taken the ‘everything’s good nothing to see here « attitude.The top article for tofay is about Valentini. Not hard to see who are the boys in charge. BTW TWAS has been very quiet the past coupla days-wonder why?