Force travel east for opening Super Rugby Pacific Rounds

[The InnFORCEr]

Mon, 31/01/2022, 09:29 am

Western Force will base themselves on the east coast for the opening two rounds of the inaugural season of Super Rugby Pacific due to ongoing border restrictions in Western Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Force, ACT Brumbies and NSW Waratahs have agreed to swap home and away fixtures in the early rounds of the competition.

The Force home fixture against the Brumbies, originally scheduled for Round 1, will now be played in Canberra, with the Force instead hosting the Brumbies in Round 6. The home fixture against the Waratahs, originally scheduled for Round 4, will now be played in NSW, with the Force instead hosting the Waratahs in Round 9.

The Force will seek to retain their home match against the Reds in Round 3, with the venue for this match to be confirmed. The Western Force will continue to work with the Western Australian government to host the match in Perth, however, venues on the east coast are also being explored.

Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said: “I’d like to thank the Western Force, Brumbies, NSW Waratahs, and Reds for their understanding and the spirit of cooperation in which they’ve worked as we’ve progressed through these necessary changes.

“Unfortunately, we are all now well versed in dealing with these kinds of changes as we continue to navigate the uncertainty that surrounds COVID-19. However, we have managed to find a solution which maintains the integrity of the draw and allows us to proceed with minimal disruptions to the season.

“By relocating to the east coast for the opening rounds of the competition, the Western Force players, staff and their families are making a significant sacrifice and we thank them for that.

“Rugby has faced many challenges of the last couple of years, but I am heartened by the spirit and resolve which has been displayed by the entire Rugby community as we’ve worked together to find solutions and positive outcomes for the game during a difficult time.”

Western Force CEO Tony Lewis said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank Phil Thomson of the Brumbies, Paul Doorn of the Waratahs, Matthew Barlow from SANZAR and Ben Whittaker from Rugby Australia for their assistance with reaching such a positive result.

“To deliver seven home games for our Members and fans is of the utmost importance for us, so we’ll continue to work hard with the Western Australian government. We want to see all WA rugby fans at HBF Park for what promises to be a massive season.”

https://westernforce.rugby/news/forc...A77suQ4FXC-3uM

[shasta]

Good news for those of us who have not had a booster just yet. Not so good for some who will starting to have waning immunity by the first home game.

[.X.]

I thought SANZAR was dead and burried - or was that just wishful thinking?

[Leo86]

I thought SANZAR was dead and burried - or was that just wishful thinking?

I think it mostly exists for the Rugby Championship

[travelling_gerry]

I thought SANZAR was dead and burried - or was that just wishful thinking?

Its Linkedin profile states "seeking relevance"

[volvo]

I thought SANZAR was dead and burried - or was that just wishful thinking?

My understanding was that they still run the Rugby Championship. In terms of provincial rugby, I also thought they became irrelevant with the death of the pre-Covid version of super rugby

[shasta]

Will the Kiwis relocate to save Super Rugby?


There is growing speculation the entire Super Rugby Pacific competition will need to move to Australia as government border restrictions continue to wreak havoc with the draw.....................In Australia, the Western Force are swapping home games with their rivals and relocating to the eastern seaboard for at least the first four rounds of competition, in a move many believe could be extended if the West Australian government does not allow the team to use a fly-in, fly-out model to play in Perth.

I'm starting think we may not see any home games unless the border is completely opened before too long. A FIFO option seems unlikely with all teams staying on the east coast for an extended period. A staggering 80% of NRL players have contracted Covid over the summer. That's almost as staggering as the revelation that despite most clubs mandating vaccination; Manly, Cronulla & Penriff still have 30-40% of their players not jabbed a few weeks before kick-off. Not much info from RA (none actually AFAIK) on Super Rugby players' status. How unusual

https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/rug...31-p59skr.html



https://www.watoday.com.au/sport/nrl...01-p59sy0.html

[.X.]

Will the Kiwis relocate to save Super Rugby?


I'm starting think we may not see any home games unless the border is completely opened before too long.

To be fair Force CEO Tony Lewis has stated from Day 1 of McGowan's great wall of Anti-Covidness that having the Sea of Blue being able to see 7 Home Games in 2022 is his number 1 Priority and has been fighting hard for that.

[Alison]

To be fair Force CEO Tony Lewis has stated from Day 1 of McGowan's great wall of Anti-Covidness that having the Sea of Blue being able to see 7 Home Games in 2022 is his number 1 Priority and has been fighting hard for that.

For financial reasons as much as caring about us though.

[shasta]

For financial reasons as much as caring about us though.

Probably right Ali. But the two aren't mutually exclusive. The CEO's first priority is to keep the business financially viable, sure. But from what I've seen in the members bar and elsewhere, Tony is a genuine Rugby person with WA club & rep Rugby history. So I reckon X is on point there.

To clarify my earlier points; I'm pretty disappointed the WA Government stance may have forced this change. I'm certainly not an epidemiologist but on balance of probability (from what the real experts are saying), a FIFO model would seem less risky earlier than later.

[GIGS20]

For financial reasons as much as caring about us though.

I think he's been as open as he can be about that.

I'm also completely OK with that reasoning, remember it was financial difficulty that gave RA the trigger to axe us last time, I'm quite happy that he's working hard to ensure the business case remains viable.

They've probably also calculated the likelihood of using the media where he's been very open about the business folding to help them get a grant or win a civil case for damages. Especially in the light that they have mentioned a number of potentially viable alternatives which will all have been rejected if they don't get their 7 home games. It's a pretty good strategy, it might not work in the current climate, but it will make it easy for somebody to come to the rescue (Liberal federal government would likely love an opportunity to point to something they can fix and blame on the most popular Labour Premier) RA might not be able to rip up the participation agreement because Tony Lewis has made it VERY CLEAR that any financial shortfall is due to circumstances beyond his control, etc. etc. etc

[The InnFORCEr]

Good news, press conference at 11am, borders to open without restrictions from 30 February

[shasta]

Good news, press conference at 11am, borders to open without restrictions from 30 February

Informed sauces down the pub are saying midnight on 31st of March, following advice from a complete psycho.

[andrewg]

For financial reasons as much as caring about us though.

I'm interested in any background to this comment.
Does "us" refer to WF fans or some other group that IMO Tony shouldn't even be concerned about?
In what way has Tony Lewis not tried hard to look after the WF fans?

I don't think that the Western Force can assume that Andrew Forrest will ALWAYS support the WF.
Nor should the State Govt nor RugbyAU think that AF will keep giving whatever it takes.
It seems that all discussions with these groups have focussed on fairness against how other sports and rugby franchises are being treated.
Does anybody think that it's easy to operate in a 2 country competition during these trying Covid times?
Every change to the schedule is likely to result in additional $$s because of what's already been put in place.

Matt Hodgson in open forums during the GRR period and before that every plan he presented to AF was in the black by Year 3.

Since the axing of the WF the Sea of Blue has enjoyed the best match day experience than anything else that I can see on Stan.
It certainly tops anything that we've seen in Gallagher or New Zealand or South Africa or France or 6 Nations or Spring Tests.

None of these activities come at zero cost.

Tony seems to be ensuring that WF Members get 7 home games - and it seems that's been the efforts even during WSR, Asia/Pacific series and GRR.

If Tony wasn't looking after the $$s then we've got the wrong CEO at the helm as we know very well where that leads.

[wjm]

Interesting words that the CEO’s priority is keep the business financially viable .

Perhaps Sinderberry and the board of the time could have hired you as a consultant .

Probably right Ali. But the two aren't mutually exclusive. The CEO's first priority is to keep the business financially viable, sure. But from what I've seen in the members bar and elsewhere, Tony is a genuine Rugby person with WA club & rep Rugby history. So I reckon X is on point there.

To clarify my earlier points; I'm pretty disappointed the WA Government stance may have forced this change. I'm certainly not an epidemiologist but on balance of probability (from what the real experts are saying), a FIFO model would seem less risky earlier than later.