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Australian Rugby / RA

Dan54

Tim Horan (67)
NRC with Shute Shield buy-in plz. Fuck knows how.
Please oh please!! I with you so much here Derps!!!You don't need the name number as us, but as I said in the NRC/ARC thread I started, I really belive there should be a comp happening in Aus now!!
 
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Ignoto

John Thornett (49)
Agreed but RA simply cant afford to run an NRC atm, 2 big loans & a very low cap at Super Rugby level.

Unless we can find someone to fund it wont happen.
Start small and work your way up to it. Once Super Rugby is finished and those picked for the Wallabies go off to do the June tests + TRC, why can't we have more Super Rugby AU?

The super teams can pull up and comers from club land and Brisbane + Sydney can have a barbarians club team. That then gives you;
Reds
Waratahs
Brumbies
Rebels
Force
BNE Baabaas
Syd Baabaas
Fijian team

The super rugby players are already being paid a salary from the clubs, so at most your forking out some extra cash for the club players to join them

That's 4 matches every weekend + a wallabies game.

Club rugby can play after the super rugby aus competition so super rugby players can go back and play. Meaning, you could have players, playing from late February to September/October for bugger all increase in cash.
 

Dan54

Tim Horan (67)
Start small and work your way up to it. Once Super Rugby is finished and those picked for the Wallabies go off to do the June tests + TRC, why can't we have more Super Rugby AU?

The super teams can pull up and comers from club land and Brisbane + Sydney can have a barbarians club team. That then gives you;
Reds
Waratahs
Brumbies
Rebels
Force
BNE Baabaas
Syd Baabaas
Fijian team

The super rugby players are already being paid a salary from the clubs, so at most your forking out some extra cash for the club players to join them

That's 4 matches every weekend + a wallabies game.

Club rugby can play after the super rugby aus competition so super rugby players can go back and play. Meaning, you could have players, playing from late February to September/October for bugger all increase in cash.
Good point Ig, I was under the impression a couple of years ago part of players contract for super was to play in NRC. I really think the Super teams without test players (replaced with up and comers/club players) has the biggest go forward. Already got a supporter base for people to go with, I don't even think it needs Baabaas from Qld and NSW, just a Baabaas team from around country (U23s or somthing).
 

Rebel man

Peter Johnson (47)
Not too long ago Rugby Australia turned him and his money down when he tried to save the Force, RA may have backed the wrong horse at the time.
New board now but, we need to be independent and stand on our own two feet. Twiggy can help with that so we should definitely be looking into it
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
New board now but, we need to be independent and stand on our own two feet. Twiggy can help with that so we should definitely be looking into it
Its always worth reading the fine print where any benefactor is concerned. And usually the fine print is confidential as a condition of the deal.
 

fatprop

George Gregan (70)
Staff member
Start small and work your way up to it. Once Super Rugby is finished and those picked for the Wallabies go off to do the June tests + TRC, why can't we have more Super Rugby AU?

The super teams can pull up and comers from club land and Brisbane + Sydney can have a barbarians club team. That then gives you;
Reds
Waratahs
Brumbies
Rebels
Force
BNE Baabaas
Syd Baabaas
Fijian team

The super rugby players are already being paid a salary from the clubs, so at most your forking out some extra cash for the club players to join them

That's 4 matches every weekend + a wallabies game.

Club rugby can play after the super rugby aus competition so super rugby players can go back and play. Meaning, you could have players, playing from late February to September/October for bugger all increase in cash.
I would prefer the extended Super squads be split into two teams per franchise and run it from there with a few supplemental units to fill gaps

Get the squads playing together more often and let the fringe get time in the programs to see whether they can cut it, 10 teams, home and away

If that is too expensive, build relationships with Kiwi Mitre 10 sides and loan them into more pro game time
 

Members Section

John Thornett (49)
Start small and work your way up to it. Once Super Rugby is finished and those picked for the Wallabies go off to do the June tests + TRC, why can't we have more Super Rugby AU?

The super teams can pull up and comers from club land and Brisbane + Sydney can have a barbarians club team. That then gives you;
Reds
Waratahs
Brumbies
Rebels
Force
BNE Baabaas
Syd Baabaas
Fijian team

The super rugby players are already being paid a salary from the clubs, so at most your forking out some extra cash for the club players to join them

That's 4 matches every weekend + a wallabies game.

Club rugby can play after the super rugby aus competition so super rugby players can go back and play. Meaning, you could have players, playing from late February to September/October for bugger all increase in cash.

I get it & understand how important it was I mean look at the reds now on the back of it. But both previously the ARC & the NRC sent RA broke which a new ceo walked into with out knowing & firstly has to pay back the HSBC loan, hopefully win the RWC2027 & beg world rugby to pay them back after that all while having a tv rights deal that is less than what it was 2 years ago.

they only way you could possibly do it is ring up twiggy beg him. Call it the RM Williams-fortiscue-forrest cattle station cup & play it all a hbf park, the Kimberly's & some farm station near port headland.

That last part is clearly a bit of a joke but currently in the npc the cap just just over $1m for each team, if we have 7 teams thats $7m we need to find out of no where just to play the players.

in the famous words of Neville Bartos "here no cash"
 

ForceFan

Chilla Wilson (44)
Always quite amazing how ready people are to spend Andrew Forrest's $$s for him.
Andrew offered financial support for RA (to the tune of $70 million) which had the conditions of a board clean-out and a establishing a new governance model for managing Rugby Union in Australia.
This offer was rejected without even being put to the full RA Board.
Can't imagine that anything has changed over the past 4 years.
Can anybody confirm that the participation agreement has gained sign-off for next year??

I still reckon that Rugby needs to be completely broken before we can move beyond the bandaid solutions.
We could then move to a focused 5-10 year, nationwide, funded recovery programme.

It would help to stop talking-up, and placing unreasonable pressure on, a clearly non-competitive Wallaby team due to poor skill levels/talent/experience.
Why not just admit that we're at a rebuilding phase and stop trying to fill stadiums as fans are going to get very tired of the hype?
I can't see how RA can even afford to consider a Spring Tour in 2021 due to the extra $$ burdens on travel and Covid 19, including quarantine, requirements.

PS I forgot to add that Forrest also offered to under-write the Western Force - in addition to the $70M to RA.
 
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Derpus

George Gregan (70)
Always quite amazing how ready people are to spend Andrew Forrest's $$s for him.
Andrew offered financial support for RA (to the tune of $70 million) which had the conditions of a board clean-out and a establishing a new governance model for managing Rugby Union in Australia.
This offer was rejected without even being put to the full RA Board.
Can't imagine that anything has changed over the past 4 years.
Can anybody confirm that the participation agreement has gained sign-off for next year??

I still reckon that Rugby needs to be completely broken before we can move beyond the bandaid solutions.
We could then move to a focused 5-10 year, nationwide, funded recovery programme.

It would help to stop talking-up, and placing unreasonable pressure on, a clearly non-competitive Wallaby team due to poor skill levels/talent/experience.
Why not just admit that we're at a rebuilding phase and stop trying to fill stadiums as fans are going to get very tired of the hype?
I can't see how RA can even afford to consider a Spring Tour in 2021 due to the extra $$ burdens on travel and Covid 19, including quarantine, requirements.
Desperate times etc.

I think the general sentiment is that we need private equity. Personally I'd prefer an existing stakeholder who:
- has shown a willingness to contribute to Rugby in Australia,
- has a vested interest,
- is Australian, and
- knows how to make things successful
over a multi-national who is buying in at a low ebb (e.g. Silverlake).

And a lot has changed. The board has changed, new CEO (even though he's a mug) and chairman. But most importantly - the Western Force are involved again.

I don't think Rugby could ever recover from being completely broken down. But we certainly need to break down whatever barriers exist to the creation of a 3rd tier comp whether they be financial or political. I think it's evident we will continue to regress without proper development of a professional tier of Rugby in Aus. It'd be great if Twiggy wanted to pitch in to that.
 

Rebel man

Peter Johnson (47)
Always quite amazing how ready people are to spend Andrew Forrest's $$s for him.
Andrew offered financial support for RA (to the tune of $70 million) which had the conditions of a board clean-out and a establishing a new governance model for managing Rugby Union in Australia.
This offer was rejected without even being put to the full RA Board.
Can't imagine that anything has changed over the past 4 years.
Can anybody confirm that the participation agreement has gained sign-off for next year??

I still reckon that Rugby needs to be completely broken before we can move beyond the bandaid solutions.
We could then move to a focused 5-10 year, nationwide, funded recovery programme.

It would help to stop talking-up, and placing unreasonable pressure on, a clearly non-competitive Wallaby team due to poor skill levels/talent/experience.
Why not just admit that we're at a rebuilding phase and stop trying to fill stadiums as fans are going to get very tired of the hype?
I can't see how RA can even afford to consider a Spring Tour in 2021 due to the extra $$ burdens on travel and Covid 19, including quarantine, requirements.
But I want to see it happen because I want to see the new governance model implemented. If his money is a means to an end in that regard then take the money
 

Dan54

Tim Horan (67)
I personally don't think that RA (or any Rugby board) can accept money that comes with conditions that say how the board must be run . That can only be done by the members of union, I can't believe anyone would even suggest otherwise. If Twiggy did indeed say he would put $70 mill in if there was a board clean out, ne never intended giving the money because he knows how governance works. The RU would be apponted at AGM by a vote of states , who's boards are sure voted in by clubs etc etc. To suggest that money can buy how the board is run would not only be probably illegal but bloody amoral too. Who is the board and what were their plans for rugby should be what the only consideration.
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
I personally don't think that RA (or any Rugby board) can accept money that comes with conditions that say how the board must be run .
Absolutely right. The game is not the property of RA. If it is for sale, it would have to be some kind of worldwide deal, with a heap of caveats and protections for proper governance.
 

Adam84

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Absolutely right. The game is not the property of RA. If it is for sale, it would have to be some kind of worldwide deal, with a heap of caveats and protections for proper governance.

Private Equity disagrees.
NZRU Private Equity deal with Silver Lakes has been reported to include veto rights on all commercial decisions... Which includes everything from All Black test matches through to the ITM Cup.
 

Jets

Paul McLean (56)
Staff member
I find the private equity investment troubling. I could almost understand if they lease rights to a third party for a guaranteed payment, but selling rights could end in all sorts of issues.
 

Derpus

George Gregan (70)
Private Equity disagrees.
NZRU Private Equity deal with Silver Lakes has been reported to include veto rights on all commercial decisions. Which includes everything from All Black test matches through to the ITM Cup.
Is that deal over the line?
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
Private Equity disagrees.
NZRU Private Equity deal with Silver Lakes has been reported to include veto rights on all commercial decisions. Which includes everything from All Black test matches through to the ITM Cup.

I was really commenting from the Australian perspective. The ABs are in a different class to us. But even they, at the end of the day, depend to a large extent on the goodwill of the worldwide rugby community. If they took a step too far, they could find themselves out in the cold. Rich, but lonely.
 
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