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Australian Rugby / RA

Spruce Moose

Fred Wood (13)
Article indicating some kiwi matches getting over 100k, I had my time difference wrong by 2 hours.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/s...eaks-in-key-uk-market-not-seen-for-many-years


Depends what time of year. I'm living in Scandanavia and in the summer the test/super matches in Australia start around 1130 but in winter (as in now) start at 0930 (an hour earlier in the UK). So I agree that it can be good to advertise the product in UK, as the matches never clash with Premiership or 6 Nations time slots. Also Rugby Championship is usually on in the European off season. So only way to get your rugby fill at that time of the year.

Oz and NZ rugby (both super and tests) still has a great reputation in Europe for being exciting and high scoring rugby that people want to watch.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Nah both Aus and Kiwi Super Rugby averaged around similar figures for Sky TV during COVID, it was in the 80-120k bracket from what I read. Not sure if that’s any indicator. Kiwi matches are on around 6 am in the UK I believe.

Yep but apparently NZ games were rating higher for whole , maybe because it finishes in the early timeslot before people go on with their day. And seems the Super Au comp dropped off after Aotearoa finished.
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
This thread seems as good a place as any for this news from WA as it is not directly linked to the Western Force.

New RugbyWA boss, former Western Force and Wallaby star Nathan Charles

Nick Taylor - The West Australian - Mon, 23 November 2020

Former Western Force and Wallaby hooker Nathan Charles will be indulging in one of his great passions as new RugbyWA chief executive – building the grassroots game.

He is national CF ambassador.
“It is something I’m very passionate about and I’m keen to continue on in that role.”

Charles, who started a health and safety consultancy after retiring from rugby has spent 16 months as general manager of pathways at Athletics West.

He takes over from outgoing chief executive Bob Hunter.

RugbyWA patron Geoff Stooke said: “WA rugby is moving into an exciting era, with our elite team back in Super Rugby and the community game improving in standard and participation."


Read more......
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
So now Wayne Smith continues with the dis-information and fake news.
About on a par with "when are you going to stop beating your wife?".
Andrew Forrest comes out and says that this is all BS - so the next commentary will be that he has spoken out too strongly.

It's called deflection - RA and the Super Rugby franchises are economic basket cases, so let's deflect the attention elsewhere.
As per usual the "rumours are rife" out of Melbourne and Sydney.
Just remember, currently it's only the WF players who are getting 100% of their contract payments.

Forrest's previous offer of about $70 million must be looking very good these days - but it's no longer on the table.


Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest insists he is 100 percent behind the Force

Wayne Smith - The Australian - 1 Dec 2020

Andrew Forrest has stressed he is “100 per cent” committed both to the Western Force and Rugby Australia and has dismissed rumours to the contrary as evidence of the same disharmony that led to the turmoil of 2017 when the Australian Rugby Union, as it was then known, culled the Perth club from Super Rugby.

Rumours have been rife in Australian rugby for some time that Forrest was considering backing out of his support of the Force and the sport overall. But the Perth mining billionaire interrupted his global “green tour” to contact The Australian to set the record straight.

“It’s amazing to me because I always thought you judged a person by their actions and my actions have been completely supportive of the national body,” Forrest said.

He has placed only one condition on Rugby Australia. “If they adopt a world-leading constitution which would lead to a world-leading game of rugby in Australia, then I would continue to strongly support them.”

He said that any suggestions he was contemplating pulling back on his support for the Force or rugby in Western Australia were “complete and utter nonsense”.

“We strongly suspect these rumours are being sown by the parties that sought to damage the Western Force in the past. It is this off-field disharmony that led to the disastrous near-terminal funding decisions of the former board of RA.

“Our commitment to grassroots rugby cannot be questioned – as recently as July, Nicola (Forrest) and I announced another $5 million to create an elite pathways program in WA. This is on top of the $2 million we had already committed to women’s and children’s rugby in WA.

“The rebirth of the Force is one of Australia’s great sporting stories. My ambition is to now make the Western Force the strongest club in world rugby, with far more locally grown players. We have only just begun on this journey and I am committed to seeing it through for many years to come.”

RA chairman Hamish McLennan said good progress was being made in drafting a new constitution under legal experts Tim North, QC (Quade Cooper) and Bruce Hodgkinson, SC. “There are a few points in contention that we are working through and we are evaluating the impact of any private equity deal in the future and how that would affect the constitution,” McLennan said.

It is believed that RA does not want to rush a decision on the constitution until it has observed what New Zealand and South Africa intend to do with private equity. There are some head-spinning ramifications from taking on a private equity partner and RA does not want to be faced with rewriting a newly-drafted constitution to make allowances for them.
While RA is being circled by CVC Capital Partners, Silver Lake and other private equity firms, it is possible it will approach Forrest to be involved in any such venture. The Force owner did not rule out such a deal.
“If Rugby Australia approaches me more than philanthropically, I will consider any such approach,” he told The Australian.

While there has been some criticism of the decision to include the Force in the split of the broadcast deal, it would have been inequitable to exclude them.

“Two points are worth noting here,” said RA CEO Rob Clarke. “One is that the Western Force have been a key part of standing up a domestic competition this year. And as we look to trans-Tasman expansion, (they are) a key part of ensuring that Australian rugby has equally footing with New Zealand and how future competitions are going to evolve.
“At the same time, the five (Australian) teams were part of our broadcast agreement that we have done with Nine and Stan. It (the Force) is an important piece in the financial equation.”
 

Jimmy_Crouch

Ken Catchpole (46)
He has placed only one condition on Rugby Australia. “If they adopt a world-leading constitution which would lead to a world-leading game of rugby in Australia, then I would continue to strongly support them.”

RA chairman Hamish McLennan said good progress was being made in drafting a new constitution under legal experts Tim North, QC (Quade Cooper) and Bruce Hodgkinson, SC. “There are a few points in contention that we are working through and we are evaluating the impact of any private equity deal in the future and how that would affect the constitution,” McLennan said.


Twiggy has stated from the beginning he wanted a one management model. McLennan is clearly trying to make it happen.
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Twiggy has stated from the beginning he wanted a one management model. McLennan is clearly trying to make it happen.

Too much history. Read the Senate inquiry.
No matter how much McLennan may try, with North and Clarke involved it's not going to happen with Forrest.
 

ForceFan

Peter Fenwicke (45)
Nah it’s not, all of the wallabies squad are getting paid in full as well

Quite correct - about 30 out of >120 and only post SRAu.
Meanwhile the player exodus from Australia continues with some of Australia's top players being released for Sabbaticals in 2021 just to reduce the wages bill.

My point is that Forrest's support for the WF and Rugby in WA has not wained since the WF were axed in 2017.
The recent articles in the SMH and The Australian are just BS and pleased that Forrest has called them out as such.
 

Rugbynutter39

Michael Lynagh (62)
Twiggy is a business man, he may not like Clark or North. but he would not refuse to work with them because they saved there interest in 2017 over his.

I agree Forrest is not going to not work with RA if Clark or North are involved but of course he will make darn sure his interests and position is well protected and looked after. RA are up against a hardened negotiator and businessman with Twiggy so I don't think WA Rugby or Force Fans have anything to fear of any negotiations with RA with Twiggy involved and behind them.

Time to move on from the past as you have a powerful backer with Twiggy to ensure WA rugby interests will not only be protected but pushed to the forefront. Envious position to be in and other rugby states I am sure only look on with envy. I think it is fab WA got Twiggy and hopefully other super rugby sides and provinces in time also get powerful financial backers (re; private equity - e..g KRR circling rebels - CVC in discussions with RA etc etc).
 

dru

David Wilson (68)
Hard not to spot the difference, absolutely in spite of his so called sins as portrayed by his detractors. WA get Twiggy, Qld gets Palmer. :eek:

Interested in a swap? I hear he has tried hard to get into WA.
 

Ignoto

Peter Sullivan (51)
Hard not to spot the difference, absolutely in spite of his so called sins as portrayed by his detractors. WA get Twiggy, Qld gets Palmer. :eek:

Interested in a swap? I hear he has tried hard to get into WA.

There's other billionaires in Queensland we should hit up. What about another Reg R in Reg Rowe?
 
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Derpus

Nathan Sharpe (72)
So now Wayne Smith continues with the dis-information and fake news.
About on a par with "when are you going to stop beating your wife?".
Andrew Forrest comes out and says that this is all BS - so the next commentary will be that he has spoken out too strongly.

Isn't this just another hatchet job from the Newscorp chumps?

What rumours were there that Twiggy wanted to bail on WF? none that i heard. Force have been busy signing up loads of talent and have committed to the comp next year. Shit it looks like they are even getting a cut (which makes no sense to me).

I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist over anything these people have to say.
 

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
Quite correct - about 30 out of >120 and only post SRAu.
Meanwhile the player exodus from Australia continues with some of Australia's top players being released for Sabbaticals in 2021 just to reduce the wages bill.
.
Nah it’s about 45 players, it’s all those in the wallabies squad.
Only one player is been released for a sabbatical in 2021 that I’m tracking.

I don’t think anyone denies the current state of player retention, not sure why it’s relevant to this discussion though.
 

Dan54

David Wilson (68)
Yep the only rumours are the ones newscorp create to sell papers —- I would have thought everyone was onto that game by now

Hallelujah!! Glad we realising this is the case, I have been called all manner of names for saying exactly this all year! It's an unfortunate time we live in where it has got so much worse over the last couple of decades, the unfortunate fact is we live in a time where News outlets contro; what many of us thik and believe is true!!
 

Adam84

Rod McCall (65)
Hallelujah!! Glad we realising this is the case, I have been called all manner of names for saying exactly this all year! It's an unfortunate time we live in where it has got so much worse over the last couple of decades, the unfortunate fact is we live in a time where News outlets contro; what many of us thik and believe is true!!

To be fair, if anyone called you any kind of name it wasn’t because of the newspapers, it was because of the Aratipu Report released by NZRU and the disagreement over the impact that had on trans-Tasman relations.

Most of us can see past newspaper articles, it’s a bit harder to ignore reports and recommendations released by the governing bodies though.
 

Hardtackle

Charlie Fox (21)
Too much history. Read the Senate inquiry.
No matter how much McLennan may try, with North and Clarke involved it's not going to happen with Forrest.

Reading the senate inquiry sounds like a big job. Can you please give us time poor bludgers a sentence or two?
 
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