I had a chat with some Force fans after the game and the issue of concessions came up again.
To be honest, to say the Rebels are succeeding just because of their concessions is doing the recruitment and management teams of the Rebels a massive disservice. They deserve praise for how they have used what concessions they have, instead of just dismissing it as an unfair advantage.
Are the Rebels succeeding at the moment? Compared to the Force now they are, but the Force in our second year were succeeding in comparison to the Reds and the Tahs. That is far from the case now. The Force were ahead in their second year of where the Rebels are now in your second year.
We had a fairly good start in Super Rugby. That second year we finished 7th on the table with a draw and three losses by two points or less (typical Force).
Tell those guys who complain about the concession that there was more young talent for the Force to pick up back in 2005/2006 which makes things pretty fair. I wouldn't mind a few more concessions for development players for the Force (and the other 3 teams) now though.
I don't mean to diss the Rebels and I hope the next couple of years work out for you guys. Hopefully while the Force go through the rebuild we need to have. I really like the potential of some of your forwards like Neville, Pyle and Jones. Add Higginbotham and a bit of starch to the front row and have Beale and O'Connor both fit at the same time and you won't be a fun proposition for any side.