I’ve been stewing over Wayne Smith’s article in The Australian , 12 December 2017 in which he quotes Brett Robinson of the EARU.
The article was published day before the EARU was meeting with Minderoo personnel.
Every time I read the article it makes me as angry as hell. It’s taken nearly 3 weeks to be able to write without expletives.
"Pulver will depart carrying much of the credit/blame for reducing Australia’s Super Rugby footprint from five teams to four.
While it may take years to repair the relationship with RugbyWA, there are indications RA is prepared to work with Forrest."
Can anybody direct me towards a single outcome which indicates that the EARU has “worked with Forrest”.
"The IPRC had expressed concern that RA was reluctant to give a long-term commitment to the competition but Robinson yesterday indicated RA was looking at whether Forrest’s competition might be worked into the post-2020 landscape."
The EARU was reportedly prepared to give limited sanction to the IPRC but for 2 years only. This is totally impractical and unrealistic. As highlighted by Michael Lynagh, nobody is going to make this type of financial commitment for only 2 years! Andrew Forrest has stated that it is likely to take at least 3 years for the competition to become financially viable.
“The issue around the term (of the agreement) we’re certainly open to discuss but really what we’re seeking to achieve is a trigger for a conversation around alignment going into the next broadcast deal,” Robinson said.
There’s a big difference between being ‘open to discussion’ and actually agreeing upon anything. Rhetoric and platitudes as usual from the EARU.
The EARU action, or total lack of action, indicates that it has NO INTEREST in maintaining a professional team in WA.
Why should WA playing in the Indo Pacific region have any impact on what’s planned for the East Coast teams? Any broadcast deals will be impacting very different audiences.
I for one have absolutely ZERO interest in a Super Rugby competition which doesn’t include a Perth team.
"What that means is Australia is looking to a time when South Africa might decide its future lies in Europe, at which point RA would be looking at how Super Rugby evolves. The proposal is that New Zealand and Australia each would field five teams, which presumably would mean the Western Force would be revived, and that the trans-Tasman partners would join Forrest’s five Asia teams to form a 15-team time-zone friendly competition."
It’s totally gobsmacking that Robinson can be talking about a return to 5 teams in the 4th season after axing the Western Force.
Having built up a good playing squad, including significant numbers of local talent, the Western Force get decimated and spread far and wide only to have to go back to rebuilding a squad from scratch.
Can anybody direct me to any reference where the EARU has talked about reaching out into Asia BEFORE the possibility was raised by Andrew Forrest?
"By the time of the next broadcast deal, the IPRC would have been running for two seasons. It makes sense that the IPRC is going head to head with Super Rugby in the February-July timeslot rather than taking on the ¬National Rugby Championship. If RA combines with the IPRC, the two competitions could gel in terms of playing schedules.
Head-to-head for timing was evidently World Rugby and the EARU’s preference in order to not compete during the Test “window” and the NRC. It seems that the IPRC was prepared to delay until 2019 to enable this timing to work.
It’s unlikely that RA will agree to Forrest’s request that it make all Australians playing in the IPRC — those spread throughout Asia and the Pacific — eligible for the Wallabies. And even in the case of those Australians who join the Perth club in the IPRC, Wallabies eligibility will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
That means that a Scott Fardy, for instance, could be considered for the Wallabies but any player who tries to negotiate a better contract by playing off Super Rugby against the IPRC might find the selection door shut."
The EARU has always talked about maintaining the pathway for WA based players. But players playing for a Perth-based team, playing in the IPRC, will only be considered for Wallabies on a case-by-case basis.
How can this be acceptable to RUPA? Why should this be acceptable to RugbyWA? We need to keep on with the good fight!!
"Then there is the issue of access to club players. NSW are understood to have slammed the door on IPRC interest in the Shute Shield, while Melbourne have not formulated an opinion either way. Queensland and the ACT are looking to see what sister-city relationships can be built with Forrest’s Asian clubs that would give their players access to a higher standard of football. For that to work, the IPRC needed to be staged from August onwards.
Robinson says all the states will have the opportunity to negotiate with the IPRC themselves. There will be no centrally monitored RA policy on player access."
Is this an example of how the EARU is prepared to “work with Forrest”? The EARU is not prepared to get any agreement with the Member Unions. IPRC – go and do your own negotiations!
Andrew Forrest was interested in attracting Australian players back to the Australian region. To increase the player pool availability for the Wallabies. The EARU appear to have no interest in this potential benefit.
“This process has been a good one. We’re into the detail of working through what the issues are, we have a term sheet that we are looking to discuss tomorrow and we don’t believe there is anything in that that we shouldn’t be able to resolve,” Robinson said.
Can the EARU actually advise any outcome to date which would indicate that “this process has been a good one”?
Has there been any points that have actually been resolved?
The EARU obviously believe that the only pathway that should be available to WA is for WA Club Players to show their stuff in the NRC and then move to East Coast Super Rugby franchises to get prepared for the Wallabies.
We have been told that the EARU is happy for the Western Force to be a professional team and play wherever it likes (but apparently NOT with the IPRC).
Where does the EARU suggest the Western Force actually plays during the February – July window?
Under what conditions would Western Force players be automatically eligible for Wallabies selection?
Can the EARU actually explain the pathway to National Team selection for WA based rugby players?
Andrew Forrest in clearly interested in growing rugby in WA.
We’ve heard the announcement regarding the Future Force and financial support for RugbyWA.
There is clearly opportunities to grow community rugby at all levels.
But RugbyWA has to develop its own strengths and not just rely upon handouts from Andrew Forrest.
Things have to change.
Nobody should be thinking that RugbyWA was blameless in the Western Force getting axed.
I've highlighted before how Michael Foley was white-anted by having team funding slashed by 50% over his 1st 3 years.
The accounts for his final year will probably never be made available
However, I suggest that this team funding was slashed even more in his final season..
Rugby in WA will only thrive by having a Perth-based professional team to attract and nurture rugby talent in WA.
And the sooner the better. As we continue to bleed our best playing stocks to the East Coast and OS. I hear that we may have lost Kane Koteka to Japan!!
Wayne Smith's comments today indicate that he has more faith in Brett Robinson than what is supported by Robinson's outcomes with the IPRC to date...
"Meanwhile, Andrew Forrest’s Indo Pacific Rugby Championship keeps ticking along. RA doesn’t want to antagonise him, especially because his Asia-based teams might well form the basis of life after Super Rugby, but equally it doesn’t want to give away the farm either. Thankfully, Brett Robinson is handling negotiations on behalf of RA so there is some hope of a diplomatic solution being reached."
What does "ticking along" actually mean?Where are the outcomes?
I can't understand why RUPA hasn't been more involved during their recent negotiations. Super Rugby players cut by 10-20%. No pathway to the Wallabies for WA-based players (But they can apply to be considered). RUPA should be up in arms about this restriction.
It seems that nothing has been agreed.
I reckon that Andrew Forrest should just do his own thing and find a way to get the professional team playing in 2018. But it better start happening soon otherwise there will be few players available.
Perhaps we need to let public opinion force the EARU's hand regarding Wallabies selection.
