Where to for Super Rugby?

[Moono75]

From the Nedlands Rugby site:
nedlandsrugby.com.au/2017/08/29/eminem-palms-sweaty-aru-boardroom/


Well readers, the eight current and remaining directors of the ARU held a board meeting yesterday. And according to the St Leonards grape vine, palms are sweaty around the board table as Justice David Hammerschlag prepares to hand down his critical appeal decision in the NSW Supreme Court, which is expected late this week or early next week.

Here’s why. Firstly, the ARU board clearly didn’t think RugbyWA would get past first base with last week’s special leave application in the NSW Supreme Court to appeal the arbitration ruling which triggered the ARU’s move to axe the Force from Super Rugby. So Justice Hammerschlag’s ruling that there was in fact legal merit for an appeal in the first place got the nerves going at St Leonards, especially when you consider the following consequences of an appeal ruling in RugbyWA’s favour:

The Force would be back in Super Rugby, where they belong. (With the heat probably going on the Sunwolves to achieve SANZAAR’s desired 15 team Super Rugby competition).

ARU Chairman Cameron Clyne would be under pressure to resign, having previously threatened to fall on his sword if the ARU was unable to cull one of the five Australian Super Rugby teams.

The ARU Board would have blown the most generous offer in Australian sporting history – Andrew Forrest’s pledge to provide circa $50 million in funding for the code nationally, primarily at grassroots level.

Now point 2 above is where the cracks are starting to show in the ARU board room. Your columnist understands that during the Adelaide meeting last week with WA trio Andrew Forrest, John Welborn and Geoff Stooke, Cameron Clyne not only snubbed Twiggy’s funding offer, but he also suggested he would not be the fall guy if the ARU couldn’t cull a team. Rather, it was suggested, the entire ARU board would resign if five couldn’t become four.

Soon after, in a talkback radio interview with John Welborn, Alan Jones appeared to pick up Clyne’s “I’m not going to be the fall guy for this mess” stance and run with it. Jones suggested some ARU directors were white-anting Clyne from within. Jones then threatened to expose those ARU directors on air if they didn’t stop their white-anting. He then singled out ARU director John Eales for a serve, suggesting the former Wallabies skipper had nothing to contribute at board level. Then, perhaps most remarkably, Jones finished his interview with this bouquet from left field: “Certainly Cameron Clyne is trying to talk to everybody and that’s to his credit.” Wow.

So it was with all those undercurrents and rips flowing that the ARU held its critical board meeting yesterday. In today’s Australian newspaper, rugby reporter Wayne Smith said he understood Twiggy’s funding offer was “fully debated” at the board meeting, adding that the ARU was anxious to work with Forrest. Well that can only happen if the ARU changes its mind and decides to keep the Force in Super Rugby, appeal decision or no appeal decision.

Apart from Twiggy’s funding offer, the other thing that has changed since the ARU board last met and decided to axe the Force was the revelation that Rob Clarke has now bobbed up working for the Rebels. As your columnist flagged last week, Clarke is on the Rebels committee interviewing for the vacant role of head coach. Clarke was, of course, the ARU’s recently-departed chief operating officer who recommended the ARU board axe the Force and spare the Rebels. Hmmm.

And if that wasn’t enough for the ARU board to mull over, there is also the lingering threat of a Federal Senate enquiry which will shine a spotlight on who knew what and when. Perhaps rapper Eminem was thinking about the ARU board when he sang, in the hit Lose Yourself: “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.”

The big question now is whether the ARU board will roll the dice and wait for Justice Hammerschlag’s decision, or show the leadership required to resolve it sooner by reversing their decision to axe the Force. You might call it the $50 million question. Or, as Eminem might say: “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”

Stay tuned…

 

[half]

Take this for what its worth.

TWAS at a meeting tonight where the convener of the meeting is as hard core rusted on as you can get rugby bloke.

He was prepared to fund or put together a group to fund an NRC side with annual revenue commitments of $ 500, 000.

So it goes without saying he has contacts.

Anywho the key speaker tonight was interesting and after the discussion we went as is our normal practice for a meal.

So discussions comes up about the axing of the Force and the ARU handling of same.

Seems the speaker tonight [I won't say from where] but the firm he works for is know for supporting rugby and so is the converner.

They suggested quite a few sponsors are a tad more than a little alarmed at whats going on.

I asked playing devils advocate well suppose a team had to go, which one.

Their answer amazed me for its clarity and common sense.

ACT to merge with Rebels, you don't leave your four biggest cities for a regional centre. Further by merging there is a chance you keep say half the fans happy.

I then asked why keep the Force again playing the devil advocates roles, they smiled and said do you know how many mining companies there are in WA and many employ SAers and the WA gov has invested a bomb on their recommendations. You don't fuck the mining industry unless you are a fool. Further no government will ever trust you again.

In summary they said it was a bad business decision to save a half a regional town for a 2 + million capital city. Further you have made some very powerful enemies even if they are not saying anything out loud. Governments around the country will start to doubt your word. Finally many sponsors are shaking their heads and asking do we need to be associated with this board.

Now this was from two very senior executives both hard core rusted on. No idea if it was big noting themselves, but I know the convener reasonably well and he is not pron to BS.

 

[Slim 293]

Now this was from two very senior executives both hard core rusted on. No idea if it was big noting themselves, but I know the convener reasonably well and he is not pron to BS.

And yet, here we are..........

 

[Moono75]

Money talks so if sponsors of the national game are somewhat disgruntled with how things are playing out, pulling their sponsorships would provide a very clear signal to the ARU that they are on the nose.

 

[kiap]

Money talks so if sponsors of the national game are somewhat disgruntled with how things are playing out, pulling their sponsorships would provide a very clear signal to the ARU that they are on the nose.

True, and it's not like this can't be a happening thing.

Have the BMW, Lion Nathan and Buildcorp sponsorships been replaced?

 

[The Honey Badger]

From the Nedlands article, why would Jones be calling out Eales for white -anting Clyne? Thought he would be encouraging any rebellion at the board. Just dosent add up. Its obvious that Clyne not only loaded the gun but he is the one pointing it and pulling the trigger.

 

[Strewthcobber]

From the Nedlands article, why would Jones be calling out Eales for white -anting Clyne? Thought he would be encouraging any rebellion at the board. Just dosent add up. Its obvious that Clyne not only loaded the gun but he is the one pointing it and pulling the trigger.

Jones doesn't exactly like John Eales going on at least 10 years

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...o-personality-alan-jones-20141021-119lfs.html

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[The Honey Badger]

Jones doesn't exactly like John Eales going on at least 10 years

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...o-personality-alan-jones-20141021-119lfs.html

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

Well Jones will be on the right side of history regarding Coates.

Sent from my F3115 using Tapatalk

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Andrew Forrest not fucking around this morning on channel 9 right now stating that they have proof the decision was made to cut the force on February and that the whole Financial line is a farce and calling on Clyne to resign.

 

[Killer]

Andrew Forrest not fucking around this morning on channel 9 right now stating that they have proof the decision was made to cut the force on February and that the whole Financial line is a farce and calling on Clyne to resign.

View attachment 9719

Clearly it seems, though no surprise, that the inside information is suggesting that Clyne is devious and untrustworthy.
That he is the one driving this issue and seems capable of doing anything, regardless of its affect on rugby, to save his own skin.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Burn it down

WAYNE SMITH
The Australian10:07AM August 30, 2017

Legal advice the Australian Rugby Union sought in February showed there was only one team that provided a “low risk” of being successfully terminated by the national body, the Western Force.

That, at least, was the thrust of documents released this morning by the Force billionaire backer Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest at an early morning press conference in Perth.

According to the documents, the ARU sought a legal assessment of ease with which it would be able to terminate one of the then three contenders, the Brumbies, the Melbourne Rebels and the Force.

They received identical advice regarding the Brumbies and the Force. “If a negotiated exit is not achieved, an attempt by the ARU to terminate the Brumbies/Rebels Participation Deed without cause would constitute an unlawful termination.”

But with the Force, the advice was markedly different.

“There is no legal obligation to retain the Western Force in the Super Rugby competition following the renegotiation of the broadcast contracts. If the broadcast contracts are renegotiated with effect from the end of the 2107 Super Rugby season, the Alliance Agreement will automatically terminate at the end of the 2017 season and the obligation on the ARU to maintain the Western Force as a Super Rugby team in Perth will lapse at that point.”

Seemingly everything that happened from the time the ARU received that legal advice corresponded to that document — which supports Forrest’s claim that the Western Force was always the team the ARU was pursuing. That brings into question whether the process was fair. It also casts doubt on the ARU’s repeated claim that the all their advice indicated that a team in Perth should be the one culled, despite the fact that the Western Force finished with as many wins as the Australian conference champions, the Brumbies, and had the third largest player base in the country after NSW and Queensland.

Forrest said he did not hold ARU chief executive Bill Pulver responsible for how the process had been conducted but he did not spare ARU chairman Cameron Clyne, calling for him to resign immediately.


In another broadside, Forrest warned the ARU to cease and desist from suggesting that he had entered the fray too late to save the Force. He claimed he had stayed above the process while he thought the process was fair and reasonable — in which case he did not expect the Force to be cut. It was only when he suspected that the process might be tilted dramatically at the Perth club that he intervened.

“Had I known that the injustice of the decision to cut the Western Force was made in February, then I would have stepped in then,” Forrest said.” I firmly believe the Rebels and the Western Force should both survive and then both should attract sponsorship to guarantee their future, as I have done for the Western Force.

“I ask the ARU to never say again I stepped in late, had I known what the Chairman knew I would have stepped in back in February. I do not blame Mr. Bill Pulver, who I respect as a frank and honest servant of the Board, but I do hold the Chairman accountable and call on him to resign.”

Attempts to elicit a response to Forrest’s statement from the ARU were unsuccessful.

 

[Micheal]

Burn it down

Fuck Clyne.

Any other word on the appeal?

 

[Killer]

It seems from TF comments that Clyne is devoid of integrity.
No surprise after watching his pressers, avoiding questions, long long answers, not letting Bill speak, imo giving miss leading comments about the WF financial situation.
All the senior appointments resigning, CEO, COO and CFO.
The board must surely know and are either implicated or have they been bullied by Clyne and maybe others?
Either way imo it's time for the board to excise the cancer and save rugby in Aus, whether that be just Clyne or all of them.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

The reputational damage the ARU has suffered in the last 12 months makes one think it would take a very long time to repair this damage to their reputation. This is regardless of what transpires from here.

A gradual turnover of the entire board would no doubt help this process but will still take a long time imo and also of course whether we put more credible alternatives in to replace them so we avoid a repeat of past events,.

 

[swingpass]

I dont see why anyone is at all surprised. The Force were always the only target, despite what might have been said publicly. The Rebels were plan B but only if the easy solution was not fothcoming. There was never any real assessment of the other options, which is why there was no transparency or a clearly articulted and publicly available set of criteria. Whether this is all Clynes or the Boards or Pulvers doing is a moot point. Surely now it is in the public domain the Chairman has to go, but im betting he wont go quietly.

 

[Killer]

nice!

“It is not too late. I am in business – global business. I know what too late looks like, I know what the 11th hour looks like, and I certainly know what bullies look like.

 

[Killer]

some perspective from the site that cannot be mentioned.
Thanks to SittingBison

sittingbison said | August 30th 2017 @ 11:45am | ! Report
Advice sought and received in FEBRUARY they cannot cut a team. However, if they enter a new broadcasting contract after 2017 they can cut ONLY the Force, due to vague terms in the Alliance Agreement. Everything uttered by ARU since has been lies (except Clarke assuring Rebels they are safe).
So, chicken and egg now revealed. All this prior to to SAANZAR meeting in Londinium, before the Day of Infamy. Before Clyne saying 48-72 hours, Brumbies meet ‘criteria’ it’s between the Rebels and Force.
So much for an Alliance Agreement where the best interest of the Force are held by the ARU, a contract where both parties are in communication with changing the agreement, where the Force can buy back the licensee and IP St any time.
The ‘new’ (actually renegotiated) broadcast deal was the mechanism to ditch the Force, not the Force being a casualty of the renegotiation. Shame on you Clyne, shame on you ARU board, Shame on you other unions and RUPA for hiding in the shadows like the cowards you are. Australian Rugby is dead.

 

[Mr Wobbly]

If the above is true, as many, many, many people have speculated, then the Force were ever the only viable target. So, the ARU knowingly and willingly put the Rebels (and to a tiny degree, Brumbies) players, staff, supporters, et al through all of that bullshit for the purposes of window dressing. Just to make it look like there was a process.

What a bunch of shit blokes.

 

[Derpus]

If the above is true, as many, many, many people have speculated, then the Force were ever the only viable target. So, the ARU knowingly and willingly put the Rebels (and to a tiny degree, Brumbies) players, staff, supporters, et al through all of that bullshit for the purposes of window dressing. Just to make it look like there was a process.

What a bunch of shit blokes.

Understatement of the year. They also ensured the process shook off as many fans as was possible. They literally could not have handled it worse.

 

[Killer]

Take this for what its worth.

TWAS at a meeting tonight where the convener of the meeting is as hard core rusted on as you can get rugby bloke.

He was prepared to fund or put together a group to fund an NRC side with annual revenue commitments of $ 500, 000.

So it goes without saying he has contacts.

Anywho the key speaker tonight was interesting and after the discussion we went as is our normal practice for a meal.

So discussions comes up about the axing of the Force and the ARU handling of same.

Seems the speaker tonight [I won't say from where] but the firm he works for is know for supporting rugby and so is the converner.

They suggested quite a few sponsors are a tad more than a little alarmed at whats going on.

I asked playing devils advocate well suppose a team had to go, which one.

Their answer amazed me for its clarity and common sense.

ACT to merge with Rebels, you don't leave your four biggest cities for a regional centre. Further by merging there is a chance you keep say half the fans happy.

I then asked why keep the Force again playing the devil advocates roles, they smiled and said do you know how many mining companies there are in WA and many employ SAers and the WA gov has invested a bomb on their recommendations. You don't fuck the mining industry unless you are a fool. Further no government will ever trust you again.

In summary they said it was a bad business decision to save a half a regional town for a 2 + million capital city. Further you have made some very powerful enemies even if they are not saying anything out loud. Governments around the country will start to doubt your word. Finally many sponsors are shaking their heads and asking do we need to be associated with this board.

Now this was from two very senior executives both hard core rusted on. No idea if it was big noting themselves, but I know the convener reasonably well and he is not pron to BS.

This sounds about right Half, I thought ex bank CEO's would have at least passable macro skills. If they usually do clearly Clyne is an exception, he can't see out past his nose.