dru
David Wilson (68)
Paywall. Presume this is Twiggy and the GRR China team?
Paywall. Presume this is Twiggy and the GRR China team?
According to this he's going to fund a 6th Kiwi team playing at Bay of Plenty in a JV with Bay of Plenty RU. Chinese dollars involved as well.
What a dick. How about funding the Force with overseas players (maybe BoP players) so they're competitive???
Oh, it would be so satisfying for a New Zealand franchise to be added to the Australian competition.
^ similar article on rugbypass.com suggests they're targeting SRAo initially:
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/repo...or-a-sixth-new-zealand-super-rugby-franchise/
FWIW I've heard that if (& at this point it's a very big if) NZR do go 8-team domestic they'll retain the Blues; establish a PI-heritage team also in Auckland; split the Chiefs & Hurricanes into West (Waikato + Taranaki), East (BOP + Hawke's Bay) & South (Wellington + Manawatu); set Tasman up as a stand-alone alongside Crusaders; & retain Highlanders as is.
What, exactly, is the relationship between the Chinese RFU and the CCP? It's a question I'm asking now, and would hope the NZ government to be asking if that proposal goes any further. Indeed, I might expect it of them if NZR's making a Pacific team a priority was driven by the government; something they hinted at a few years ago.
Legally the Chinese RFU would be under the oversight of the CCP and required to do anything asked of them.
In practical terms I doubt the CCP have much to do with the day to day operations of the organisation.
I've heard he's just published a new book, "Scrummaging with Chinese characteristics".Xi Jingping isn't scrum coach?
I imagine they'd get them from much the same place any other PI team would.
Yep, from wherever they can buy them, I all for that ,just meant can't use the Drua as they are. Any PI team would be bought in from not just PIs, but any coming off contract they can get I imagine. I not against them being in there, just meant we can't parachute NRC standard teams into Super, they won't really compete in long run. Even Force have got in a couple of players this year and need a lot more to be a super team.
You can't use any other PI bid as they are either and the Drua as a base is a hell of a lot closer to a super rugby side than a completely new entity. They would need 10-15 players to be competitive instead of a full squad of 35+. They also have an existing framework to build off of and some sort of team connection and culture to work with.
So if you can't see the Drua playing super rugby because the team as it stands is not super quality than you shouldn't be able to see any other PI team playing super rugby, because they don't even have 15 players to put on the park.
Oh for christ sake, that is exactly what I saying, Drua can't go into Super like they are, same as Force, they would need strengthening, so they need to do some shopping fairly quickly. The main reason I pointed out the Drua, I was under the impression they were a team based on semi pro players that are still in Islands and were formed to give players a pathway to pro rugby, I all for a Fijian team, just can't have a semi pro team from anywhere.
I don't see Fiji Drua playing Super, they are basically a team of Fijian residents playing to attract offers for a full professional contract to play in super or similar. As it is Force would need to buy at least 5-6 quality players to compete, and I not sure where Drua would get extras from, that is why most consider a PI team as alternative.
Ok , well you conveniently left out this post I put in just 2 posts back.
(Yep, from wherever they can buy them, I all for that ,just meant can't use the Drua as they are. Any PI team would be bought in from not just PIs, but any coming off contract they can get I imagine. I not against them being in there, just meant we can't parachute NRC standard teams into Super, they won't really compete in long run. Even Force have got in a couple of players this year and need a lot more to be a super team.)
But anyway I will leave it at that. All I ever meant Drua are a semi pro team and that won't cut it in super! I not advocating anyone!
^ similar article on rugbypass.com suggests they're targeting SRAo initially:
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/repo...or-a-sixth-new-zealand-super-rugby-franchise/
FWIW I've heard that if (& at this point it's a very big if) NZR do go 8-team domestic they'll retain the Blues; establish a PI-heritage team also in Auckland; split the Chiefs & Hurricanes into West (Waikato + Taranaki), East (BOP + Hawke's Bay) & South (Wellington + Manawatu); set Tasman up as a stand-alone alongside Crusaders; & retain Highlanders as is.