Wednesday’s Rugby News has the reasons why the ARU knocked back $50m, a big up for the Perth Spirit, Wallabies released for the NRC, and tits up for the Sydney NRC teams.
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Pulver reveals all
Bill Pulver, while at the launch of the NRC, has revealed why the ARU rejected Twiggy Forrest’s offer of $50m (sort of).
It was actually John Eales and Cameron Clyne who went – Bill wasn’t there – but he gave the best answer he could.
“We are delighted to see Australians like Andrew Forrest get involved in the game and potentially support the game. I wish he had been involved in the process a little earlier, that would have been helpful,” Pulver said, so Fox Sports says.
“I wasn’t in that particular meeting and I understand a range of 10-50 million dollars was tabled in relation to investment in the Australian Rugby Foundation [the fundraising arm of the ARU]. Right now, we need support for Super Rugby, so that’s our priority.”
But no Billy, tell us why!
“We are way down the track. It is sitting here about five months from kick-off in the Super Rugby competition, and we are well down the track in terms of having made commitments to SANZAAR to go to four teams. And having had an EGM where our members voted to go to four teams,” Pulver said.
“It is a little late in the process to be making that sort of change.”
If the Force win their court case, the ARU are buggered, and when asked about such an eventuality Pulver responded that the ARU will deal with it when it comes to it.
Pulver also voiced his commiserations for the Force.
“Unfortunately it is the right thing for Australian rugby to go to four teams,” he said. “If you looked at the Super Rugby season we just finished we were 0-27 against New Zealand teams. From a player depth perspective we are not adequate and from a financial perspective we don’t have the resources to get there.
“So it is the right decision unfortunately and I feel very sorry for those Western Force.”
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Bill In A State Of Excitment
Bill Pulver will venture over to Perth to watch the Springboks match. What a brave man.
“I will be over there (in Perth) to watch our game against South Africa and I dare say a couple of Western Force fans will sidle up beside me, so I can look forward to that,” said Pulver to Fox Sports, which is a weird thing to say. Only champagne-sipping, corporate box types sidle up.
Meanwhile, Perth Spirit captain Michael Ruru doesn’t want Perth to lose its NRC side.
“It’s still a bit up in the air,” Ruru said according to the Brisbane Times. “We’ll just have to roll with it and see what happens.
“It’d be detrimental to the game if it wasn’t there. You’ve got these young kids coming up, aspiring to be footy players and playing club rugby with aspirations to play NRC … so if there’s no NRC squad there’s no real point to play rugby in WA, other than socially, because there’s no aspiration to go higher.”
NSW Country Eagles capitano Paddy Ryan feels the same thing.
“If they weren’t to have a Super Rugby team and the decision were to be upheld, I think they should certainly have something for the NRC,” Ryan said.
“They won it last year, they’ve always been strong. If you asked a few of them they would say their Super Rugby success for the Force came off the back of how close the Perth Spirit team was.”
Pulver also agrees with this assessment, saying “We really want to make sure that there is the appropriate player-development pathway in every corner of the country, including WA,” Pulver said.
“My own personal view is a Perth NRC team is a very important part of that pathway.”
So there you go. The Perth Spirit ain’t getting cut.
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Wallabies 4 NRC
12 Wallabies have been released to play in the first round of the NRC, with them having a week off this weekend and that.
Everyone’s favourite, Samu Kerevi, is one of the names released, and he should join Kane Douglas and Adam Korcyzk is rocking up for Brisbane City.
Izack Rodda and Izaia Perese, their fellow Reds, will be available for Queensland Country.
The Perth Spirit will be able to welcome back Tetera Faulkner, Curtis Rona and Billy Meakes, while Melbourne Rising will have access to Jordan Uelese, Marika Koroibete and Lopeti Timani.
Meanwhile, the wonder child Joe Powell will be able to turn out for the Canberra Vikings.
Yep that’s right. No Wallabies have been released to play for NSW sides. Although they should be. Wouldn’t it be grouse if for one round all the Wallabies trotted out for an NRC game?
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NRC Teams All At Sea
There’s 3 NSW teams in this year’s NRC, and it’s actually really hard to find which teams and unions are aligned to which NRC team.
So there’s the Greater Sydney Rams, who are aligned with Eastwood, West Harbour, Easts, Sydney Uni, Warringah and Manly. They are also aligned with Parramatta and Penrith, but declined to a) include any players from there in the squad and b) include their logos in the team announcement. So great to see rugby in Western Sydney be given by a leg up by the Rams – now owned by Eastwood, presided over ARU-critic Brett Papworth.
The coach of Warringah, Darren Coleman, is coach of NSW Country Eagles (a union between NSW Country, Randwick, and, according to their website, Easts as well). Because the Rats coach is coach of the Eagles -reigning losing finalists, remember – the Eagles have a fair whack of Rats players.
Then there’s the Sydney Rays, who used to be the North Harbour Rays, who, according to their website, are partnered up with the four North Sydney teams – Norths, Gordon, Manly and Warringah. Very confusing. More to the point, the Rays have one Parra player (David Lolohea) and a Penrith player (in the extended squad) signed up.
“I think people have come to the realisation that if NSW teams are going to be competitive we have to have the best players on the fields, wherever that is,” Rams coach John Manenti said to the Daily Telegraph.
“At the end of the day it’s pro footy and guys want to go where they can get opportunities. We had guys that thought they might get more footy at one of the other franchises. And we have some from other franchises who probably felt the same thing. Collectively in our three clubs, we have our best players playing.”
This is a really shit news story. Sorry about that.
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