4
EXCLUSIVE Jamie Pandaram, The Daily Telegraph
August 8, 2017 3:00pm
Subscriber only
TATAFU Polota-Nau and Dane Haylett-Petty have made passionate last-ditch pleas for the ARU not to cut the Western Force from Super Rugby, with the hooker even suggesting he’ll head overseas if the side is axed.
Polota-Nau has become Australia’s No.1 hooker and with Stephen Moore retiring from internationals at the end of the season, the Wallabies can ill-afford to lose him in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup.
But Polota-Nau has developed strong affinity with the West Australian rugby community and with a decision on the arbitration between the ARU and WA Rugby to be announced as early as Wednesday, he could not make any guarantees he’d remain in Australia if the Force are cut.
“I’ll have to weigh up the options,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“It’s a tough one because of where I am head-wise. I see it in terms of equity; if I do well in Western Australia I do well for Australia — in terms of growing the game, and hopefully the playing will follow that.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll have to go back to the drawing board because I’ve put all my eggs in one basket.”
Despite the lure of the World Cup, his decision will be based around the Force’s future.
“I’ve got to wait, because I’m really passionate about staying in Western Australia,” he said.
“The reason why I moved was to get a change of scenery and camaraderie with different guys.
“I loved my time at the Waratahs too, but for some reason the sunset has definitely attracted me, I could see myself living there indefinitely.
“At the same time I feel like I’ve got unfinished business there in growing the game, around the communities there, as much as I wanted to do in Parramatta. It’s only when I went there that I realised how big it is.
“There’s so much love for the sport. It would be pretty sad [if the Force get cut] because they’d just have to run internal competitions, but you lose a big landscape for the development of the game. Growing the game is just as important as playing the game.”
Haylett-Petty said it would be “crazy” to axe the team that finished second in the Australian Super Rugby conference.
“We’ve got some great talent, there were a couple of games we should have won this year and we could’ve been playing finals,” the Wallabies winger said.
“We’re going to be so much better for it next year, we’ve got the biggest sponsor in Australian rugby and now obviously Twiggy [Andrew Forrest] offering to put in money with the Own The Force campaign.
“A lot of people have put in money, there were some people who were hesitant but the offer that Twiggy has made, the interest-free loans and you don’t pay him back you pay the Force back, so instead of $1000 per share, $2000 is going to grassroots.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...f718eafc00d914
Champion!