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If I was Twiggy I wouldn’t touch with SANZAAR a 50 ft barge pole. Any involvement of other bodies should have a load of conditions slapped on them.
- Uncle Cam and Andy Marinos both gone
- SANZAAR dissolved and proper commercial structures put in place
- Longstaff review to be recommenced and made public
- The Rebels participation to subject to extra conditions so we don’t have the RA writing off another $30 million that was owed by them
- The Rebels books from 2015 onwards need to be fully audited and made public so we know why all that extra funding from the RA was thrown their way while Community Rugby grants were reduced and the NRC budget was minimal
- A proper marketing budget to be spent on marketing not junkets and rebranding. This will avoid another situation like what is occurring at the Brumbies where they have said they can’t afford to promote their games
A little over 18k at a ground with a capacity of a little over 18k. Another 100k+ tuned in at home. And by that reasoning the 15k who turn out for the Sunwolves games must be really dire as Tokyo is a city of 38m in a region of 43m.
Edit: I should note that on wiki it says 23k for Brookvale but it's current operating capacity is only around 18k.
Last edited by WCRugger; 21-03-19 at 12:06.
Western Force throw Japanese Sunwolves a bone in new competition
Nick TaylorThe West Australian
Thursday, 21 March 2019 10:33AM
Global Rapid Rugby will throw out the welcome mat for Japanese club the Sunwolves, who are about to be culled from Super Rugby.
GRR is keen to have a strong Japan-based presence, with up to two sides in the competition when it expands to at least eight teams in its first full season next year.
Organisers were hoping to have a Japanese presence in this year’s series that kicks off tomorrow night when the Western Force host an invitational World XV at HBF Park.
Talks stalled, but with the axe now hanging over the Sunwolves, GRR is in an ideal position to recruit a ready-made team with a strong fan base.
GRR will not comment until SANZAAR’s move is confirmed.
Former Force captain Matt Hodgson, now GRR head of rugby, and several members of the current team were in the Force side when it was axed two years ago.
The Sunwolves have won only seven of their 43 matches since joining the competition in 2016 and reports say they objected to a request from SANZAAR to pay a Super Rugby participation fee, which is not asked of any of the other franchises.
Rugby Australia and the New Zealand Rugby Union have supported the Sunwolves as the South Africa Rugby Union orchestrated their demise.
The SANZAAR decision, set to be revealed tomorrow, comes with Japan Rugby also undecided about the future format of its Top League competition.
Former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans, who is in charge of the World XV, has been at the centre of the push for Japanese involvement in the GRR tournament.
“There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of ground moving behind the scenes, a lot of politics. Those things will unfold,” Deans told The West Australian.
World XV owner Steve Berrick is planning to base a side in Japan. “We would look to put a team of stars from around the world in the competition and we certainly want to look at having our home games in Japan,” Berrick said.
Force coach Tim Sampson has named two debutants, former Queensland Reds hooker Andrew Ready and local product Nick Jooste, among the reserves for tomorrow night’s clash.
Meanwhile, a GRR spokesman has rubbished claims that secret SANZAAR plans will see GRR become part of an Asian Super Rugby style competition, partly-owned by mining magnate Andrew Forrest.
A report says the concept has been part of RA chief executive Raelene Castle's briefings to Super Rugby clubs.
"The story is a figment of someone’s imagination," the GRR spokesman said.
"Global Rapid Rugby is not part of a secret Asian Super Rugby plan. The story is incorrect."
GRR is bankrolled by Forrest who set up the organisation after being angered by RA's axing of the Force.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...ng-b881141859z
and by doing so, become the Andrew Forrest of the Sunwolves, giving certainty and direction where the sport's governing body have given none.
He could start with the existing Sunwolves player list, adding some established superstar names and do pretty bloody OK, whilst taking advantage of a similarly passionate and rusted on fanbase as the Force.
C'mon the![]()
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So it looks like Georgina Robinson is a dirty disgusting liar. Why doesn't she go back into her shell and just do us all a favour and fuck off... we can't be bothered with fake news here in the West, maybe she can get a job with CNN and report on something else because time and time again she has proved reporting on rugby is not her thing. Another idiot journalist out of touch with the West. I'm glad ththe GRR spokesman put her into her place.
As Nick McArdle so eloquently stated on Fox .... You can’t polish a Turd ....
Should we be learning how to cheer in 'Sunwolves'?
https://youtu.be/RMqwYjRTAlA
Talk about how to miss the main story!
Whatever people might think of Robinson, it is very unlikely she just sat down and fabricated a story out of nothing. The point from her story is that what she described is the RA/SANZAR ambition for GRR - they want it to be a second division feeder competition for SR to underpin their economics. Castle is apparently going around and briefing the teams, saying exactly that. So if they don't know it already, the main point GRR and their supporters should be taking away is that any and all involvement by and with SANZAR will have that end goal in mind. There is no philanthropy and there are no 'good rugby men' among them...trust them at all, fail to cover even the most outrageous contingencies, and you will end up as their bitch. Again.