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Nick Taylor
The West Australian
Thursday, 18 June 2020 4:29PM
Local product Kyle Godwin, back home at Western Force, says the club has a point to prove in the new Australian Super Rugby competition.
And as speculation grows about possible Force involvement in future Super Rugby or trans-Tasman competitions the utility back said: “If things did align it would be a great move.
“The talk that is going round of shaping and evolving Super Rugby... I’m sure the Western Force would be interested in being a part of that moving forward.
“Who knows what the future holds? Maybe we could see the Force back in Super Rugby next year.”
The Force have been bankrolled in World Series Rugby and Global Rapid Rugby by mining magnate Andrew Forrest since being controversially dumped by Rugby Australia three years ago.
Godwin made 52 appearances for the Force before moving to the Brumbies and then Irish club Connacht and played one Wallaby Test in 2016 before his international career was hit by injury.
His Connacht contract ended this month and he was looking for a return to Australia. He is signed for the coming season but is then expected to head to the Waratahs.
“My agent was approached by the Western Force. I was dead keen to jump on board and before I knew it I was on a plane to Perth,” Godwin said.
“It’s great to be back and representing the Force again. It’s been a bit of a journey. I’m sure the boys will have a point to prove and hopefully we can take a few scalps.”
Godwin was at the Brumbies when RA’s axe fell on the Force.
“It was very upsetting. Some of the guys were such close mates and I knew how much the Force meant to WA,” he said.
“Since then there have been some great people who have put Global Rapid Rugby together. It’s been great to see that they have created a pathway to professional rugby in WA.
“I was given my dream of playing professional rugby by the Force and it’s awesome that people can still aspire to those dreams.”
His northern hemisphere knowledge of wet weather rugby will be a bonus for the Force.
“We’ll be playing in the winter months and might get some wet weather,” he said.
“Learning how to adapt to the weather was a big thing for me at Connacht and hopefully I can bring some of that experience to the Force.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...ng-b881582581z
I’m bemused as to why the Force would have approached him just to play a handful of games in a cobbled together comp that has absolutely nothing riding on it and serves only to prop up RA’s precarious financial situation. Why not just go in with our current squad? Something doesn’t add up. Especially if he’s heading to the Tahs anyway. Why would the Force waste the money?
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
I wonder if Godwin is misquoted or misunderstood in that story.
The thought crossed my mind today, that the it is shaping to be very likely that the Force will be playing in some kind of Super comp in 2021. I dont believe the Covid19 international travel restrictions will be gone other than Nz/Aus next year. But at the same time, I dont think Twiggy will abandon GRR and I dont want him to. So maybe the Force could grow to a 60+ player squad in 2022 and we could play in both. After all that looks like what the Crusaders were plannning to do. They were going to play Super and also in GRR (as Taiwan).
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
I don't think grr has a squad limit, so you could limit the Sr squad have a grr squad that can't play Sr but use some of the Sr players in grr games, it would be a good avenue for fringe players in the Sr squad to get some rugby, which they really don't in a conventional structure. You wouldn't need 60 players to do that, there are guys that would cross over. I'm not sure whether ra/rupa have a contracted maximum number of games a player can play in a year though
C'mon the![]()
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Well with Twiggy's vision and money, we could turn WA into the heartland of professional rugby in Australia and even the southern hemisphere.
And then the Emerging Force would be double the size it is now, pumping out more and more quality WA developed players. The standard and numbers of of our amateur clubs, schools and juniors will also be pulled upwards in the slipstream.
I think it is important that about 60% of the Force players are eventually from WA or regard WA as their new permanent home.
And us Sea of Blue fan numbers will grow and grow as well.
I put the word vision first, because Twiggy does think big and outside the box, but also has the money to make things happen. He is a smart business man, so will find sponsors and use of the media to make it all self-funding in the end. He also seems to have the knack of employing the right CEOs to drive and manage his various business interests. Mark Evans the CEO of GRR and the Force has made has made a promising start in the short period he has been onboard
Last edited by JSJ; 19-06-20 at 07:14.
Mark Evans is far and away the best rugby administrator we have ever had.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
I think you will find that most super rugby franshises in NZ are privately owned. Not too sure about the blues though. I would say they are looking seriously at GRR. Given that BOP union are behind the current mainland China team I can see the benefits of backing other Asian teams. Firstly for player development and potentially the development of a new and larger fan base.
Did not know where to put this.
Stadiums will be allowed 50% capacity in stage 4. That's good news if the Eastern state teams can get permission to come play hear without having to isolate for two weeks.