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https://www.supersport.com/rugby/sup...1f536e59e93004
Sanzaar Chairman, Brent Impey said: “The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated Sanzaar Executive Committee that met in London recently. It was not the determination of any one union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months.
“Sanzaar is delighted that its major broadcast partners have after due consideration agreed to the restructured format within the existing broadcast agreements. Our broadcaster partners are an important stakeholder and their vision for Super Rugby moving forward is the same as ours.
There you go.
Very useful bit of investigative journalism folks. Keep this coming. A lot of these statements get lost in the archives of time but they paint a picture when they are uncovered and posted. TWF is masssively trolled by the Dark Side . Nothing revealed from the Arbitrator just yet so we need to keep hammering.
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
Exile
Port Macquarie
"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!" - Rocky Balboa
http://www.espn.com.au/rugby/story/_...ugby-franchise
Australia has again been revealed as the weak link in the SANZAAR relationship by bowing to pressure from several areas, including New Zealand, and agreeing to hand back one of its Super Rugby licences while getting nothing in return.
The Australian playing ranks were deeply angered when it was revealed the Super Rugby tournament would be cut back to a 15-team tournament next year and an Australian province -- almost certainly the Western Force -- would be axed.
The players will be furious to discover also that the Australian broadcaster -- Fox Sports -- told the ARU in recent days that its preferred position was the retention of the five Australian teams, including the Force, especially as Perth matches rated well on the pay-TV.
ESPN has been told by several high-ranking sources that Fox Sports executives were eager for a Super 15 format that excluded the three latest additions to the tournament -- the Jaguares, Sunwolves and Southern Kings. Fox Sports' preference is understood to be a competition involving five teams each from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. However, Fox Sports was told by ARU officials that "pressure had been applied" to get rid of one of their Australian teams. So Fox Sports relented, opting 'to fall into line'.
Please tell us lavan team had this up their sleeve! Can we filter it into a wayne smith article or similar?
A SANZAAR process that has already stretched on for nine months is not expected to resolved swiftly, with both Australia and South Africa yet to officially make a call on which teams they will exclude from next year's competition.
The ARU is set to hold a press conference on Monday morning, after a board meeting on Sunday afternoon, but there will be no announcement on which team will be cut from the Australian conference.
SANZAAR CEO Andy Marinos said Super Rugby's governing body would not be rushing either country into making a hasty decision.
"No we haven't been prescriptive on a deadline," he told reporters on Sunday night.
"We understand that it's a pretty significant decision in each of those markets.
"I know that the national unions are working furiously at this point in time in dealing with all of their stakeholders.
"We are hopeful that we will have finality on the composition of the South Africa and Australia pretty quickly.
"I don't think it's going to be a quick decision by any stretch of the imagination." - Andy Marinos
While the broadcast deal runs until 2020, Marinos said they felt they could no longer continue with a format that 'simply wasn't working'.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/04...y-announcement
From the ARUs own website.
"Pressure had been applied"? By whom? The 40 or so rugby "luminaries" lead by Papworth? You know, the ones that are unable to see beyond their own vested interests?
How embarrassing for the poor old puppets at the ARU board table. And there were we thinking they were all fine, upstanding captains of industry. Captains of their own lunchboxes maybe. Hang your heads in shame ARUhq.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
SANZAAR Chairman, Brent Impey stated, “The decision to revert to a 15-team format reflects a consensus view of the mandated SANZAAR Executive Committee that met in London recently. It was not the determination of any one Union or stakeholder and follows a thorough assessment and review of the tournament over the last nine months.
“SANZAAR is delighted that its major broadcast partners have after due consideration agreed to the restructured format within the existing broadcast agreements. Our broadcast partners are an important stakeholder and their vision for Super Rugby moving forward is the same as ours,” Impey said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...7e50ddefc30579
Wayne Smith already covered it TC.