Possible Dubai Pre-season tourny for Western Force in 2009

[KenyaQuin]

Super toe in the water for Dubai
Wayne Smith | March 11, 2008

Super toe in the water for Dubai | The Australian

DUBAI is set to host a pre-Super 14 tournament involving the Western Force next January, a toe-in-the-water exercise that could lead to a future Super rugby team being based there post-2010.

The Force along with the Sharks and Cheetahs of South Africa and the Auckland Blues, are set to be invited to the January tournament, an initiative of Springbok Legends, a South African charitable organisation.

Former Scotland and South African Test hooker John Allan, the chief executive of Springbok Legends, told The Australian that Dubai was perfectly placed to become the hub of world rugby.

"I'd be looking at it as a stepping stone to Europe," said Allan, who met with former Force CEO Peter O'Meara in Dubai late last year to formulate plans for the pre-season tournament.

"It's early days yet to be talking about basing a Super rugby team there. At the moment it's only an idea. But by staging this tournament next season, we have two years to assess Dubai as possible base before the new broadcast deal for Super rugby is negotiated."

According to Allan, who stressed his organisation was merely a conduit, a Dubai Super rugby team would primarily cater for Pacific island players, the best of whom currently are playing with European clubs.

Any number of cities have been mentioned as possible sites for new Super teams but Dubai is increasingly creeping into the equation, with the highly successful Dubai Sevens highlighting the potential of an oil-rich city in which 70 percent of the population comprises rugby-mad expats from South Africa, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Australian Rugby Union supremo John O'Neill has already speculated about the possibility of staging a Mandela Plate Test there against the Springboks.

The South Africans might even pre-empt that initiative by staging a Test against Ireland in Dubai in November on their way to their European tour. Given that the world champions will also play Tests against England, Scotland and Wales, the Boks could be given the chance to shoot for a Grand Slam.

"It's a work in progress and nothing more at the moment," SARU managing director Jonathan Stones said.

* The Wallabies' year-ending clash with the Barbarians at Wembley Stadium on December 6 has just been spiced up by the announcement that the Springboks' World Cup-winning coach Jake White will coach the Baa-Baas

[BLR]

Jesus Christ, what is it with O'Neill and wanting to whore out all our events to other countries!

[beige]

Jesus Christ, what is it with O'Neill and wanting to whore out all our events to other countries!

Well there was already speculation that the Boks were looking to take one of their Mandela games to Dubai, so maybe he doesn't mean one of ours...

[MI5_Dog]

Jesus Christ, what is it with O'Neill and wanting to whore out all our events to other countries!

That's what he's being paid for!
The ARU is a business and like all businesses what is important is the bottom line.
It doesn't matter if your business is selling coffee, making cars, getting minerals out of the ground or having 30 blokes throw an inflated pig's bladder at each other it's all about the money.

[BLR]

That's what he's being paid for!
The ARU is a business and like all businesses what is important is the bottom line.
It doesn't matter if your business is selling coffee, making cars, getting minerals out of the ground or having 30 blokes throw an inflated pig's bladder at each other it's all about the money.

Yet these funds can't be used to create a second tier domestic competition?

If all our games are going to be played overseas then what is the point of having sporting teams at all, we may as well call the teams by thier mascot names and move them to all points of the globe, shifting them where the best money is....

One marquee game a year is fine but don't make every second game not in the home nations, because you just know if they continue on this line Perth will be the first place to get a good match replaced with a second string match eg. Australia v Fiji B.

[beige]

Yet these funds can't be used to create a second tier domestic competition?

Well the funds aren't there yet but you'd hope they would...

One marquee game a year is fine but don't make every second game not in the home nations

Fair enough

[MI5_Dog]

Yet these funds can't be used to create a second tier domestic competition?

The ARU doesn't have the money at the moment but if some of these plans pay out then maybe in the future the money will be there for the ARC to be resurrected

If all our games are going to be played overseas then what is the point of having sporting teams at all, we may as well call the teams by thier mascot names and move them to all points of the globe, shifting them where the best money is....

All our games aren't being played overseas. Australian fans want to see Australians playing and want to be able to go to see the games so they have to be in Australia and this is what attracts sponsors

One marquee game a year is fine but don't make every second game not in the home nations, because you just know if they continue on this line Perth will be the first place to get a good match replaced with a second string match eg. Australia v Fiji B.

try Australia A v Fiji and this is happening already. But I think that's more due to the ARU being eastern state centric and the eastern states idea that Perth is an isolated backwater consisting of 2 blokes with an esky sitting on a sand dune.

[BLR]

I really doubt the Sydney clubs which were so opposed to the ARC, who basically got O'Neill his job will be going out of thier way to re-start it...they like living in thier little world of the Sydney clubs being the big boys....

It's a slippery slope, if these overseas games are successful who knows how many more games will be put over there...one test match in Sydney and the rest in Asia perhaps? It'd certainly fuel thier appetite for expensive wine and the such...

[AndyS]

I don't have much problem with the idea of a pre-season tournament for the Force - it would probably be very good preparation and I'd hope it would be a nice little earner, but I'll miss not having a home trial. It is the only chance we get for a game at a rectangular ground, but frankly it just doesn't get the turnout it deserves. It would be hard to complain if it goes away when the supporters just ignore it and someone else shows interest.

A Dubai based S14 team is an interesting thought, in that it would offer a wealthy base to support a composite Islander, Argentinian and European side. But as with the idea of a team in Japan, travel will be a killer...21 hours on a plane from NZ would hurt a lot. Moreover, from our point of view, what might our key sponsor decide to do?

But you have to wonder - does JO'N see Super rugby becoming the international club competition? If so, I'd be worried about where it would take us. Franchises would inevitably become a measure of financial clout, and with the attendances and facilities available in Australia (and even more so, New Zealand), what makes him so confident there would be ANY teams actually based in this neck of the woods? I would have thought it much more likely that it would be composite teams based in, say, Singapore and the like.

As for a Mandela cup game, I assume it would be an EOY thing like the extra Bledisloe rather than one of the 3N games. If not, in June, I hope they've got a fully air conditioned stadium.

[The Man]

All good this!

[TOCC]

The whole idea of taking the games to other countries is to increase revenue, at the end of the day the ARU cant have many more $8million losses like they suffered this year.

I do support the idea of taking games to other contries, only under certain precautions;
-That the game is a extra match and not a regular tri-nations match etc.
-The money is reinvested back in the retention of players and player development
-That australian fans are not in any way disadvantaged by the match being overseas(like equal chance to get tickets, reasonable prices etc).

At the end of the day, the ARU, NZRU need new revenue sources to keep players like Matt Giteau, Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Stirling Mortlock in Australia, because once these players start to leave the competition will be devalued, broadcasting rights will be sold for less and there will be even less chance of keeping the players.

I do agree its a rock road to head down, I dont want to see it at a point where 80% of wallabies matches are played overseas, then again i do value the chance to see my favourite wallabies actually turn out in the gold jersey as well as watching my favourite S14 players playing in the best competition each week.

try Australia A v Fiji and this is happening already. But I think that's more due to the ARU being eastern state centric and the eastern states idea that Perth is an isolated backwater consisting of 2 blokes with an esky sitting on a sand dune.

RWC years are always going to be slime picking for international tests due to shortened tournaments and teams less willing to travel to the other side of the globe before the RWC. Ive pointed out before, that last year the only game Brisbane got Aus vs. Wales, and that was there 'B' team. So Perth wasnt the only city left short last year.

[Blackswan]

Super toe in the water for Dubai
Wayne Smith | March 11, 2008

Super toe in the water for Dubai | The Australian
Any number of cities have been mentioned as possible sites for new Super teams but Dubai is increasingly creeping into the equation, with the highly successful Dubai Sevens highlighting the potential of an oil-rich city in which 70 percent of the population comprises rugby-mad expats from South Africa, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

A more accurate assessment would be "80 percent of the population comprises expats from India and the Phillipines that now little of rugby". Perhaps what he meant to write was " 70% of the western expat community ........" which could possibly be closer to the truth but would likely still be an exaggeration.

I lived in the capital city (Abu Dhabi) for 3 years until a couple of years back and watched some pre-S12 warm up games between RSA teams in Dubai. Well supported by the western expat community as of course are the DXB 7's which are the best couple of days I spent each year when living there. Even when sober, because I had to drive back to Abdab.

A pre-season tournament in DXB would be great - especially in January when the weather is dry but not too hot - provided it doesn't coincide with ramadan

AS for a S1? team being based there, that sounds like its a long way from fruition but maybe could be a base for an Argentian team ????

[shasta]

AS for a S1? team being based there, that sounds like its a long way from fruition but maybe could be a base for an Argentian team ????

Might be good.Except if you're an Argentinian Rugby fan who lives at home.

I know, I know. It's better than what they currently get, if nothing else.

[GIGS20]

Might be good.Except if you're an Argentinian Rugby fan who lives at home.

I know, I know. It's better than what they currently get, if nothing else.

Is it any further away than Bristol?

[pieter blackie]

DUBAI is set to host a pre-Super 14 tournament involving the Western Force next January, a toe-in-the-water exercise that could lead to a future Super rugby team being based there post-2010.

I will fully support a tournament like this. It will be good for the sponsors, Emirates in particular and will be giving game time to the guys before the S14 season starts.

Let's face it Dubai will be in our faces more and more. They are looking for money because there oil is almost gone and they are turning into one of the most popular destinations in the world.