RWA & Aillia to spend $1m on MES for 2010 season.

[travelling_gerry]

Dave Hughes at the West is reporting in todays paper that RWA and Aillia will spend $1 in temporary facilities for the 2010 Super 14 Rugby season.

Capacity to be raised to 20,757.

Corporate marquees to be done.

More when it comes online.


Also says RWA waiting on answer from Dunning so they can decide on Hardy but they are reluctant to bugger Boof around cus hes such a good asset.

[Thequeerone]

rather have Boof

[jargan83]

I will assume that no construction of a possible upgrade to MES is going to start in the next 12 months then. Given construction timeframes I have seen state that any upgrade could take 18-24 months to complete I guess we won't be seeing anything until at least 2012?

[travelling_gerry]

Season 2013

[jargan83]

Is that in the newspaper as well?

[travelling_gerry]

Yup...

If the $75 m is approved in June...?? Relying on memory here...read it at 6am..

If someone can get a scan..not online yet.

[jargan83]

Fair enough, cheers Gerry

The big question will then have to be asked, what will capacity be at the ground while renovations are taking place?

or is that in the newspaper as well?

[Sheikh]

It's an additional 2000 seats in the southern stand and permission to increase the number allowed in the shed. That brings the immediate capacity to 20,757. The West doesn't say what the reduction in capacity would be during the upgrade (which is now quoted as $73m).

And from reading the paper (albeit with absolutely no quotes, so probably only the journalists interpretation) I'm not sure that the Force actually want Dunning to say yes. It says "...Force administrators admire [Boofs] contribution on and off the field and are loathe to cut him loose."

[Swee_82]

And from reading the paper (albeit with absolutely no quotes, so probably only the journalists interpretation) I'm not sure that the Force actually want Dunning to say yes. It says "...Force administrators admire [Boofs] contribution on and off the field and are loathe to cut him loose."

Doesn't the whole 'Dunning Rennaisance' revolve around his move to tighthead?
i.e. the spot Fairbrother's been signed to fill? Can't see him bothering to move without a starting spot lined up, and I sure don't want to see Pek shifted back to the bench is they decided to move Dunning back to loosehead.

Is a Dunning move seriously still on the cards?

[James]

Doesn't the whole 'Dunning Rennaisance' revolve around his move to tighthead?
i.e. the spot Fairbrother's been signed to fill? Can't see him bothering to move without a starting spot lined up, and I sure don't want to see Pek shifted back to the bench is they decided to move Dunning back to loosehead.

Is a Dunning move seriously still on the cards?

Dunning will be feeling the heat at the Tahs. At best I'd give him a bench spot at the Force. He is vaguely capable at tighthead and he is experienced but I don't think he'd be worth what we'd have to pay him. Keep the ones we have and promote one of the academy boys to apprentice.

[sandgroperrugby]

Problem is a lot of the time when our bench front row comes onto the field we get taken to the cleaners! We need the likes of Dunnings or my preference a young up and comer that can hold their own for a short period. Where’s Wally doesn’t cut it at tighthead against the top dogs! As we have found out we need to play rugby for the full 80 minutes + otherwise teams that have good front rowers as well as a proven bench will continue to take advantage of us in the closing minutes of games.

[Swee_82]

I'm not saying having a good player on the bench wouldn't be handy, just that the Dunning seems pretty convinced of his own worth (see endless whinges played out in the nations media) and I can't see him staying at S14 to play off the bench- I'd sooner imagine him chucking a sad and heading for Europe.

[James]

Problem is a lot of the time when our bench front row comes onto the field we get taken to the cleaners! We need the likes of Dunnings or my preference a young up and comer that can hold their own for a short period. Where’s Wally doesn’t cut it at tighthead against the top dogs! As we have found out we need to play rugby for the full 80 minutes + otherwise teams that have good front rowers as well as a proven bench will continue to take advantage of us in the closing minutes of games.

Yeah I don't think AJ being a tighthead is really working either but I do think that scrummaging is very psychological. If you are a replacement front rower coming into a backpedalling pack your opponent has a huge lift on you. I think as the Force's pack starts to dominate a few sides more often you'll see better performances from the bench props/hookers.

[Cookie]

I think the money he would want could be better spent elsewhere,.I hope that Boof does stay,he has been loyal to the club and now the club should remain loyal to him unless he wants to move on.

I think K-Bomb should be given more of a go at tighthead from the bench as AJ is obviously struggling.Whittaker has shown that given the chance the young boys can step up.

[Stone Cold]

I think with fairbro and pek in the starting line-up we're looking pretty sweet without fatt dunning messing it up...our back-ups (aj, special k, boof, takiari) are all more than capable. They all just need a bit more self-belief