ARU coy on Forrest’s recipe for rebel comp

AUSTRALIAN Rugby Union chairman Cameron Clyne has declined to express an opinion on billionaire Andrew Forrest’s touted plan for a rebel competition.

But a “frustrated” Clyne questioned why RugbyWA didn’t ask Forrest for help earlier, saying that there may have been a “far different outcome” to the Western Force being axed.

Clyne didn’t want to discuss Forrest’s rebel competition or what if might mean for Force players’ contracts, which have been guaranteed by the ARU, if they stuck solid instead of transferring to other Australian Super Rugby clubs.

“I don’t have any view as to what happens if there is some sort of (rebel) competition,” Clyne said.

He looked forward to a Super Rugby comp reduced from 18 teams to 15 next season, with four Australian teams instead of five, positioning the country to improve its dismal on-field results in a competition format that would be more appealing.

Last month Forrest came forward with a reported offer of $50 million to save the Force after the ARU announced it had chosen to cull them and not the Melbourne Rebels.

“I just don’t understand why RugbyWA didn’t contact Andrew Forrest in April,” Clyne said.

“One of the frustrating things here is there’s been a lot of opportunities for RugbyWA.

“Obviously we stepped in there and bailed them out 18 months, two years ago because no one else came forward.”

Clyne said the ARU asked RugbyWA for its best and final offer on August 2 before deciding whether to cut the Force or Rebels and RugbyWA didn’t come back with anything substantive.

“At that point in time, it was an inferior package to what Victoria put through and we had to make a decision,” he said.

Clyne said the ARU had been vindicated twice by the courts.