Force decision slammed as a ‘catastrophe’
achieving their record test win streak.
‘‘Why should we congratulate them when they have no respect for us,’’ asked Cheika, before unleashing a rant that included being blamed for the mystery bug at the All Blacks hotel.
With Cheika sure to resume his media byplay it all could get rather interesting.
Maybe even worth laying out for a ticket. There are plenty available. FORMER Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer has slammed the Australian Rugby Union, saying its decision to cut the Western Force is a ‘‘catastrophe’’ and the biggest fiasco he has seen in the game.
The under-threat club continues to explore its legal options in the hope of survival.
Force chief executive Mark Sinderberry and his team spent yesterday with lawyers and the club is expected to make an announcement this evening that they will appeal the ARU’s decision in the Supreme Court.
RugbyWA is not completely sure how long it would take for the matter to come before the court, but Sinderberry guessed it would be in a ‘‘relatively short period of time’’.
After one of the most stunning days in Australian rugby, there is still a real bitterness towards the ARU and its decision to axe the Force, which will all but kill rugby in the west.
‘‘It’s a catastrophe and whatever way you look at it, it’s nothing short of a disaster for Australian rugby,’’ Dwyer told Fairfax Media.
‘‘In terms of player development, no team has done better than the Western Force. It’s a massive blow.
‘‘I’ve never seen a bigger fiasco in all my time in the game. This one takes the cake by a country mile in terms of its concept and its execution.
‘‘How do they argue it was a good idea then [to add a team], but now it’s a bad one?’’
Rugby Union Players’ Association chief executive Ross Xenos labelled the Force’s ordeal as ‘‘death by a thousand knives’’ and questioned what will happen from here.
‘‘What that timing looks like is just as uncertain as the entire saga,’’ Xenos said. ‘‘We know the appeal is coming, so do people move on or do people wait to see whether the appeal is successful? How long could the appeal take? There’s a whole heap of variables now that are playing on everyone’s mind. Hopefully next week we’ll have a better view of what the next steps look like. I feel so much for all the Western Force players.’’
Sinderberry, however, is confident there won’t be a mass exodus of players just yet.
‘‘I don’t think people are going to jump ship next week and we’ve got a week to get a real understanding of what all the options are,’’ Sinderberry told Fairfax Media. ‘‘Talking to them, they feel like they’ve got a bit more time yet.
‘‘I don’t think there will be a mad rush. They want to stay.’’
The ARU has already begun searching for a new chief executive after Bill Pulver announced on Friday he would step down from the role once the organis-
I’ve never seen a bigger fiasco in all my time in the game. BOB DWYER
ation could replacement.
Asked how people in the west felt about the timing of Pulver’s resignation, Sinderberry said: ‘‘It stung on a number of levels. It was like, well, now it’s time to get out. I was very surprised by it.’’
Dwyer, who has been a vocal critic of Pulver in recent times, went further, saying the man who took over the role in 2013 needed to leave the ARU immediately.
‘‘Even though it’s a horrendous decision for WA, some good has come out of it and that is Bill has resigned,’’ Dwyer said. ‘‘The most satisfactory alterative we can possibly think of is for him to leave as soon as possible. Whatever happens after that can only be a step forward.
‘‘How he would know anything about the pursuit of excellence or greatness, I’ll never know.’’ The Sun-Herald find a suitable