Friday, December 10, 2004

Score!

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Super 14 is Rugby, in case you're wondering... Perth's Super 14 win for the people 19:36 AEDT Fri Dec 10 2004 Melbourne may have the population but in the end Perth had the people. And in a tight two-horse race that was just about enough to convince the Australian Rugby Union it should award the West a Super 14 franchise. After a meeting that lasted just over four hours at the ARU headquarters in North Sydney the board voted unanimously in favour of giving Perth a start in the expanded 2006 competition. While both bids shaped up well and ARU chief executive Gary Flowers said the board was firm in the belief Melbourne or Perth could have hosted a Super 14 team, the feeling rugby would be more sustainable and better supported in Western Australia shone through. "In many ways this was a victory for the people power, it was a very important thread through their whole submission and presentation," Flowers said. ARU high performance manager Brett Robinson, who headed the evaluation committee which ultimately recommended to the board it should chose the West Australian bid, said he felt after visiting Perth, its people "connected" more with the game. "There was a real sense in visits to Western Australia that at all levels there was enormous support, whether it be in government, the community or through the West Australian Rugby Union - there was just a greater sense of connectivity in relation to all that," said Robinson who admitted the evaluation committee hadn't really made up its mind about who to plump for until the middle of the week. Broadly Perth satisfied the board that it could meet its three key criteria: enhancing the rugby player base; bringing in substantial commercial interest and expanding the game at the grassroots level. In categories one and two the West Australians always had an edge. Their player numbers on a junior and senior level top the Victorians by about a third. As for the commercial concerns Perth also did well with major backers such as jumper sponsor Emirates helping it to a promised sponsorship figure to date of over $4 million. "I think a major factor was that we have proved we have the financial support through the sponsorship and hospitality," Rugby WA chairman Geoff Stooke said. "We had the government support and they knew it would be a high profile sport in this town." The key thread though was the people. From the 6,500 that turned up to a community rugby rally in Perth in November to push for the team's inclusion, to the 5,000-plus membership commitments, it was felt the people in Perth simply had a greater affiliation with the game. Score one for WA -Josh

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