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Emotional Hodgson fears for Australian rugby union with Force under threat
Tearful captain Matt Hodgson said Sunday was a dark day for Australian rugby union and “we live each day like it’s our last” with Western Force in danger of being one of three teams axed from Super Rugby.
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Governing body SANZAAR on Sunday announced that only 15 franchises will compete in the competition from next season.
An Australian side and two South African clubs will lose their spots after the decision was made to go back to the previous format.
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) will on Monday confirm which team will be cut, and the Force are under threat.
Dave Wessels’ Force side beat Southern Kings – who could also lose their place – 46-41 on an emotional afternoon at nib Stadium on Sunday and SANZAAR made their announcement soon after.
Sea of Blue flooding the pitch! pic.twitter.com/9pzA7B7h73
— Western Force (@westernforce) April 9, 2017
Long-serving skipper Hodgson said the decision will have an impact on the game throughout his country regardless of which team is removed.
“My life is here,” Hodgson said. “It [the Force] gave me my opportunity – I probably wouldn’t have played Super Rugby if the Force didn’t turn up.
“I’m lucky enough to have 130-odd caps here and that’s allowed me to set up my life here.
“We have spoken about it just then, in the sheds. But we were too busy just enjoying the win and celebrating it with our fans, because that’s probably the most important thing for us at the moment.
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“We will live each days like it’s our last.”
He added: “I go back to when I first came back, doing rugby clinics for young kids. Now I’m playing alongside them and they don’t have that opportunity if we’re gone.
“It’s going to be disappointing that they’re either going to go east coast [of Australia] or overseas earlier, or pick up another code and I think that’s the worst thing.
“Like Dave [Wessels] said, if it’s not us [who are axed], we won’t be celebrating, because it’s bad for Australian rugby full stop. We call rugby the global game and if we can’t even get it throughout Australia it becomes frustrating.
“I’ve been quite vocal on it and I know the boys love playing here and want rugby to be successful here and I think we are seeing what we did 10 years ago come through now.
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“You’ve got Ross [Haylett-Petty], Dane [Haylett-Petty], Kane Koteka, Richard Hardwick all playing for Western Force and in the Wallabies squads as well, so you think, if the Western Force weren’t around do they get an opportunity? Or do they pick up a different code? Or do they go overseas?
“So it’s a bad sign for Australia rugby full stop.”
Hodgson was in tears as he explained the impact the decision will have on children in the Perth area, making his feelings about SANZAAR firmly clear.
“Being a parent myself, you don’t know where to put your kid. Do I put him in rugby, or do I put him to stay in Western Australia to play AFL?” he said.
“I think the way it’s been done is the most important thing. It’s dragged on, I’ve done four press conferences this week and had one rugby question. That’s annoying.
“For kids to turn up here it’s great, but now they don’t know if Western Force is going to be the future.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
16 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
16 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
16 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
16 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
16 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
16 Go to comments