Billionaire Andrew Forrest entered formal negotiations with the Australian Rugby Union "about taking over the National Rugby Championship," according to Jamie Pandaram of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. The news comes as Western Force coach Dave Wessels is "set to sign with Melbourne Rebels to lead their Super Rugby campaign" in '18. Forrest has met with the ARU's hierarchy about "putting millions into his newly proposed Indo-Pacific Rugby Championship," and he "could effectively replace the NRC with this tournament but keep many teams." One of the "big appeals" for Forrest is that the ARU owns the "Western Force" name. That could allow him to work in conjunction with the governing body and replace the Perth Spirit with the Force, "thereby preserving the identity of the franchise that was axed" last week. Forrest's new tournament "would not compete with Super Rugby, but rather reinvigorate the struggling NRC." Wessels is negotiating with a number of clubs and has yet to make a firm decision, but his "potential defection" to the Rebels would be followed by a "host" of Force players including Adam Coleman and Dane Haylett-Petty. Forrest will reportedly make a public announcement about his plans on Wednesday (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/11).
WEIGHTY DECISION: In Sydney, Wayne Smith reported the ARU has another "weighty decision" to make: whether to allow players who sign with Forrest's Indo-Pacific Championship to be eligible for Wallabies selection. Only footballers who have signed with a Super Rugby club for the following season or overseas-based Wallabies who have played a minimum of 60 Tests can be selected for Australia. This was "one of the items discussed" when Forrest met Wallabies coach Michael Cheika last week. While it is understood Cheika was "generally supportive of the idea," he made it clear he wanted to "see a definitive competition model before considering it." As much as the ARU defers to Cheika in matters relating to the national side, player eligibility status "almost certainly would need to be discussed and approved at board level" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/12).
