Raelene Castle said that RA recognizes the value of World Series Rugby to the Asia-Pacific region.GETTY IMAGES
A A$4M ($2.9M) funding boost for rugby in western Sydney is "a step closer to reality" after Rugby Australia gave a "conditional green light" to Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's bid to put a World Series Rugby team in the city's west, according to Georgina Robinson of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. A "high-level meeting" between Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle and her counterparts at NSW Rugby and the Sydney Rugby Union on Monday agreed to move to the next step of discussions with Forrest and his World Series team, "who are proposing to fund a team in the region as part of their eight-team vision for the international rebel league." It is understood correspondence was sent from RA offices making the development official, but that "one of many conditions of further engagement is that Shute Shield players be off limits." Castle said, "We are in a deep dialogue with Minderoo [Forrest's company] into how we can work together to support the competition, with respect to the importance of protecting the Shute Shield, Queensland Premier Rugby and the player development pathways on the eastern seaboard." It is a "significant development in the World Series saga." Forrest's vision for the western Sydney team, which will join teams in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore as well as the Western Force, is understood to have "a heavy Pacific Islands influence." His representatives have reportedly already approached Tonga, Fiji and Samoa to "gauge their interest" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 9/13).
