Rugby union's "long talked-about push" into the National Rugby League's heartland "is finally starting to take shape," with the NSW Waratahs announcing the new Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta will start hosting Super Rugby matches from '19, according to Julian Linden of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Just days after the Parramatta Eels rejected a deal from the stadium’s operator to "play in their own backyard," the Waratahs "confirmed they were more than happy to take up residency" in the A$360M ($256M) stadium after striking a deal with VenuesLive. NSW Rugby CEO Andrew Hore said, "We're extremely excited, we see it as part of a wider strategy of how we're going to grow the game in and throughout Western Sydney." Forced to find a new home for the next three seasons while Allianz Stadium is being rebuilt, the Waratahs "spurned the obvious temptation to stick to their traditional stomping grounds in the Eastern suburbs and North Shore" to venture into rugby league territory. Hore: "We've got 100,000 participants and they're not all based in the Eastern Suburbs and the North, that’s a myth that we've got to break. Our intention is to have a consistent presence. It’s not a one-off but what games and how many will vary because that’s the advantage we've got right now." NSW Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said that the Waratahs' decision to "go west was a win-win for the sport and Parramatta’s new stadium." Ayres: "It's a really strong statement by the sport of rugby to say that Western Sydney is right at its heart" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 10/18).
