Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Billionaire owner's lofty ambitions for turning Western Force into a powerhouse

Staunch Force supporter Andrew Forrest

Incoming Western Force coach Simon Cron says he wouldn’t have bothered jumping on board with the Perth-based franchise if it wasn’t for the lofty ambitions of billionaire owner Andrew Forrest.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Force dropped a bombshell this week when they announced they had signed Cron on a two-year deal to replace Tim Sampson at the end of the Super Rugby Pacific season.

Sampson had led the Force to a maiden finals berth in Super Rugby AU last season, but Forrest felt the time was right to make a change.

Video Spacer

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 7

Video Spacer

Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 7

Forrest, who saved the Force from extinction when they were axed by Rugby Australia in 2017, has lofty goals for the club.

First, he wants them to become the best team in Australia. Then, the best team in the southern hemisphere.

Finally, he wants the Force to become the best club team in world rugby.

They are ambitious goals that Cron is embracing.

“If he didn’t say that, I wouldn’t have come,” Cron said.

“You don’t hop on a plane and move your family around to come second.

“So for me, their philosophy is how I like to function. I love that.”

Cron, currently the head coach of Japan Rugby League One club Toyota Verblitz, was first approached by the Force in November.

ADVERTISEMENT

Talks progressed steadily from there, but he only made the decision to take up the job after receiving the blessing from former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.

Hansen is the director of coaching at Verblitz and has mentored Cron over the past three years.

“I saw someone mention the other day about turning down Steve Hansen. Nobody turns down Steve Hansen,” Cron said.

“He’s supportive of whatever I choose to do. He’s been involved in that process over the last few months as well, so (he was) always fully informed.”

Cron says he will think about bringing some Japanese players to the Force.

ADVERTISEMENT

Verblitz star Kazuki Himeno was a key player for the Highlanders last season, proving the impact that Japanese players can have on the Super Rugby Pacific competition.

“I’ve already had conversations here with the guys at Toyota (Verblitz) about some of our player development, and even what Himeno did at the Highlanders last year,” Cron said.

“There’s definitely players in the Top League here that you look at and think they could do with the opportunity that Himeno got.”

The Force will lose forward Fergus Lee-Warner, flyhalf Jake McIntyre, prop Santiago Medrano, and winger Byron Ralston at the end of the season.

The team will be back in action on April 8 when they host the Melbourne Rebels.

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

N
NB 47 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Nice bit if revisioniusm but that's all it is JW.


For your further education, I found the following breakdown of one prominent club's finances in the Top 14 [Clermont].


For Clermont (budget of €29.5 million for 2021-2022) :

- 20% from ticket sales

- 17% from the LNR (includes TV Rights, compensation from producing french internationals and other minor stuff)

- 5% from public collectivities (so you're looking at funds from the city of Clermont, the department of Puy-De-Dôme and the region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)

- 4% from merchandising and events

- 3% from miscellaneous

- 51 % from sponsorships and partnerships. They've got 550 different partners. The main ones are CGI, Groupama, Limagrain/Jacquet, Omerin, Paprec, Renault and of course Michelin (not surprising since they're actually the founders of the club).


As you can see nothing comes from the FFR at all. The LNR is a separate entitiy to FFR and their aims frequently do not accord.


It is also why the European breakaway plotted by LNR and PR back in 2013 had nothing to do with the governing bodies of either England or France - and it most certainly did not have their blessing https://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/story/_/id/15331030/jean-pierre-lux-anglo-french-cup-detrimental-european-rugby


And from the horse's mouth [ex AB skipper Sean Fitapatrick] about the comp between Top 14 and Super Rugby:


"The Top 14 in France is probably the best rugby competition in the world at the moment, purely for the week-in, week-out.”


“I think the quality of players. They are bigger, they are faster, they are stronger. Which then carries on into the international game.”

Take it from someone who knows JW😅

293 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Tyrone Green decision has huge bearing on his international future Tyrone Green decision has huge bearing on his international future
Search