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Have CEO Peter Veenstra and the board of the Central West Rugby Union (CWRU) committed the game to a slow death in our region?
Looking in from the outside, I would say it is a distinct possibility.
To supposedly boost participation, CWRU changed the age group for their Colts from Under 20s to Under 19s for this year’s competition.
When the changes were announced, Veenstra said he expected the number of teams to balloon with schools given the opportunity to enter the competition.
CWRU went ahead with the changes despite a number of clubs voicing their concerns which look to have been ignored.
Club’s were firstly concerned they would struggle to get a team together with one less year of eligibility; and secondly, the jump from Under 19s into senior rugby would be too great for some players.
Those concerns were well founded as both Dubbo Rhinos and Orange Emus Colts teams are forfeiting on a regular basis.
How is that increasing participation?
It is the Rhinos first year back in the Blowes Clothing Cup and maybe that could be a reason for them struggling to field a Colts side.
The Emus are a powerhouse in the central west competition, but cannot field a Colts team.
Increasing participation? If anything it has gone the other way.
One of the reasons for the age change was to encourage schools to join the Colts competition.
There are exactly no schools in the Colts this year.
Schools play their own competition, so why would they want to join?
I wonder if the change in age eligibility was made to coincide with the Newcastle region doing the same thing.
Newcastle and Central West are the two biggest regional rugby areas in New South Wales and what may work for one, will not necessarily work for the other.
It definitely has not worked in the central west.
I will be very interested to see if the CWRU admits it was a mistake and reverts back to Under 20s next season.
With sides in the smaller centres, including the Parkes Boars, struggling to put the same first grade side on the paddock week in-week out, it is imperative for the survival of these sides that there is a strong Colts competition.
At the moment the CWRU is hobbling around on one leg as they attempt to recover from shooting themselves in the foot.
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In a bizarre performance, actors dressed as AC Milan players performed their own version of a Haka, made famous by the New Zealand All Blacks, as a PR stunt for a sponsor before their Serie A clash with Carpi.
In a shameful display, the actors representing the proud Italian club did their version of the Haka for a global skincare company.
Why would a club with so much history like AC Milan degrade themselves in this ridiculous stunt and what gave the company the idea they could belittle something which has so much meaning to the entire Pacific region?
Both parties should be ashamed of themselves.
The performers dressed in the red and black of AC Milan changed some of the Haka's gestures with smearing cream on their faces.
Karma came back to bite the Rossoneri as they could only manage a 0-all draw against their lowly opponents.
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Leicester took a massive step to securing the Premier League title yesterday morning with a 4-0 win over Swansea.
As Arsenal have no chance of winning the league now, I am right behind The Foxes in the hopes that second placed Tottenham do not win.
C’mon Leicester, you can do it.