New Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore floats idea of six Australian Super Rugby teams in future

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New Waratahs chief executive Andrew Hore has reservations about going "half-cocked" into western Sydney and outlined his bold vision to generate enough revenue in the sport to start a sixth Australian Super Rugby team down the track.  

Hore, a New Zealander who has spent the past four years in charge at Welsh club Ospreys, officially began as boss of the Waratahs and NSW Rugby Union last Monday – the first time a chief executive has looked after both organisations.

Disappointing season: Matt Hodgson looks dejected last weekend against the Waratahs at nib Stadium. The Force have been well below par in 2016. Photo: Paul Kane

Hore says the current governance systems "don't look particularly strong" and getting those aligned will be one of his first priorities in what is a shake-up, he believes, NSW rugby needs if it is to prosper in one of the most saturated sporting markets in the world. 

"I don't think anyone that's met me would say that I'm a person that just wants to exist. I want to make a difference," Hore said. "I'm very passionate about the game; my whole life has been based around rugby." 

Waratahs chairman Roger Davis raised eyebrows this month when he said the NSW Super Rugby franchise had little interest having a presence in western Sydney. 

Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore.

Hore believed it was time the Waratahs rebranded themselves as a statewide team, but he plans on continuing to look after traditional rugby areas. 

"Everybody is looking at western Sydney, but again we've got to make sure that we don't do that at the expense of keeping our strengths strong and making sure we don't spread ourselves too thin," Hore said. "NSW is a rugby stronghold along with Queensland and if we're to support Bill and the ARU in their national footprint, then we've got to keep a flow of talent coming from NSW.

"Western Sydney is part of that plan, but you can't go into an area like that half-cocked either."

After he packed up his desk at Waratahs headquarters, Hore's predecessor Greg Harris said Sydney deserved a second Super Rugby franchise at the expense of the financially struggling Western Force.

There have been calls to cut either one or two Australian teams because to a dilution of talent across the country. But Hore believes if Australian rugby can overcome its "growing pains" and financial instability with shrewd management, there is no reason why an expansion could not happen. 

"First and foremost we have to make sure rugby union stays on the sporting map and is successful," Hore said. "Then, how can we globalise it, monetise it, so that maybe the next time around we're not just talking about having five [Australian teams], we might be talking about six because all of a sudden we have a enough money to grow it.

"If you change your mindset to that, why do we just have to have five? If we do our job well enough and reward good development, why can't we have six? Then we might be having another argument about us [NSW] having two [Super rugby teams] or Queensland having two – it doesn't matter. The first thing is we make sure we keep developing talent. If we focus on that, the rest will come." 

And then there is the issue of club rugby. Hore finds himself as the middleman between starved clubs and the ARU who are not prepared to fund Sydney clubs like they have in the past.

Hore knows Australian rugby is "lacking cash" but believes there needs to be a serious rethink about money allocation if the game is to grow. 

"There's no doubt that things like the Sydney club competition have thrown up what has been a majority of the Wallabies and has kept NSW and the Waratahs strong for over 100 years," Hore said. "We don't want to end up going down the line like soccer in the UK whereby everybody thinks they've got to get paid for everything. That's not what rugby's about either. There's always been the mum doing the sausages and dad filling the water bottles up. It's about rewarding people for what we value. If we value development, let's start rewarding them for development."