NEWCASTLE and Hunter Rugby Union will vote on a proposal to enter the Wildfires senior and colts representative sides in the Sydney competition this season at a board meeting on Monday.
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The NHRU have until 10am Tuesday to forward a participation submission, including a business plan and player list, to the Sydney Rugby Union.
Hunter and Penrith have been invited to join the 11 existing Sydney clubs in a modified 13-club, 13-round competition, starting July 25.
Representative coach Scott Coleman and his players have expressed their desire to test themselves in the Shute Shield. The 38-man squad has been following conditioning programs for the past six weeks in readiness.
"We have been very mindful of making sure we involve the clubs [in the decision]," Clifton said. "When we were looking at having a premiership, we didn't want to dilute them of their top players. But given we are going to have the NHRU Rams Cup, it could be quite exciting if we can get this motion up on Monday. It would be good to have our representative team playing. We are hopeful that crowds will be back and we will be able to support them at No.2 sportsground."
Clifton confirmed that the Wildfires would only field teams in first grade and colts (under-20s) in Sydney.
An NHRU sub-committee has compiled the submission, which was sent out to board members on Friday night for assessment.
Clubs had expressed concerns over the costs of competing in Sydney and the impact it would have on the local competition.
The move to cancel the NHRU premiership this season and replace it with a tournament-style NHRU Rams Cup has removed one of the hurdles.
The Sydney Rugby Union have agreed to cover costs for the Wildfires to travel to Sydney and for teams to journey up the freeway. The Herald understands that much of the $40,000 budget has been covered through sponsorship.
Meanwhile, the Western Force will be based in the Hunter for at least the opening two weeks of the rebooted Australian Super Rugby season.
The Force kick-off the campaign against the Waratahs in Sydney on July 11.
They will then move to Cessnock, where they will be based at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley and use the facilities of Pokolbin Rugby Club and St Phillips Christian College for training.
Their second game is against Queensland in Brisbane on July 17 and they will take a return chartered flight from Newcastle.
They had hoped to play the ACT Brumbies at McDonald Jones Stadium on July 25, but the Newcastle Jets (July 24) and Newcastle Knights (July 26) have booked the stadium that weekend.
"To have three games, playing three different codes in one stadium on one weekend with COVID-19 restrictions was not possible," Force high performance manager Anton Zackery said.
The Force played a pre-season game of Global Rapid Rugby in Newcastle in February and Zackery said they were looking to build on that relationship.
While in the Hunter, the Force will conduct coach and player development sessions for locals.
"The Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union went out of its way to accommodate the Force," Zackery said. "We want to continue to build and support that relationship. There is obviously a very keen interest in rugby in the region and putting a lot of effort into growing the game."
"Glenn Turner from the NHRU has been fantastic. He really went out of his way again to help us find the right accommodation, the right training facilities and to make sure we really had a home away from home. We are very fortunate to be able to use the fantastic facilities at St Phillips."
** The NHRU hopes to raise $50,000 to help grassroots rugby in the region recover from the impact of COVID-19.
Set up through the Australian Sports Foundation, the tax time appeal is a personal tax deductable donation, claimable this financial year.
"If ever there was a time that the NHRU needs your support, it is now, so please be generous with your tax deductable donation," NHRU president Bill Clifton said. "Your donation is an investment in the future leaders of our Hunter Communities. Developing character, resilience, teamwork and mateship for the young boys and girls and the men and women of the Hunter Valley has never been more important."
Donations can be made at - https://asf.org.au/projects/hunter-rugby-foundation/
