Super Rugby news: Western Force captain Michael Wells backs plan for North Sydney Bears WA move

A plan to relocate the North Sydney Bears to Western Australia has won the unlikely support of the NRL’s most bitter cross code rival, with Western Force captain Michael Wells backing the move.

The proposal to relocate the North Sydney Bears to Western Australia has won the unlikely support of the NRL’s most bitter cross code rival.

Even rugby union – which potentially stands to lose the most if Peter V’landys delivers on what would go down as his signature legacy – admits the prospect of bringing the Bears out of hibernation and putting them in Perth is a brilliant idea.

It’s the feel-good story of the new millennium that rugby could only dream of.

And Western Force club captain Michael Wells said there was no reason why a rugby league team in Perth would not succeed, even though the state already has a Super Rugby side and two AFL clubs.

Rather than divide supporters, Wells said a Bears team in Perth would unite fans from rival footy codes.

The proposal of the Bears’ NRL return has won the backing of a bitter cross-code rival. Picture: Virginia Young

“It’s not an us versus them thing,” Wells said. ”You can support two codes at the same time.

“It doesn’t happen to be loggerheads against each other. Sport is very tribal in each state.

“If a league team came to Western Australia, I think the whole sporting community would embrace it.”

Wells is not the only rugby figure envious of the NRL’s expansion plans, which are going ahead at the same time rugby’s national footprint is in danger of shrinking.

The main concern centres around the Melbourne Rebels, who are heavily in debt and facing the prospect of being cut from Super Rugby from next season, which would reduce the number of Australian teams in the competition from five to four.

At the same time the NRL and AFL are looking to add new teams, Rugby Australia is in danger of going the other way even with CEO Phil Waugh saying it was too early to speculate on the Rebels’ future beyond this season.

Force captain Michael Wells believes a Bears team in Perth would unite fans from rival footy codes. Picture: Getty Images

Speaking in Auckland at Wednesday’s launch of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, Waugh said: “We’re working around the clock.

“I don’t want to put a time frame on it. It’s early days. 2024 is the priority, then it’s what 2025 and beyond looks like.”

Wells is urging RA to stick with the Rebels.

“We’ve got five teams currently so if you were to go down to four, you’re cutting the career prospects in an industry by 20%,” he said.

“Now, whether scarcity drives up demand is questionable when in Australia we’re competing with AFL and NRL. They’re not cutting teams. They’re keeping everything stable in terms of career prospects.”

ACT Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa is also opposed to the idea of cutting the Rebels, saying Victoria was quickly becoming an important nursery for developing Australia’s international players.

“If you look at the Rebels at the moment they’ve got some of the best Wallabies,” Alaalatoa said.

“Once you take an opportunity away then you start losing the future generations that are coming through. The boys are aware of it and that conversation is happening in the background.

“Look at Perth, rugby is humming over there now but just a couple of years ago they didn’t have a team. They’ve got a great pool of talent but if you take a team out of a state you lose an opportunity because people might go to other codes.”

Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh says it is too early to speculate on the Melbourne Rebels’ future beyond this season. Picture: Getty Images

Rob Leota, the first Victorian-born player to captain the Rebels, said the players were refusing to give up despite the bleak forecast about their long-term future.

“For us, it’s sort of just given us a greater purpose,” he said.

“There’s small communities in Victoria that support rugby and they’re very passionate about the game. We feel like our backs are against the wall.”

The uncertainty around the Rebels was the hot topic at the season launch but Super Rugby Pacific Chair Kevin Mallo said all the signs pointed to a highly successful tournament after the pandemic took the wind of its sails.

“We’ve got a great competition,” he said.

“We talk about reigniting the flame of the competition.

“It’s true, there’s work to do. We’ve got to get stadiums full again, eyeballs on the game and fans reignited.”

Originally published as Super Rugby news: Western Force captain Michael Wells backs plan for North Sydney Bears WA move