Andrew Forrest's new Indo-Pacific competition is not a rebel tournament and it won't struggle to attract talent, according to former Wallaby John Welborn.
Welborn has been Forrest's right-hand man throughout the Force's fight for survival, and he's part of the steering committee for the billionaire's new competition plan.
The six-team competition could feature clubs from China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Pacific Islands, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.
Many rugby experts have raised fears about the quality of rugby that might be on show in the new tournament.
But Welborn believes there will enough rugby talent joining the competition from around the world to ensure for a good spectacle.
"If you go up to Japanese rugby at the moment, you'll see lots of Australians and New Zealanders and players from all over the place, augmenting in an existing structure," Welborn said.
"I played in the French competition ... and it had enormous input from every rugby playing country in the world because of the size of the economic interest of that professional competition.
"So you had Wallabies like me, All Blacks, Fijians, Argentinians, Englishmen, Frenchman - everyone playing.
"So whether you've got a team in Shanghai, or Singapore, or Hong Kong, or Perth, there is going to be a mixture of local talent and imported talent."
Welborn said Forrest's competition wasn't about trying to take down Australian rugby - but rather grow it.
"I know the media and some people will see this as sort of a Kerry Packer World Series Cricket opportunity," Welborn said.
"But this is not a rebel code. This isn't about a rival code that's going to try to compete with Super Rugby.
"This is as cohesive to Super Rugby as the Six Nations or the European Cup is.
"The (South African) Currie Cup doesn't compete with the Super Rugby Cup, even though it's an incredible competition steeped in history."
Force players could start to leave the franchise in their droves after RugbyWA's Supreme Court appeal failed.
Wallabies such as Adam Coleman, Dane Haylett-Petty, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Billy Meakes, and Curtis Rona are almost certain to take up offers elsewhere instead of risking their international hopes by playing in Forrest's competition.
Welborn acknowledged it would be an uphill battle to retain the Force's Wallabies contingent.
But he said there would still be plenty of talent leftover.
"The vast majority of the Western Force players won't end up at an Australian Super Rugby franchise. So for those guys, this competition is a fantastic opportunity," Welborn said.
Welborn said a date for the competition was still be to set, with numerous other details still being sorted out behind the scenes.
Share
