TELEGRAPH - UK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-uni...nd-resolution/
ABITRATION BEGINS as ARU and Western Force WORK TOGETHER TO FIND A RESOLUTIOM TO DILEMMA.
Ben Coles
31 JULY 2017 • 1:19PM
The latest phase of the Australian Rugby Union's long-winded process to remove one of their five teams from Super Rugby began on Monday, when the governing body entered into arbitration with the Western Force.
Back in April the ARU announced that in accordance with an agreement with SANZAAR that one of their sides would be removed from the competition ahead of 2018.
South Africa has already fulfilled its part of the agreement, announcing at the start of July that the Southern Kings and Cheetahs were both being cut as the competition reverts from 18 teams back to 15 - five from New Zealand, four from Australia, four from South Africa, plus one respectively from Argentina and Japan.
Meanwhile players from the Force and Melbourne Rebels, the other franchise previously believed to be in the frame for the axe, are now no closer in August to knowing whether they will need to find a new team for next year.
A "48-72 hour" timeline was originally put in place by ARU chairman Cameron Clyne back in April, an estimate that has looked increasingly absurd as the months have gone by.
Removing the Rebels has always appeared to be a tougher task for the ARU given they are privately-owned by millionaire Andrew Cox, who took over the franchise in 2015, with the ARU now needing to pay A$13 million (£7.9m) to buy Cox out.
The Perth-based Force meanwhile, first introduced to the competition in 2006, have fought tooth and nail this year both on and off the field to preserve their Super Rugby status, finishing with the second-highest points total of the five Australia teams in this year's competition.
Local billionaire Andrew Forrest, the former CEO of Iron ore producer Fortescue Metals Group, pledged his support when speaking on the field after the Force's emphatic 40-11 win over the Waratahs to round out the season.
Forrest and the Force announced on Monday that they are now offering supporters interest-free loans to buy shares in the franchise. In other words, the Force are not going down without a fight.
Representing a rare area of rugby union in Australia in the west given the other four sides are clustered together on the east coast from Brisbane down to Melbourne, arbitration is just the first hurdle in a long battle to keep their place at the table.
Matters have been complicated further given the ARU took over the Force last year at a cost of A$4.8 million, which led to the Force's players and staff becoming ARU employees.
Part of that takeover deal with Rugby Western Australia (Rugby WA), and a key element of the arbitration process, is an alleged clause that guarantees the Force's participation in Super Rugby until 2020, the end date for the current broadcast deal agreed with SANZAAR.
"RugbyWA's position is clear. Under current arrangements the Force is entitled to participate in the Super Rugby competition until 30 December 2020," read a statement back in April.
"There is no basis on which the ARU can purport to remove the Western Force from the Super Rugby competition. The ARU must work to ensure that the Force remains based in Perth for many seasons to come."
Arbitration processes are rarely fascinating but this case bucks the trend. Victory for the Force would put the focus back on a number of unanswered questions.
Who do the ARU attempt to cut if not the Force? How severe will the financial ramifications be for the ARU, already feeling the strain? Could Super Rugby be forced to play with 16 teams instead of 15 next year?
Even if the arbitration goes the way of the ARU, the Force are unlikely to reluctantly roll over given their new and significant financial support from Forrest.
Regarded for so long as rugby union's pinnacle competition outside of internationals, even as enticing a final as Saturday's between the Lions and Crusaders at Ellis Park is not enough to distract from the fact that Super Rugby finds itself in a bit of a mess, particularly in Australia. The Force, quite rightly, are holding their ground