Western Force win right to appeal after Super Rugby axing

August 23, 2017
1395
Ultimate Rugby

A Supreme Court judge has granted the Western Force the right to appeal the Australian Rugby Union's decision to axe the team from the Super Rugby competition.

Justice David Hammerschlag of the New South Wales state Supreme Court today said he had read written submissions from both the Force and the ARU and he believed an appeal should be heard.

Hammerschlag said he would go straight into hearing the appeal later today, but a decision might not be announced until next week.

RugbyWA, backers of the Force, argued the ARU had no right to axe the Perth-based club under the terms of the alignment deal that was struck last year.

In that deal, which was effectively a takeover, the ARU was reported to have guaranteed the Force's future until at least the end of the broadcast deal in 2020.

But the ARU successfully argued in arbitration that the broadcast deal had since been renegotiated since the competition will go from 18 teams down to 15.

The ARU announced the Force's axing on Aug. 11, and the Force said it would appeal the following day.