Court backs ARU’s decision to cut Western Force from Super Rugby

The NSW Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by RugbyWA to keep the Western Force in Super Rugby.

The dismissed appeal was against an arbitration ruling in favour of the Australian Rugby Union that allowed the governing body to cut the Force from the Super Rugby competition.

"This is not the decision we wanted. This is clearly not the decision which we consider just. We're not giving up," said Billionaire backer Andrew Forrest, who has vowed to launch a rebel rugby competition after the Western Force lost their Supreme Court appeal to stay in Super Rugby.

"I've just begun to fight, mate. If the court cannot deliver justice for these players, I understand that. I didn't write that agreement which the ARU cunningly exploited. I know the decision was made purely on legal ground." 

The ARU announced it would cut a team in April after a meeting with SANZAAR officials in London where the broader decision was made to reduce the Super Rugby competition from 18 teams to 15. 

ARU then moved to axe the Force from the competition last month after winning an arbitration case against RugbyWA. RugbyWA argued that the ARU had no power to axe the Force because the governing body signed an “alliance” deal guaranteeing the franchise’s future until the end of the broadcast deal in 2020.

But the ARU successfully argued in arbitration that the deal no longer stood because the TV rights have since been renegotiated to accommodate a reduced 15-team competition.

This now means the ARU have the ability to remove the Western Force from the Super Rugby competition.