The battle is not over, angry Force stars vow

Western Force stars say players believe the fight to save their Super Rugby team is not over and they will stick tight until it is settled.

Dane Haylett-Petty and lock Adam Coleman revealed the feelings of the six-strong Force contingent in the Wallabies squad and others in the wake of the Australian Rugby Union decision to axe their Perth-based franchise.

“I suppose it’s mixed emotions,” Haylett-Petty said yesterday as the Wallabies prepared for their Bledisloe Cup opener against the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday.

“I’m angry, confused, disappointed, but, as a group, we’re really sticking tight and the process is not done yet.

‘There’s a lot of people back home still fighting the good Super Rugby fight and we believe in all the administrators at Rugby WA.”

His comments came soon after Rugby WA gained an injunction order against the ARU decision while waiting to learn if it would be granted leave to appeal it in the NSW Supreme Court.

Coleman reinforced the united approach of the Force players and stressed he would not be committing to another Super Rugby team until a definitive decision was made on the Force’s future.

“I’ve been there for four years now and I’ve poured my soul into the club,” he said “It’s very much a part of me and I’m sure that everyone else that has played for the jersey feels the same way.

“So I think however long it takes we’ll just wait. I think a lot of the fans and a lot of the players are still in shock at the moment.

“I think the fight is not over yet and Dane believes that, too, and so does the rest of the WA rugby community.”

Haylett-Petty emphasised he would not bear a grudge against any uncontracted Force player who looked elsewhere for their future in the meantime. “I don’t think you could ever hold it against anyone for looking after themselves and there may be a few boys in that situation,” he said.