AUSTRALIA TO CUT ONE TEAM
AUSTRALIAN RUGBY SAYS IT WILL PERSEVERE WITH ITS PLAN TO CUT ONE TEAM FROM NEXT YEAR’S SUPER RUGBY COMPETITION DESPITE THE FACT SUCH A MOVE IS PROVING TO BE HUGELY POPULAR.
The game in Australia is going through a torrid time with support at all levels dwindling, playing numbers dropping and both the form of Super Rugby sides and the Wallabies collapsing.
There is also considerable in-fighting, with Australian Rugby Union chief executive Bill Pulver under intense pressure to resign.
Despite the calls for him to move on and the significant opposition to the plan to drop one franchise from next year’s competition, Pulver held his position a er an emergency general meeting.
The meeting was called a er the Victorian Rugby Union and Rugby Union Players’ Association became exasperated by the continued uncertainty plaguing the sport.
They wanted answers on whether a team will be dropped and which one it would be – but only the first question has been answered.
“The majority of members have voted in support of going from five teams to four,” said ARU chairman Cameron Clyne.
“We’ve got teams obviously that are looking to stay in the competition, so we can’t really control that time frame. I accept the criticism that it’s taken this time.
“Had I come out on April the 10th and said ‘we are going to exit a team and it’s going to take four months’, there would be equal critics.”