Force granted injunction

Senior Western Force players Dane Haylett-Petty and Adam Coleman have declared the fight is not over after RugbyWA lodged an appeal to the New South Wales Supreme Court yesterday to prevent the club from being cut from Super Rugby.

RugbyWA has also been granted an injunction order against the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), which buys the organisation valuable time and means the game’s governing body cannot fold the franchise or move players on until the appeal has been heard.

If the appeal is successful, Fairfax Media understands the matter would come before the New South Wales Supreme Court next Wednesday.

RugbyWA expects to know within a week whether an appeal will be granted.

‘‘We’ve been given every encouragement by our legal team that it’s certainly possible,’’ Western Force chief executive Mark Sinderberry said.

‘‘We have a commitment to the game here in Western Australia to exhaust every possibility.’’

In the wake of Friday’s announcement, Haylett-Petty and Coleman were reluctant to speak to the media, upset at what has transpired since the ARU announced its plan to axe the Force next season.

Both said they disagreed with the decision and had faith the end was not near just yet.

‘‘The fight’s not over yet,’’ Coleman said. ‘‘However long it takes we’ll just wait.

‘‘If we keep our mindset like that and really focus on keeping rugby alive at the Western Force, I think it’ll go a long way.’’