Super Rugby side Western Force captain Matt Hodgson said that the club's players "are relieved" after being told they will not be moved to Western Sydney and hope their new relationship with the Australian Rugby Union can lead to solutions for the “uphill battles” they fight each season, according to Iain Payten of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. The ARU and Western Force are expected to formally announce an “alliance” next week that will see the club’s financial affairs "be run by the ARU and CEO Mark Sinderberry re-badged as managing director." Short of ARU oversight on recruitment, the Force’s football program "will remain untouched but coach Michael Foley is under pressure to keep his job for next season despite being under contract." ARU CEO Bill Pulver and Rugby Union Players' Association CEO Ross Xenos "visited Perth last week to talk" through the changes with Force players. Pulver reaffirmed the ARU's position "on keeping a national footprint until at least the next broadcast deal" in '21. The “alliance” will see the Force lose some of its autonomy but many in the west are "viewing it as a positive." Going "under the ARU’s wing not only provides financial stability, but also ensures the eastern-based bosses get a daily view of the challenges faced by the Force" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5/31).
