Senior Wallabies "have intervened in Australian rugby's ongoing drama" after voting to call an Australian Rugby Union special general meeting as "the Super Rugby saga continues to haunt the game," according to Chris Dutton of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Wallabies captain Stephen Moore, NSW's Bernard Foley and Western Force captain Matt Hodgson "were part of a unanimous decision" to back the Victorian Rugby Union's fight for "the future of the Melbourne Rebels." The ARU said that it will "set a date for the meeting within the next seven days." The Rebels and the Force "are still on the Super Rugby chopping block as the ARU decides which franchise to jettison from the competition next year." Rugby Union Players' Association CEO Ross Xenos said that the ARU's process "lacked transparency and consultation," prompting senior players to "back the VRU's call for an extraordinary meeting" (SMH, 5/17). In Sydney, Iain Payten wrote there have reportedly been discussions "involving some voting members and influential Australian rugby figures" about "potentially rolling the board" and removing ARU CEO Bill Pulver. There are 16 voting members of the ARU, with the states, franchises and RUPA all getting a vote. NSW and Queensland have two each. ARU Chair Cameron Clyne said that to "prevent further delays" the ARU board was "willing to meet in the next seven days" but given it is not a special general meeting, it would "not allow" members to vote on the board's positions. Clyne said that the ARU board was "keen to be as open as possible but flagged some of the answers sought on the Super Rugby saga might be restricted by ongoing legal action" against it. He said, "We will be open as we possibly can be, within the confines of not revealing things that may be inappropriate" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5/17). REUTERS' Nick Mulvenney reported Xenos said, "If there is no clear way forward ... that provides the necessary cost savings ... then it's about time we stopped uppercutting ourselves, backed the retention of five Super Rugby teams and got on with fighting our common enemies outside the tent" (REUTERS, 5/17).
'NO FLOUNDERING': In Sydney, Wayne Smith reported Clyne insisted the national body "is not floundering in the task of reducing Australia’s Super Rugby presence from five teams to four." Clyne "took issue with the question" that the process "had been botched and the ARU seemed to be floundering." He said, "Nothing could be more incorrect. We haven't botched the process ... we have been very clear about how the process is being run but a lot of that has got lost. There is no floundering. We are responding to people who are desperate to stay in the competition." The ARU does not intend on "going into caretaker mode until after this meeting, which presumably means it will continue to negotiate" with Rebels Owner Andrew Cox to buy the Melbourne license and close down the team. That would be "in line with the commitment it gave to SANZAAR to cull one franchise." But it would be "the death-knell of rugby in Victoria if that was to happen," and the Victorian Government, which has committed A$14M ($10.4M) to the code, was scheduled to meet with Cox on Thursday to "spell that out" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/18).
