The Western Force "agreed to enter into arbitration" in its legal case with the Australian Rugby Union over its "possible axing from Super Rugby for next season," according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. Rugby Western Australia launched the case when the ARU announced two months ago that the Perth-based Force or Melbourne Rebels "would be culled" as the competition contracted from 18 to 15 teams for '18. At the "heart of the suit" was the ARU's guarantee that it would "continue in Super Rugby until the end of the current broadcast deal" at the end of '20, a promise made when it was taken over by the governing body last year (REUTERS, 6/7). In Sydney, Iain Payten reported the "process of cutting a team has since been ground down to near-inertia in legal wrangling," with the ARU reportedly of the belief a new Super 15 competition "would come with a new broadcasting contract." If the arbitration process does not yield a favorable result for the ARU, SANZAAR’s plans to reduce Super Rugby to 15 teams in '18 "will be thrown into turmoil." The ARU already "unsuccessfully" attempted to buy the Rebels license back from private Owner Andrew Cox, who also "threatened legal action if the governing body attempted to shut his club down" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 6/7).
