Billionaire Andrew Forrest called on Australian Rugby Union Chair Cameron Clyne to resign on Wednesday over what he described as an "unjust decision to axe the Western Force from Super Rugby," according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. The Western Australian mining magnate rejected the ARU's assertion that his offer to invest up to A$50M ($39.5M) in rugby had come "too late" to save the franchise. Forrest said, "It is not too late ... I know what 11th hour looks like and I certainly know what bullies look like. I'm saying this is not too late. This wonderful team behind me, the supporters in this state and everyone who believes in a fair go in Australia says it's not too late." RugbyWA appealed the decision at the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which is "expected to hand down a ruling next week." Forrest said that he had seen documents indicating the ARU had been advised in February that the Force "presented no legal risk to axe," advice he thought indicated "the ensuing process had been a charade." Forrest: "Had I known that the injustice of the decision to cut the Western Force was made in February, then I would have stepped in then. I do not blame [ARU CEO] Mr. Bill Pulver, who I respect as a frank and honest servant of the board, but I do hold the chairman accountable and call on him to resign." The ARU responded with a statement that flatly rejected all of Forrest's charges and reiterated that his offer of support had come "too late in the process for it to be a factor." Clyne said, "Andrew ... referred to a document or documents which indicated that a decision had been made to remove the Western Force in February. This was not the case and there are no documents which contain this information" (REUTERS, 8/30). The AAP's Justin Chadwick reported Forrest said, "The Western Force was set up to be ambushed. It was going to be bullied into submission. I will always stand up to bullies, and I will always stand against injustice. And a great injustice was about to be wreaked on the Western Force (AAP, 8/30). In Sydney, Wayne Smith reported West Australian Premier Mark McGowan called on the entire ARU board of directors to resign. McGowan has threatened to sue the sport's national governing body to recover more than A$100M ($79M) spent on providing rugby with a rectangular ground and HQ in Perth. He said, "The ARU have dudded our state." Clyne, however, said that there was "no special formula for arranging a leadership challenge." Clyne: "The members are free at any time to call a meeting. That's not a problem" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/31).
DRAGGING ON: In Sydney, Decent & Dutton reported the "ugly legal battle" between the ARU and Western Force "could escalate to the High Court of Australia if the Perth franchise loses its appeal hearing." Forrest is "considering all legal avenues" and it is believed the Force is "willing to exhaust all options available pending appeal rights, which could drag the saga out long enough" for the club to compete in the '18 Super Rugby season. Super Rugby officials are "nervously awaiting" the outcome of the appeal hearing before finalizing a draw for next year. However, if the Force pursue other avenues and are able to win an injunction against the ARU's decision, the legal process "could drag on for months and affect Super Rugby planning" for '18 (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/30).
