A Pro Rugby Team Will Be Yanked From Either Perth Or Melbs Within 72 Hours

Super Rugby in Australia is about to undergo a fairly drastic case of shrinkage, with the ARU today announcing its intentions to bring the axe down on one of two current Super Rugby franchises by the end of the week.

The league is currently undergoing restructuring as it adjusts to a period of growth that saw teams established in both Argentina and Japan.
This expansion put significant strain on the number of franchises being supported by both Australia and South Africa, and as a result controlling body SANZAAR has deemed it necessary to fold one Australian side.
After ruling out the ACT Brumbies, the ARU today declared that the hammer of doom will be swung on one of either the Melbourne Rebels or the Western Force, and the decision as to which team dissolves will be made within 72 hours.
ARU chairman Cameron Clyne made the grim announcement earlier today, stating that the board hopes to make an announcement very shortly.

“After reviewing management’s findings, the board made the decision to eliminate the Brumbies from the process and identified that consultation is required with both the Western Force and Melbourne Rebels to further understand their financial position.”


“We don’t expect this final consultation period to be a very drawn out process and expect to be able to deliver an outcome in the very near future.”

The Rebels aren’t a huge draw in the otherwise sports-mad Melbourne, pulling in average attendance figures of around 10,000 per game.

Both the Rebels and Force have experienced very little on-field success. In 6 seasons, the Rebels have never finished any higher than 10th. Meanwhile the Force are yet to taste finals action despite entering the league back in 2005.
The streamlined Super Rugby competition will see four franchises hosted in Australia, down from five, and four from South Africa, down from the current six.
Source: ABC News.
Photo: Paul Kane/Getty.

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