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ARU agrees deal to help keep Western Force in Perth

By Jefferson Lake

Friday 3 June 2016 07:05, UK

Western Force have struggled to gain a foothold on and off the pitch in a part of Australia far removed from rugby union's eastern heartland
Image: Western Force have struggled to gain a foothold on and off the pitch in a part of Australia far removed from rugby union's eastern heartland

The Australian Rugby Union has brokered a deal with Western Force to help keep the Super Rugby franchise in Perth.

Under the terms of the "alliance", the club's players and professional staff will become employees of the ARU as the governing body integrates Western Force's professional rugby programme into its high performance unit.

The agreement comes after financial problems arose from the team's poor results, and following calls for them to be moved from the western city to Australian rugby's east coast heartland.

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The Bulls got their overseas tour off to a winning start start with a 42-20 bonus-point win over the Western Force

"RugbyWA and the Western Force are not alone in their challenges to remain viable as a professional sports entity in Australia," ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said.

"Numerous teams across several codes are facing the same economic environment across professional sport and the ARU has been looking at ways to create a more efficient and effective way to run our Super Rugby businesses."

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The Force have managed to accumulate a winning record in just two of their 11 seasons and currently sit last in the Australasian group with two wins from 12 matches.

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