Wallabies lock Adam Coleman.Credit:AAP
Clyne said he felt the right decision had been made but apologised to Force fans,acknowledging their distress at the news their club would cease to exist."It's not a very pleasant situation but we have to confront reality here,"Clyne said."Our teams have declined in performance."
Pulver added:"We did an exhaustive analysis,a massive spreadsheet on all the variables that went into this decision and some of them community-based,some performance-based and at the end of the day,the best decision for Australian rugby was to remove the Western Force. It made the most sense."
Pulver,who began his tenure as ARU chief executive in 2013,said he would quit his post by the end of the year once a replacement had been found.
"Nobody really wanted to lose a team from this competition but it is clearly the best outcome for Australian rugby,"Pulver said."My sense is we now need a period of renewal in Australian rugby,which is why I have told the board that I will step aside as CEO once they have found a replacement.