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Lions lose arbitration case

Cape Town - The Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) has lost the arbitration case against its Super Rugby partners, the Leopards and the Pumas.

This comes after the Leopards and Pumas claimed they were owed millions as their percentage share in the profits of the Lions Super Rugby franchise.

According to supersport.com, the ruling could cost the Lions more than R5.5m over the next few weeks.

Judge WJ Hartzenberg ordered the Lions to immediately pay the amount of R2 565 000 to the Leopards for franchise fees owed for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.

The Pumas chose to write off debt they had at the Lions with their share of the award, but both unions are in for further payments as the division of the franchise fees for 2011/12 still need to be determined, and Hartzenberg ordered the parties to find an amicable agreement on the division of R6.6m for the two years within two days.

If no agreement can be made, the judge instructed the South African Rugby Union to step in.

This is the second major blow in as many weeks for the troubled union. Last week the South African Rugby Union ruled that the Southern Kings would be elevated to next year's Super Rugby competition at the expense of the Lions.

However, despite their recent woes, Lions president Kevin de Klerk ensisted this won't bring the union to its knees.

"We have lost, but we do have mechanisms in place to look at this. It won't bankrupt us," he told Rugby365.

The Lions take on Western Province in a Currie Cup clash in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 17:05.

Teams:

Golden Lions:

TBA

Western Province:

15. Gio Aplon, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Juan de Jongh (vice-captain), 12. Marcel Brache, 11. Ederies Arendse, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Louis Schreuder, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Tyrone Holmes, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. De Kock Steenkamp, 4. Don Armand, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Deon Fourie (captain), 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Dewaldt Duvenage, 21 JP du Plessis, 22 Kurt Coleman.

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