BILL Pulver has survived an Australian Rugby Union extraordinary general meeting while a decision to remove a Super Rugby club for 2018 and beyond was upheld in Sydney on Tuesday.

The meeting had been triggered by the Victorian Rugby Union and the Rugby Union Players Association amid an environment of widespread discontent in Australian rugby.

ARU chairman Cameron Clyne addressed media after the EGM and said that there had been no challenge to the leadership of Pulver, the organisation’s under-fire chief executive.

Pulver told Fairfax Media before the meeting that if there was a mood for change in the room then he would be happy to stand down.

But Clyne told reporters there was no such baying for blood during what he described as constructive conversations.

“This is not about pointing fingers,” Clyne said.

There were three topics on the agenda at ARU HQ on Tuesday.

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Australian Rugby Union chairman Cameron Clyne and CEO Bill Pulver. Source: News Corp Australia

The first was whether it is in Australia’s best interests to have five Super Rugby teams until 2020, the second whether the ARU should reconsider its decision to axe a team and the third whether it should create a Super Rugby commission to help govern that aspect of the game.

Clyne said the first two motions were defeated and the third was upheld.

The ARU has committed to facilitating a forum to discuss the potential for the establishment of a commission.

Clyne did not reveal details of the voting in what he said was a secret ballot.

“The majority of members have voted in support of going from five teams to four,” Clyne said.

“The motion that did pass was to facilitate a discussion around the establishment of a Super Rugby commission.

“We’ve had that commission in the past so we’re very comfortable to have that discussion and work out as to whether we do establish that in the future.”

Australian Rugby Union chairman Cameron Clyne speaks to the media. Source: AAP

The Force and the Rebels remain the two Australian teams on the chopping block but both have taken significant legal action to protect their interests.

Pulver’s contract ends in February and it is considered unlikely he will seek to extend his stay beyond that.

Clyne expressed sympathy for the affected clubs and admitted his now infamous initial statement that a team would be removed “within 48-72 hours” was unwise in hindsight.

But he said the ARU’s core stance had not changed: five Super Rugby teams were seen as unsustainable from both a financial and performance perspective.

The savings from cutting a team would be redirected predominantly into grassroots rugby.

Clyne declined to give an updated estimate of when a team may be cut.

“We’ve got teams obviously that are looking to stay in the competition so we can’t really control that time frame,” Clyne said.

The ARU and Rugby WA enter arbitration talks in August while the Rebels are privately owned and would be more difficult to cut.

“As we’ve said right from the outset, it was a difficult decision but we are here because our on-field performance and financial performance are not where they need to be,” Clyne said.

“We want to see success, and although this has been a difficult process, we believe that this gives us an opportunity to improve that and the majority of members agree.

“We acknowledge that this process has had an impact on the health of our game, and most importantly on our people including players at the Super Rugby clubs.

“We are trying to bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible to give everyone in the game the certainty they deserve, though there are some factors out of our control.”