Having been forced into a corner by the arbitration hearing of Springbok Jaque Fourie, the Golden Lions Rugby Union are now "sticking to the letter of the law".

That is why they have not signed off on a number of players planning to leave the union - including Fourie, heading to the Stormers, as well as Willem Alberts and Louis Ludik, who have both been named in the Sharks' pre-season training squad.

Kevin de Klerk, President of the Golden Lions Rugby Union, confirmed in an interview with rugby365.com that they have not yet signed the clearance certificates for these players.

De Klerk admitted that Alberts and Ludik have exactly the same 'loophole' in their contracts that saw Fourie win his arbitration case - a fact that was also confirmed by Piet Heymans, the CEO of the South African Rugby Players Association.

However, the GLRU are standing their ground that the correct procedures - in getting the players signed off - must now be followed.

"All we want is, as the regulations require, that a formal offer for these players be put on the table ... in writing," De Klerk told iafrica.com.

He added that they have been forced to take this hardball stance because of the unpleasant nature of the Fourie saga, which forced the GLRU to not only resign the bulk of their players, but also require them to follow 'the letter of the law'.

"All we want is for those unions to forward the documentation [written offers] to us, as we still have the right to match any offers. It doesn't mean we will do so, but they must also follow the correct procedures," De Klerk said, adding that they won't hold players at the union against their will.

"Those regulations apply to everybody, so it is not unfair of us to expect everybody to adhere to them. We have been forced into this situation through the [Jaque Fourie] arbitration process."

De Klerk also said they are unhappy about the fact that Alberts and Ludik are already training in Durban, which is also against the 'letter of the law', as they have not been signed off by the Lions.

Fourie will only join up with the Stormers once he returns from the Springboks' year-end tour in December. However, should the stand-off persist, he will also be in breach of regulations if he starts training with the Cape franchise, as he has not been formally signed off.

Heymans confirmed that there is unhappiness with the Lions' unwillingness to sign off on their departing players.

The matter has been referred to the South African Rugby Union.

Christo Ferreira, General Manager Laws and Regulations at SARU, told iafrica.com that advocate Jannie Lubbe has been appointed to "look into" the matter.

"He must decide if they [the GLRU] are entitle not to give a clearance for those players to move and also decide on the GLRU's claims that a formal offer must be on their [the GLRU] table before such clearance can be given," Ferreira said.

"Hopefully we'll have his [Lubbe's] decision by early next week," Ferreira added.

Heymans, while having sympathy for the GLRU's position, feels they may well be delaying the process unnecessary.

"It may be counter-productive to take this stance, as the principle has been established in the Jaque Fourie case. They [the GLRU] will have to decide if this is all worth it," Heymans said.

He confirmed that GLRU CEO Manie Reynecke has not yet contacted him, while the players' agent, Peet van Zyl, had met with the GLRU CEO this week. Fourie, Ludik, and Alberts all have the same agent ? Van Zyl.

Alberts and Ludik, despite the GLRU's protestations, are officially part of the Sharks' Super 14 training squad.

Ludik is undergoing rehabilitation, following his knee surgery earlier this year.

A third Lion, lock, Gerhard Mostert, is also been part of the Sharks' training squad.