The Australian Wallabies during the team training session in Brisbane, Friday, July 4, 2008. AAP Image/Dave Hunt
At 6.45am on Tuesday, my phone rang. It was Geoff Mould and he was as mad as hell about the demand by some senior Wallabies for $2,500 to play a trial match before the overseas tour.
Mould is a rugby guru.
He coached and selected the 1978 Australian Schoolboys side which is, arguably, the best rugby side produced in Australia. He spotted the Ella brothers at Matraville High, and had a lot to do with their development as master players and thinkers about the game.
Now he was incensed.
“Sorry to ring you so early,” he told me. “I can’t believe it, this story in the Herald about the players refusing to play a trial match unless they are paid $2,500. This mob of poofters couldn’t beat their aunt fanny even if she was playing in a wheelchair. Just play the game, and those who refuse to play unless they are paid, can miss out on the tour!”
According to Tony Dempsey, the chief executive of the Rugby Union Players Association, the players trade union, they were happy to play for nothing: “If it was just an internal trial to select the touring team at North Sydney Oval, we wouldn’t expect to be paid.”
But what RUPA objected to, according to Dempsey, was playing a high profile match put on by the NSWRU as part of their season schedule. The Australian reported that the amount of money RUPA wanted for this high profile match was around $7,500.
This figure is much higher than the figure quoted by Greg Growden in the SMH, in his story of the episode.
He reported that RUPA was approached by some senior Wallabies about the match and the demand of $2,500 a player to play in it was made on the ARU by RUPA.
According to Growden, it was the ARU, not the NSWRU, that decided not to go ahead with the match. Growden also reported that the dispute had been simmering for some time before the ARU decided to pull the plug on the idea.
This version of the affair fits what I knew, or was being told, over the past month or so about the possibility of the game.
It may be that both versions are correct and that the NSWRU tried unsuccessfully to get its Wallabies-Australian Barbarians trial game up, and that the ARU also failed to get its Possibles-Probables trial up too.
It is clear that that if a rampant demand for money had not been made by RUPA, there would have been a trial match, probably under the auspices of the ARU, which has run similar matches many times in the past.
There is a back story to all of this.
When News Ltd made its offer to support a SANZAR Super Rugby tournament and a Tri-Nations tournament on Pay TV, Channel 9 (with the ruthless Kerry Packer in charge) tried to destroy the concept by creating a rebel rugby organisation.
The chief organisers among the players for the rebels were Sean Fitzpatrick, Francois Pienaar and Phil Kearns, the then captains of the All Blacks, the Springboks and the Wallabies.
The Australian part of this troika played hard ball to get its way, to the extent of banning John Eales from meetings between the players and dismissing Eales as ‘old jellyback’ for his refusal to sell out the Wallaby jersey to Packer.
When a settlement was made between the rebel players and the ARU, the union was really hammered in the agreement. John O’Neill came on board as CEO of the ARU after other executives found that they could run rugby in Australia when most of the money coming in went out to the players.
RUPA, which was bankrolled by the ARU, has fought O’Neill persistently and viciously as he tried to get a more equitable dispersal of the News Ltd monies to promote and grow rugby in Australia.
This latest disgrace is part of the continuing battle, it seems to me, between RUPA and O’Neill, a battle in which, again in my opinion, RUPA has invariably been in the wrong.
The irony in all of this is that the Australian players this season have not justified the lavish payments being made to them.
There were no Australian Super 14 sides in the finals. And the Wallabies have had a poor year which ended in the All Blacks scoring their fifth largest victory since 1903 over them.
Not long after I took Mould’s phone call, I exchanged some pleasantries with a neighbour, Patrick, who lives across the street. “Weren’t the Wallabies terrible on Saturday,” he called out to me. “I can’t bear to watch them any more.”
When Patrick said that, the thought came to me that right now the Wallabies should be paying us money to watch them, not the other way around.
Roy Kneebone
Guest
His name is David harvey, won the Ken Catchpole medal last year for best player in the comp. Has signed with an Italian team. Another one we let go. Doesnt suprise us
Chris Beck
Guest
Greg Russell's comment above reminds me of a scene in the Clint Eastwood movie "Heartbreak Ridge." One morning Eastwood has the platoon out in front of the barracks and he says he wants the place all squared away for inspection. The platoon protests, so he takes a vote. "How many of you think the barracks is ready to go as is?" Everyone puts up their hands. "There you go - democracy in action." Big smiles all around the platoon. Eastwood: "We'll run instead."
AC
Guest
Don't know what you're talking about regarding Tuqiri. Like any other employee, he was warned, warned again, and got sacked on his final indiscretion. Tough luck. Good on the ARU for being strong. Maybe I'm one of the fooled ones though, thinking that a sporting body actually has the guts to discipline players when the precedent from the other contact football codes is to molly coddle the players.
damos_x
Guest
would it be any wonder that the players have a look after number one attitude after they see team-mates shunted under the auspices of 'dicipline' issues when it suits the ARU ( Tuqiri) & their incessant recruitment of league players over developing talent ( no irony intended that both of these examples fit Tuqiri) so no wonder they are "greedy".In fact the Tuqiri fiasco is the perfect example, his signing cost not only the millions in wages but also more than one younger player who would have received the benefit of the proper disbursement of these funds to training facilities etc. The whole period is stained by both the controversy of big money recruitment & the discipline or lack thereof shown by Lote at different times which affects public opinion & therefore the image & sponsorship thus further damaging rugby ( this is not a criticism of Tuqiri or his play etc, merely the view that for all the good it has been outweighed by the negative effects of the actions of the ARU) & to top it off the story ends with a completely bungled & possibly illegal sacking of a player who in the not too distant past was the man who was the face of Australian rugby. That no-one is fooled by the ARU's insistence that it has acted properly in sacking him is another blow to such a proud & honourable sport. At it's most extreme, public opinion now has the ARU seen as a bunch of liars who think we are all idiots & the Wallabies a lot of soft self-centred whingers more interested in accounting & hairstyles than getting blood on the sacred jersey. Harsh & mostly far from the truth but perhaps a spade really is a spade. For me the ultimate irony is that 2 former league players who shunned or were shunned by the ARU when changing codes ( Gasnier & Gower) will prove to have been among the best of the converts & they have had nothing to do with the ARU. What a contrast to the mess we have seen regarding the likes of Tuqiri & Rogers.
Amband
Guest
Mould would make a good Wallaby coach
Amband
Guest
you wanna kow who's ruining the game. Look at who's running it! Same with any group, organisation of any kind
AndyS
Guest
As a passing thought, does anyone have any insight into the deal with RUPA? I have generally seen it presented as simplistically as a percentage of take goes into the player payment pool, out of which the match payments and retainers then come. If that was an accurate representation, would there be anything to stop the ARU reducing the guaranteed payments and contracting more players (perhaps over time)? That would seem to fulfil several requirements, making match payments a bigger part of any Wallaby players income and increasing the competition for those match payments. And could RUPA argue that there are too many professional players, or that one group of their players require preference over other players they also represent?
Worlds Biggest
Guest
JON should have taken on Dempsey here. Any player not involved in the trial will not go on the Spring Tour. Could the Wallabies alienate there supporters any further from this point ?
AndyS
Guest
That would have been a nice one - to fund the travel of junior teams like that school team that had to scrape together $70k to go to the World Youth Tournament in Japan, or offset the cost of the schoolboys team. Or perhaps use it as a way to get the ARS back up and running for the amateur game again...
Harry
Guest
Bob, The fish rots from the head. This week has revealed a dramatic and clear lack of leadership at both the ARU and the Wallabies playing and coaching leaders. I 100% agree the structure under the Wallabies needs restucuring and deepening and more money spent on it. The problem is that Wallaby players are hogging the overwhelming bulk of the revenue and have adopted under RUA and "entitlement" mentality. There are very compelling arguments they are overpaid when benchmarking their remuneration and performance against 1) other nations and 2) other code in Australia. I strongly disagree the current playing sqad "aren't that bad" ... they have been content to settle for second-best for 6 years and counting, with little improvement demonstrated or, more tellingly, effort and will to improve demonstrated. During this time the team have pocketed large and I would contend undeserved rewards while the fabric of the Australian game has been seriously undermined.
Mick of Newie
Guest
Please ignore the following ignorant post from a non rugby person. This current round gnashing of teeth is quite amusing. For the last 30 years I have watched a lot of sport and occasionally a bit of rugby. With the exception of a couple of periods NZ have been better than Australia. I am told historically SA were the greatest rugby nation. My point is, isn't the current season pretty much normal transmission for the Wallabies.
Gerrard
Guest
Damn and we were crucified for wearing armbands. They bring disrepute to the game and there NATION.
bob
Guest
Sam T, I agree, there is a real need for a pro "attitude" to go with the pro conditions... and representing your country should be the aim, the dream... not the sports car that comes with it. But The squad isn't that bad... it's sickening when a team capitulates, on any level, but especially when they wear your nations shirt, and it makes you angry... but the squad, a week before were heroes... as most of us are players and ex-players, we need to remember that one bad game, or even one bad season does not equal disaster or treachery. The real isssue is where the young players are coming from, and wher ethe paying public are able to see high class club games... not just S14... the issue for me is that the whole depth of aussie rugby has be looked at... a few guys here have mentioned that the junior game is in trouble and I assume they have direct experience of the game, where I am just assuming and using anecdotal observation.... but something is wrong, and not just amongst the current wallabie, who I still maintain, are not that bad!
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Westy and Harry - I genuinely thought this practice would stop with O'Neil handling the control of negotiations. It is a bit understandable as they were trying to ward off attacks by rugby league, as in the amateur era, but even that is hard to understand given most people know what the leaguies get paid. Overseas is a big call if you haven't established your self in the Wallabies. The list is full of players who played less than 10 games and it makes up about 70% from memory. Hold on I'll get the real numbers: Players 492 >Ten games 62.80487805 One game15.04% two games12.60% 3 games 27.64% My stats finish in 2006 with Sheehan on one game but I dont think that wil skew things too much.
Harry
Guest
Westy I have similar insight into precisely what one of our (underperforming and with clear areas of his game to improve) blond bleached backs was being paid a season - $650,000. Thats way above what he could earn in league and even above the easy Japanese money - this same guy told me most of the players in Japan earn around 300,000 to 400,000 a season in Japan, but that it is worth a lot more because its effectively tax free and they live for free, plus get generous deals in putting up family - good house, cars, etc. Your point is a good one on the ARU's negotiating ability. Some reality and pay for performance alignment needs to occur. If this means more players going overseas, so be it. Its not as if the Walls and Australian rugby players are setting the world on fire anymore - no Australian team in the S14 semis, 2 S14 titles in 14 years, 7 years no Bledisloe, Quarter-final humiliation in the last world cup, wooden spoon in this year's 3N.
fox
Guest
Theere is a stark difference in attitudes, but these 3 players are playing for positions. As someone said earlier, the incumbents have no interest in playing internal trials or other matches because they are just that: incumbents.
allblackfan
Guest
Contrast this story with this one about Wellington's All Blacks forsaking a Hawaiian holiday and two weeks leave to help their NPC teammates http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/provincial/2892317/Wellingtons-All-Blacks-shun-holiday The contrast in attitudes couldn't be more stark!
Dingbat
Guest
It's sad to witness this Aussie implosion.
Bob McGregor
Guest
Here's another approach to player payment in Tests. Full negotiated pay for a win; 50% of pay for a draw and 25% for a loss and 15% if beaten by record scoreline. If greed is the motivating factor we should experience far more wins against top 8 countries in future. If my memory is correct, ARL teams of the 50's/60's were paid on results. Perhaps the ARU should think along similar lines? If money was the motivating factor then there would be a mass exodus to Nth Hemisphere for the 'cash'. At least those that remained would have sacrificed to represent their country and odds would favour they would strive to nth degree and probably succeed.
Tahriffc
Guest