Less than a month on from winning the rights to host the World Cup, rugby’s standing in the United States has taken a serious credibility hit with the disqualification of Australian-owned Major League Rugby teams LA and Austin.
Multiple reports on Wednesday say the Adam Gilchrist-owned LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis have been expelled from the season-ending playoffs for alleged salary cap breaches, although that has been questioned.
Austin were expelled last week and LA, home for former Wallabies star Matt Giteau and formerly coached by Darren Coleman of the Tahs, were stood aside on Wednesday with a brief social media statement from MLR.
MLR’s comment so far has been restricted to a social media said it had no comment to add to a brief statement on social media, which said: “Due to a violation of league rules, the LA Giltinis have been disqualified from the 2022 Major League Rugby competition.”
Gilchrist is the Australian founder of the F45 fitness business.
Former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles coaches the LA team, and ex-Wallabies star Ashley-Cooper serves as an assistant after playing last year. Another former Wallaby, Adam Freier, is the Giltinis general manager.
While the MLR satement gave little away in terms of the reasoning, former Wallaby and Stan Sport expert Drew Mitchell said LA were not disqualified for salary cap breaches.
‘It would mean the world’
The Blues’ big guns are well known but one of their top performers this campaign has yet to putt on an All Blacks jersey, although that should change soon.
Stephen Perofeta has been outstanding and many expect him to be named in the squad to play Ireland when Ian Foster announces it on Monday.
“From what I’ve seen and his development in the last 12 months, he’s certainly one of the best players in the competition,” Beauden Barrett told stuff.co.nz.
“He’s hard to handle at the moment, is really decisive, and I’m just stoked for him.”
Perofeta said he has always idolised Barrett and his game has benefitted from being in the same squad.
“He’s a great player. I had a mindset shift of how can I better myself through his experience? The biggest barrier I had to break down was just to ask for help … so I’m clear and he’s clear on what we need from each other.,” he said.
“Once I broke that we started to build that relationship that is really having positive spinoffs on the field.”
Perofeta will play another big role against the Brumbies in Auckland.
“The occasion is going to be huge but we’re here because of the work we’ve done and our love of the preparation,” he said.
“We’ve got to commit to that again, and then it’s about turning up and trusting what we’ve done all year, and this week in particular.”
And as for All Blacks selection?
“It would mean the world,” he said. “My journey has been quite different, and probably not the smoothest of runs. With the sacrifices I’ve gone through and my family always in my corner, it would be huge.
“In this environment now the coaches and players have made this season so enjoyable, and it’s allowed us all to flourish, to stand out and enjoy our footy.”
Paul Cully joins Brett McKay and Harry Jones to look ahead at the semi finals in the latest edition of The Roar Rugby Podcast.
RTS makes big leap forward
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is timing his run into the All Blacks selection perfectly.
After an injury hit start, the former NRL star has been building momentum and won plaudits for his efforts against the Highlanders last week – which included his first SRP try.
“I think it was Roger’s best round. I just think he was fantastic not only on attack but defensively he seems to be just getting better and better each week,” former All Blacks hooker James Parsons told the Aotearoa Rugby Podcast.
“In a big match when they were under pressure he really stood up and delivered.
“Roger is just getting better and better. He looks ready for that [test] level of intensity.”
Crusaders No.9 Bryn Hall agreed that RTS has strong claims for All Black selection.
Roger Tuivasa-Scheck. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)
“I think that match put him in the All Blacks I think if I’m being honest,” Hall said. “We’ve talked around these kind of games, being able to play against the Australian teams builds his confidence.
“Then getting a game against the Highlanders and playing a game like that, I think that game puts him in the All Black frame.”
Tuivasa-Sheck had one try, two clean breaks, four defenders beaten, and 68 running metres on 11 carries against the Highlanders.
RTS faces challenges from a host of rivals for the ABs No. 12 jersey with Quinn Tupaea, Jordie Barrett, Jack Goodhue and David Havili all in the conversation.
Jones reject wins gong
Yet again a player deemed not good enough for Eddie Jones’ England set up has scooped the English Premiership’s top award.
Saracens flanker Ben Earl, who was ignored for England for the past 15 months, won the award ahead of Harlequins centre André Esterhuizen, Leicester’s Julian Montoya and the former England duo of George Ford and Danny Care.
In recent seasons Sam Simmonds, Jack Willis and Danny Cipriani have all been crowned the domestic player of the season after failing to force their way into the England starting XV.
Worrying times for Premiership players
England’s Kyle Sinckler has warned of ‘worrying times ahead’ as the Premiership faces a financial crisis.
The Welsh regions have culled around 50 players to counter financial issues brought on by Covid.
Sinckler has warned on Twitter that nearly 100 Premiership players will lose their jobs.
“Nearly 100 Premiership rugby players will now be without a club for the 22/23 season,” he wrote. “Nothing to do with their rugby ability just finances. Worrying times ahead.”
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Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Sorry NM. Just trying to be critical of those owners whose only incentive has been the winning of the club comp and not interested in developing local players for the international game. The French and Japanese understood the folly of this and took steps to limit the number of foreigners playing. Thank goodness we don’t have that ownership system south of the equator, except maybe in the case of Melbourne. But there’s a lot that they haven’t sorted out yet.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
No wonder he got fit. Thanks. Enjoy your day.
Markus
Roar Rookie
"American sports are (generally) proud of their attempts to achieve parity" Good to know. Because much of the online commentary I see around it equates salary caps and preferential draft picks to communism (as Americans tend to do for many things they hold a personal dislike for, no matter how completely irrelevant or outright loony).
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
"Are they playing that much more though?" Yes, they are. A Super Rugby player may play ~15 games a season, barring injury. A player in the English Premiership or French Top 14 may play double that number of games a season (also barring injury). Will Skelton played 77 games for Saracens in 3 years (average 26 a year) with 34 games in the '18-'19 season alone. In 5 years at the Waratahs he played 64 games (average 13 a year).
Kick n Clap
Guest
This statement is for everybody who thinks everything “Rosey in the Garden” with Rugby Union? “Worrying times for Premiership players England’s Kyle Sinckler has warned of ‘worrying times ahead’ as the Premiership faces a financial crisis. The Welsh regions have culled around 50 players to counter financial issues brought on by Covid.” Sinckler has warned on Twitter that nearly 100 Premiership players will lose their jobs. “Nearly 100 Premiership rugby players will now be without a club for the 22/23 season,” he wrote. “Nothing to do with their rugby ability just finances. Worrying times ahead.” It also summed up Jeff Parling’s TOTAL ignorance to the actual sporting Landscape of the UK. St Helen’s are still the best British Rugby Club in the UK and take it from me Wigan Warriors & Leeds Rhinos are Giants against a bunch of ex-Saffa’s at Sale Sharks who no one in the Manchester area has a remote interest in. For Jeff to think as a “Geordie “ that Newcastle people are also interested in RU is a total joke. All of them think every August is that they are going to win the premiership and every year they are in the bottom 4 or relegated. With European RL we will stick to having to having the best comp we can afford?
Harry Selassie
Roar Rookie
I always thought World Cup organisation is something distinct from the host nation's rugby organising body. There may be some cross over to give "rugby people" a say but most leading a World Cup organising committee are those used to organising large events or are sports administrators not the national rugby football union. If so that bodes well for the USA as that is a nation used to organising big events even if USA Rugby is not.
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
I had another look earlier today for a reason and everything is just hearsay pointing towards Austin broke the salary cap and the old "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" analogy with regards to LA. It will come out soon enough and I hope it is a legit reason and not just something petty. You are right.. USA rugby did go broke. I will have to look up who is running the show now.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
And USA rugby also went bankrupt some time ago. Speaking of integrity, did MLR disclose the reasons? Nope!
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
I don’t think so. MLRis a separate group affiliated with USA rugby. I have no beef with them kicking out teams if they are breaking the rules. Integrity in a competition is important.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
And these are the people that will organize the RWC. :angry: :shocked:
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
Are they playing that much more though? With the number of competitions each club plays in, there’s a need for large squads and player rotation. When clubs like Bath and Toulon ,I think, cant sustain themselves, something’s going to give. Remember also that the French Union has already limited the number of foreign players per club. While we think we have financial problems in the SH, I don’t believe the NH, other than perhaps Japan, is any where near sustainable. Maybe we will achieve parity.
adastra32
Roar Rookie
Nobody likes EJ (inc. me) but the players ‘awarded & then ignored’ is a tad disingenuous. Simmonds has had a run of Eng games (now crocked); Willis started his int’l career & then got injured for a year, and Cipriani’s was a ‘sunset’ award.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
Sorry BF I don't understand. Owners clearly care about winning the "club comp" or those foreign players wouldn't be playing there?
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
NM, if I’m an English owner I’m employing England eligible players, or do I just care about winning the club comp and to heck with the international game? As for the sandpit, I’d rather the beaches of Queensland than the boulders of Oamaru.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
BF, We can do that now can't we? Why aren't they playing here? I think we all know the reason for that and there is no sign of it changing. If I was RA I would be on the phone to every AU eligible player as well as young potentially AU eligible players and saying G'day. How good does life in AU look now to good rugby players now out of, or potentially out of a job? Screw NZ, they want to play in the sandpit but not put any sand in it. Cheers
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
You should probably blame French rugby more than the English premiership, then. Bigger salaries (salary cap is ~50% higher) for similar attendances to English rugby. However, both French and English rugby seasons are double the length of Super Rugby, so you have to expect the players get paid more if they are playing twice the number of matches.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
French clubs in both the top and second division haven’t helped either. There’s also the effect Japanese clubs, in top and second division, have had on the world situation. Actually, it’s the clubs in the SH that haven’t been forcing the salary acceleration. The private owners in the NH may finally have come to the end of their largesse. The Japanese company clubs are going to be a different story.
Busted Fullback
Roar Rookie
I’d rather employ a few kiwis... and that’s a big NO from me.
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
American sports are (generally) proud of their attempts to achieve parity and breaking the salary caps can lead to fines, reduced caps in subsequent years and loss of draft picks. Never heard of a side being barred from the playoffs, though.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
At some stage as it was only a matter of time before the premiership clubs got themselves financially in trouble. Karma has arrived which will hopefully help the Southern Hemisphere countries to retain and bring back talent.