The absolute lack of coverage for Rugby League/Western Force by Channel 7/The West when so much support was mentioned in the fight to keep the Western Force alive.
Where' the support Kerry Stokes?
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The absolute lack of coverage for Rugby League/Western Force by Channel 7/The West when so much support was mentioned in the fight to keep the Western Force alive.
Where' the support Kerry Stokes?
You have a very suspicious mind. Which is probably well founded going off that long winded rant from the Chairman which never got around to actually deny that they are in deep financial do-do.
On the back of thie details of this ridiculous article, I’d love to see the proof of where $9mill has ACTUALLY been given to grassroots & community.
RA has insurance for Folau case but belt-tightening will hurt game
Israel Folau is taking Rugby Australia to court seeking damages for unlawful termination of his contract. Picture: AFP
Israel Folau is taking Rugby Australia to court seeking damages for unlawful termination of his contract. Picture: AFP
By JULIAN LINDEN
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
12:00AM JUNE 8, 201933 COMMENTS
Rugby Australia won’t go broke if it loses its legal battle with Israel Folau, because it has already taken out a $10 million insurance policy to cover any damages claims.
However, the sport’s governing body could still be faced with the bleak prospect of having to cut funding to important grassroots and professional programs *because the $10m covers only *employment practices liability.
The Weekend Australian understands the policy does not include legal fees and the $5m in salary the former Wallaby is also seeking as part of his application to the Fair Work Commission.
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Folau’s hefty salary is included in Rugby Australia’s budgets for the next four years but an early payout would leave a giant hole in the administration’s already tight finances for other programs.
Backed by a top barrister and a commercial law form, Folau is suing Rugby Australia and NSW Rugby for unlawful termination of his contract, saying he was fired for his religious beliefs.
He is seeking $5m in salary, under the Fair Work Act, plus damages.
He has not specified the amount of compensation he’s after but his lawyers said the figure “will be substantial”, which translates to millions given Folau’s superstar status in the game.
The $10m liability cover means Rugby Australia won’t go bust even if it loses the case, but it will take a massive hit.
The knock-on effect of having to fork out a $5m lump sum payment and pay legal costs will have catastrophic implications for everyone else in the game, from professionals to grassroot participants.
For now, Rugby Australia remains confident it will win the case, arguing that Folau was sacked for breaching his employment contract, not for his religious beliefs.
The independent panel that heard his case agreed, finding the 30-year-old guilty of a high-level breach of the code of conduct and recommended his contract be ripped up.
As such, no decisions have yet been made on which programs will face funding cuts, but if Folau wins, someone else will lose in the hip pocket.
Rugby Australia made a $5.2m profit last year after generating revenues of $120m, but is forecasting a loss this year because of the World Cup, making any decisions about funding cuts even more gut wrenching.
Rugby Australia pumped $9m into community rugby last year, to cover the costs of various programs for schoolchildren, women, indigenous players, referees and coaches in all states and territories in Australia, involving 271,000 participants.
But Rugby Australia says it will never shut down its popular *grassroots programs, so any cuts will have to be spread across the game.
Therefore, it could also have an *effect on national and state teams that Folau used to be part of.
Rugby Australia spent $9.2m on high performance and national teams last year as well as $16.8m on player payments.
The team costs for the Wallabies was $9.7m and the national sevens teams, including the *champion women’s side, which won the Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, were given $5.7m.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
The RA are paying premiums on a policy that is useless. I am not surprised in the lack of due diligence there.
Jesus those figures are garbage. Interestingly the amount of $9m is mentioned at 3 times...I suspect Chinese Whispers has conflated several instances
A public liability policy will:
(a) have been in place for many, many years,
(b) not respond to the action referred to.
Some form of Statutory Liability, or Business Practices Protection with EPL extension policy, however...
Is it true tha5 Scott Johnson didn’t bother to check out the Force when he was here? If so, it’s a mockery on Castles claim that RA have included the Force for selection. The excuse being given is that the Force level isn’t good enough standard. Hope to hell that Tim is gonna make sure the Force walk away with the NRC win this season!
Watching a bit of NPC today and got to wondering; in these strange sport deprived and cash strapped times; are the Taranaki Bulls the first team to come up with the innovative butt-crack sponsorship?? Or is it just a skid mark of history?? :)
The FU***RS that are more than happy to get well paid to represent Australia in all forms of sport but refuse to sing our national anthem...Make it a pre requisite.
Dont think there’s enough cycnical emojis to do this article justice:
Clarke sails off into sunset with rugby all battened down
Outgoing Rugby Australia chief executive Rob Clarke with RA chairman Hamish McLennan. Picture: Getty Images
Outgoing Rugby Australia chief executive Rob Clarke with RA chairman Hamish McLennan. Picture: Getty Images
WAYNE SMITH
SENIOR SPORT WRITER
6:32PM JANUARY 29, 20218 COMMENTS
It’s very difficult to fight the nautical theme where Rob Clarke is concerned, given that Friday was his last day at Rugby Australia before he sets off to sail around the Mediterranean, but it is fair to say he came on board a sinking ship in May and managed to get the pumps started.
RA still has not managed to navigate its way entirely through the maze of reefs but Clarke will hand over to his successor, former SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos, in the knowledge that the worst is behind the code.
In the nine months since he was asked by acting RA chairman Paul McLean to step into the breach for three months, Clarke has steered rugby through the Covid crisis, scaled down and restructured the organisation, secured Federal Government funding for the 2027 World Cup bid, jury-rigged the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Rugby Union Players Association and negotiated a new broadcast deal with Stan and Nine.
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“I didn’t really know what to expect when I started in May other than that I knew we were getting into difficult waters,” Clarke said, himself waxing nautical.
“Like most businesses last year – and it possibly will remain like that this year – you just had to deal with what came at you. You didn’t know what was going to come but you sure knew that something was coming.”
Rob Clarke took over with the code in the midst of a crisis
Rob Clarke took over with the code in the midst of a crisis
What came hardest was the need to savagely trim back the staff at headquarters but he believes the cutbacks were sad but necessary.
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“I think the reductions that we had to make have made us a more efficient and effective organisation. That said, we will need to prioritise our efforts around the initiatives and objectives that are most important. Because we simply won’t have the arms and legs to be able to do everything concurrently.”
Was anything in danger of slipping through the cracks because the survivors at RA were simply overstretched? “You will have to watch that over time,” he said. “I expect the ground is going to keep moving and that will determine the priorities. But certainly last year the priorities were survival and keeping the lights on. And we were able to achieve that and now the game has a solid foundation that Andy and the team can build upon.
“But it is still going to be a Covid challenged year and there still needs to remain an element of nimbleness and determination that make sure the game continues to push forward.”
At present, the Wallabies are expected to play three Tests against France in July, followed by the standard six Tests during The Rugby Championship, with the year to be rounded off with the spring tour in November.
It was more chairman Hamish McLennan’s baby than Clarke’s but the outgoing CEO leaves knowing that the Wallabies jersey has been locked in colour-wise. The greats of the game assembled in Sydney and Brisbane on Thursday night to vote for the 1991 World Cup jersey as the model to be followed.
So while there is still no front-of-jersey sponsor to be announced yet to replace Qantas, the Wallabies have very much returned to the gold standard.
Nick Farr-Jones, left, and David Campese with the World Cup in 1991. The gold jersey of that era has been locked in as the colout to be used heading into the future
Nick Farr-Jones, left, and David Campese with the World Cup in 1991. The gold jersey of that era has been locked in as the colout to be used heading into the future
“But we are going to have to watch how the vaccination strategy works both here and internationally to make sure that all of that content can be delivered,” he warned.
Clarke admitted that reports of the Wallabies have to take savage cut in their match payments were essentially correct. “The final elements of that will come out in due course but the players and RUPA have been extremely professional and co-operative.”
McLennan described Clarke as “a man of character”, one who had stepped into the breach.
“When Rob was appointed, he was tasked with getting rugby up and running again and he’s accomplished that better than anyone could have imagined,” McLennan said.
“On a personal note, it’s sad to see Rob go, he is a true servant of the game and we have formed a great partnership; however I know he won’t be lost to us in the future,” McLennan said
The RA chairman said he was looking forward to working with Marinos although he can hardly have helped but be aware of all the “Hamish and Andy” jokes now doing the rounds about the RA leadership team.
And on that note, Clarke sailed off into the sunset.
Lets not forget that Rob Clarke was the executioner for Clyne and Pulver during the axing the Force 3 years ago and then jumped ship straight into the CEO role at the surviving Melbourne Rebels. When he presented his "business plan" to the RugbyWA board at the time, Chairman John Edwards said it was the worst business plan he had every seen.
On the surface, he has helped the RA in the recent TV contracts etc in the past 9 months and avoided any major problems. How much of the bad stuff was due to previously following instructions from Pulver and Chairman Clyne and then the recent good stuff was guidance from Chairman Hamish McClennan? We dont know.
The Fkn low life scum that lit the fires in an around Yallingup yesterday, thank goodness it started raining early evening.
Being told to call back on day 5 after waiting 4 days for a test result widely advertised as taking 1 to 3 days...
Ash Barty winning the Summer Series WTA event today. Her trophy? A replica of Fatso the Fat Arse Wombat. :S