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Wallabies scupper tour trial over $2500
Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | September 22, 2009
A PROPOSED Possible-Probables match, which was to act as the final selection trial for the end of season grand slam tour, has been called off because of extraordinary pay demands from the Wallabies players.
The Herald has been told that the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association, after being recently approached by Wallabies players, demanded that the Australian Rugby Union pay each player $2500 to appear in the trial match.
This unexpected pay demand, which is understood to have been driven by several senior Wallabies, would have been over and above their already lucrative contracts with the ARU, which include them being paid an extra $11,000 each time they play a Test. The Wallabies' demands - which would have involved the 44 players selected for a trial match proposed for next month - would have meant the ARU footing an extra $110,000 bill.
It is known that senior ARU officials and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans were astounded and deeply disappointed when confronted by the demand from RUPA. They assumed the players would naturally want to play in the game as a way of confirming their selection in the historic grand slam tour - the first time the Wallabies have played England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland one one tour since the 1984 triumph, when Mark Ella scored a try in each Test.
As a result of the unbudgeted pay expense, the ARU in recent days decided not to go ahead with the trial. Due to its cancellation, it is believed there will instead be an open training session in Sydney, where fans will be able to watch the Wallabies in action before they head off for the spring tour. This dispute has been simmering for some time, with the ARU hoping that the Wallabies players would eventually see sense. However, that was not to be.It is believed that the original Possible-Probables match, which several decades ago was the traditional way of selecting a Wallabies squad for a northern hemisphere or even New Zealand tour, would have been played under lights. Several venues were proposed, including the
Sydney Football Stadium and North Sydney Oval. This trial would have also been the ideal way for fringe Wallabies to stake their claims just before the squad was selected. It is certainly a smarter way to determine form than relying on club performances, where the standard and competition is not as high. Also, as the club seasons around Australia are now in the finals stage, there are many potential Wallabies candidates unable to show the selectors their worth because their teams have already finished their seasons.
That is why the ARU and Deans looked so closely at the Possible-Probables match, believing it would give everyone a fair chance, as well as putting pressure on certain established Wallabies players who are badly out of form.
The Wallabies will go into a training camp in a few weeks to prepare for an extensive tour, which starts with the final Bledisloe Cup match in Tokyo on October 31, followed by an England Test at Twickenham on November 7. The Wallabies will get a rare chance to play at historic Croke Park in Dublin when they confront Ireland on November 15, before internationals against Scotland at Murrayfield on November 21 and Wales in Cardiff on November 28. Several midweek matches are also in the pipeline, and the Wallabies will leave for Tokyo with a sizeable squad that could include at least 35 players.
The senior players' stance, which has led to the trial abandonment, will hardly appease an agitated Wallabies spectator base, who can rightfully claim that they did not get value for money from their team during the Tri Nations. Apart from the triumph against the Springboks in Brisbane, the Wallabies have had a dreadful series, finishing wooden-spooners after several bad performances, including against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday night. After the Wellington debacle, this Possible-Probables match could have easily turned into a public relations dream. Instead its demise sadly reveals the cracks within the Wallabies player framework.
Sods. I feel very unappeased. To a fanbase who feels disillusioned by a disspirited Wallabies performance (or a couple really) the way they could really show us that they really do give a damn would be to battle it out against one another to earn their jerseys. For the kinds of salaries that those senior players would be on $2500 is nothing. It adds insult to injury.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
Maybe the senior players demanding the $2,500 were the ones worried that they might not get picked after a Probables v Possibles match.
CHEERLEADERS ROCK!!!
Stinks like a committee!
Generally speaking you aren’t learning much if your lips are moving!!!
Play the match anyway, use it as selection anyway. If Gits and Drew are so scared about losing their spots, maybe we don't need them.
I recognise that they're both great players in their own right, but arrogance such as this destroys team culture and weakens the spirit of the squad.......the leaders of this crock should be dismissed forthwith and the team should forge ahead with lesser talented players who actually want to play for their country.
If this isn't resolved, we're sunk for possibly the next couple of World Cups.
C'mon the![]()
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This is very disappointing and the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association should wake up and realise that their players play sport in a very competitive market place, with three other codes battling for support and $ . The poor tri-nations performance has done nothing to build the game and this prima donna stance by senior players will alienate those who spent hard earned cash in buying tickets to see substandard performances by the Wallabies this year
What a useless bunch of mercenaries
Is the trial match actually a Test? The article language looks a bit weasel-wordy to me on this.
If not, then asking for $2,500 instead of $11,000 probably isn't so bad. Especially since the ARU will no doubt make a squillion out of selling tickets to the match.
Having said that, only a complete idiot would ask for a payrise after turning in performances that would make a rotting corpse smell like the botanical gardens. Maybe they all think they are CEO's of publically listed companies?
no its an internal trial- you think they they would want to do it. how can they complain about not getting paid for an internal trial.
These guys earn more in one year than most people do in 3 or 4 years.
I say tell them they play for free or they don't get picked for the tour then see what happens.
Rule number one: take Grumbles with a pinch of salt. This version sounds more likely - they are not in the mood to play for free just to help out the NSWRU...
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Wallabies refuse to play the Baa-Baas
Bret Harris | September 22, 2009
THE NSW Rugby Union has refunded its members $120,000 following the cancellation of a proposed match between the Wallabies and the Australian Barbarians at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday week.
The match was to serve as a final selection trial for the Wallabies' tour of Tokyo and the Britain and to fill a void in the NSWRU's match schedule.
The NSWRU had included an Australia A game as part of its season package, but the ARU subsequently abolished the Australia A program.
As a result, the NSWRU approached the ARU to allow it to stage the Wallabies-Barbarians game, but the project was abandoned after players demanded a match fee.
"My inbound game each year is part of my package to sponsors," NSWRU chief executive Jim L'Estrange said. "It's normally an Australia A game, but after I sent it out to members the Australia A program was cancelled.
"We had been working with the ARU for a few months to get another inbound game. They were looking enthusiastically on another game before the boys (Wallabies) flew out.
"It made a lot of sense. A last trial for a few lads.
"At the end of the day it didn't get up for a combination of reasons. There was some issue in regard to availability of players and it fell into the too hard basket.
"The members wanted the game or their money back. I've had to refund $100,000 to $120,000."
The Rugby Union Players Association argued the players should be paid for playing in a high-profile match. The Wallabies are paid $11,000 a Test, although it is unlikely they would have asked for that much. It would have been closer to the $7500 fee they received for playing against the British Barbarians in Sydney in June.
"The players' attitude was if the game is being played for commercial gain, we want to be paid," RUPA chief executive Tony Dempsey said.
"If it was just an internal trial to select the touring team at North Sydney Oval, we wouldn't expect to be paid.
"The guys are entitled to a fee. We hadn't talked about it. It wouldn't have been a Test match fee. It's not in the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement). In that case we needed to have a negotiation and come to an agreement."
The ARU did not want to comment on the reasons why the game was cancelled, but expressed disappointment it was not being played.
The Wallabies will now play a Probables versus Possibles trial in Sydney as a selection decider for the tour, which will include the first Grand slam of Britain and Ireland in 25 years......
Full article
OK, if the game's still going ahead that's a different story, but I still think RUPA is on shaky ground here. Who here would pay moeny to sit and watch the newly proposed Possibles vs Probables trial at North Sydney oval? I know I'd be keen, the ARU would NEED to sell tickets to stop the ground being packed out by spectators, even if it was just to limit numbers for fire safety ($5.00 a ticket until they're sold out, then gates are closed) Do the players then deserve a match fee?
I'm still not too impressed that a match which the Wallaby structure is approaching as a selection trial is suffering a pay dispute even if the NSWRU are making a buck out of it. I guess the stink isn't necessarily all coming from the players though. Who stitched up such a deal anyway? does Jim LeStrange have photos of John O'Neil in compromising positions with underage waterfowl?
C'mon the![]()
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Now I'm confused... Bret Harris' article says that they WILL play an internal trial. Does this mean that they wll play, but it will not be open to the public to watch? If so that's just ridiculous.
bunch of prima donnas, on one hand the wallabies are doing there best to reconnect back to the community by playing club rugby, but then they pull out something like this..
Does the team not realise they won only 1 match in the tri-nations, they owe it to the fans if not themselves to at least put on a decent display for once.
---------- Post added at 12:39 ---------- Previous post was at 12:36 ----------
well considering the wallaby players got paid $11'000 for the last bledisloe but only put in 50% effort, they were overpaid $5'500, i think that should more then cover this trial match.
just call it a training session, play the game behind closed doors and pay them nothing......
I'm sure that's what will happen if the money grab kills it as an event.
I can't imagine Deans is satisfied with the performance of his team this year, if he is, my mate, who's accusing him of being a plant might start to attract a following.
C'mon the![]()
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That fowl was 18 when that photo was taken and the sex was consensual. It clucked two times for yes.
The players should get paid if its one group wanting the profit but if the profit were to go to the ARU or evenly spread amongst the 4 S14 teams (would it be that hard to organise that?) they shouldn't get paid. I can't believe Growden could be so shamelessly selective of the facts. I should know better though.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.