Players tell ARU to rethink release deal
Bret Harris | July 16, 2008

AUSTRALIA's rugby players have rejected the ARU's offer of a new early-release policy and instructed their union to re-open talks with the national governing body.

The ARU recently scrapped an agreement with the Rugby Players Association to grant an early release to players who had played 30 Tests or 55 Super rugby games.

This agreement had formalised an ad hoc practice where by the ARU let long-serving players out of their contracts to take up big offers from overseas clubs, whose season starts in September.

RUPA then requested that the ARU reinstate the policy, and a new criteria of 55 Tests and 85 Super games was put in place to qualify for early release.

But RUPA's membership voted against accepting the new criteria at its annual general meeting in Sydney last Tuesday.

The players asked RUPA's executive to go back to the negotiating table with the ARU and try to strike a better deal.

"We are still in healthy negotiations with the ARU," RUPA chief executive Tony Dempsey said. "We hope to have a conclusion shortly."

In the past it was older players or players who could not make the Wallabies who sought an early release to play overseas.

But now players in the prime of their careers such as Dan Vickerman and Rocky Elsom are heading to Europe to play rugby or study.

At the same time the ARU wants to protect its main asset, which is the players.

The players are also looking to have the timing of the standard contract changed from January 1 to December 31 to October 1 to September 30, which would do away with the need for an early release to play in Europe.

ARU chief executive John O'Neill was optimistic an agreement would be reached on the early-release policy.

"Getting closer. Just waiting for RUPA to come back on our 'peace in our time' paper," O'Neill said.

"I suspect we'll have something fairly shortly, but we've been handling cases like Elsom and Vickerman on a case by case, unique circumstances."

* Former Wallabies skills coach Scott Wisemantel has been appointed NSW Waratahs assistant coach for the next two years.

As predicted in The Australian several weeks ago, Wisemantel's appointment is the first step in finalising the Waratahs' coaching staff under new head coach Chris Hickey.

Wisemantel, who was the Waratahs' skills coach in 2001-2002 and Wallabies skills coach in 2004-2007, replaces Todd Louden, who is coaching Japanese club, Ricoh.

"Scott has extensive coaching experience," Hickey said. "It's a real plus to have someone of his calibre.

"He's a good thinker about the game. The game is in a state of evolution and you want someone who is thinking ahead of the changes and not behind them."

Players tell ARU to rethink release deal | The Australian