Coronavirus: Aussie rugby players demand more of a say over future as code prepares to enter dark times

No football code in Australia is facing a more uncertain time than rugby and the players are irate, claiming they have not been allowed to contribute to discussions or even be told about what’s happening.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 17: Rugby Australia Chief Executive Raelene Castle speaks to the media during a press conference at Jones Bay Wharf on March 17, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

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The Australian players’ union has launched a scathing attack on Rugby Australia, accusing the sport’s governing body of shutting them out of critical talks to decide the future of the game.

No football code in the country is facing a more uncertain time than rugby during the coronavirus lockdown and the players are fuming, claiming they have not been allowed to contribute to discussions or even be told about what’s happening.

“Rugby Australia and the Rugby Union Players Association should be partners in this process to navigate their way together through this crisis,” RUPA CEO Justin Harrison said.

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Raelene Castle will reportedly hold a conference to address the players’ concerns on Monday.

“RUPA members and the game’s stakeholders are frustrated. There is a vacuum of information.

“While our colleagues in the other major football codes across Australia have been meeting with their governing bodies for weeks, RA has refused to share any information about the future financial direction of the game.

“Are the players about to be presented with a fait accompli – the future of the game decided without any consultation?”

RA did not immediately respond to RUPA’s criticism, but it’s understood chief executive Raelene Castle will hold a conference to address their concerns after Monday’s Annual General Meeting.

That’s not good enough, said RUPA, whose executives want to meet face-to-face with the top brass as early as Tuesday, saying their previous attempts to speak were denied.

“The players are standing by ready to participate and engage and get an understanding of what the future looks like with a pragmatic and whole of game approach,” Harrison said.

RUPA president Damien Fitzpatrick wants RA ‘to provide us with an opportunity’.

RUPA president Damien Fitzpatrick said the players are all aware of how serious the unfolding financial crisis is, and have already seen players from other sports agree to salary cuts, but insist RUPA should be given a seat at the table before decisions are made about their own futures.

“There is acknowledgment by the players that unprecedented action is needed,” the Waratah hooker said.

“This is a critical time and the players have sought the opportunity to constructively contribute to a solution. To date RA has refused to provide us that opportunity.”

Players and staff are all bracing for pay cuts and job losses as the sport tries to find a way to weather the devastating economic repercussions of probably losing the entire season.

RA has already indicated the COVID-19 crisis is threatening to send the sport broke and rugby will need help from the government if it hopes to get back on its feet when the health crisis is over.

Already struggling financially while in the midst of trying to secure a new broadcast deal, rugby is facing a devastating financial hit after the entire Super Rugby season was wiped out and plans to create a new domestic competition to provide broadcast content was torpedoed by state border closures and strict travel restrictions.

The Wallabies may not get a chance to play at all this year.

The chances of the international season going ahead are fading by the day with the July Test series against Ireland and one-off match against Fiji almost certain not to go ahead.

And there are growing concerns about whether the Rugby Championship and even the Spring Tour to Europe will go ahead, raising the dire prospect of a massive financial hole the game could take years to recover from.

Originally published as Coronavirus: Aussie rugby players demand more of a say over future as code prepares to enter dark times