RUPA boss Ross Xenos wants answers on $30 million ARU boost as new CBA comes into view
WITH one less Super team to play for, Australia’s rugby players will be asking some tough questions of the ARU’s financial dealings as they negotiate a new CBA.
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WHERE is the money?
That is what Australia’s top rugby players will be asking of the ARU as they enter negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement in the next fortnight.
In the aftermath of the Western Force’s axing, Rugby Union Players’ Association chief executive Ross Xenos will lead talks on behalf of players and has questioned how the ARU is earning an extra $30 million a year through their broadcast deal yet still crying poor.
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In an interview on the Telegraph’s Payto & Panda Podcast, Xenos declared his concerns that the median wages of Australia’s professional players have not moved beyond $160,000 a year despite the bonus broadcasting money.
At the same time, the NRL is close to finalising its CBA that will see players’ average salaries rise from $280,000 this year to $340,000 by 2022.
AFL players earn an average wage of $302,000, while A-League players get roughly $150,000 on average.
Listen! The fall of the Western Force: Rugby Union Players’ Association boss Ross Xenos reveals the full impact of the decision to axe the Western Force on players and staff.
Cricket’s new MOU has ensured Australia’s internationals are the highest paid of any team sport, earning nearly $1.4 million a year while state cricketers, who largely play in empty ovals, still earn an average of $250,000 a year.
“We’ve heard a lot about the financial hardship the game has been going through, at the same time we do know that as of the start of 2016 we now have a $57 million broadcast deal instead of a $27 million broadcast deal,” Xenos said.
“So it’s surprised us a little that the story about the financial hard times has continued within Australian rugby despite having an extra $30 million per annum through our broadcast deal.
“So that’s something no doubt we’ll try to get some clarity on pretty quickly through our CBA negotiations.
“And once we have a really clear picture of the finances of the game, we’ll cut our cloth accordingly.”
The ARU will cite millions of dollars of additional, unforecasted funding to their Super franchises who are going broke as the primary beneficiaries of the extra broadcast money, even though salary caps remain the same at $5 million.
There have also been extra costs for money paid to top end Wallabies targeted by overseas clubs, and investment into high performance.
Xenos also suggested he will seek to abolish the “Giteau Law”, allowing 60-Test capped Wallabies to play overseas but still be eligible for Test selection, in the new round of negotiations.
“The time has probably come for us to have a good look at the eligibility changes we made around the World Cup, the so-called Giteau clause, and whether that is still in the best interests of Australian rugby,” Xenos said.
“Is allowing certain players to be picked from overseas actually disincentivising younger players from staying in Australian rugby, because they feel like they’ll always be too far back in the pecking order that getting to a gold jumper is too far in the distance for them.
“And as a result the overseas opportunities are too strong to deny.
“It’s something we need to look at, because the volume of players currently playing overseas has increased significantly over the last few years.
“Is that because of the Giteau law or is that a coincidence? I don’t know.
“One of the important things that’s happening behind the scenes is that each of the Super Rugby teams and the ARU are working much closer together on high performance than what we did in the past.
“We currently have almost 180 players playing in top leagues internationally, that is fully contracted professionals in England, Ireland, Scotland, Japan, France.
“Australian rugby, in our view, doesn’t have a player depth issue, it has a player retention issue.”
Xenos has been the primary point of contact for distressed Force players and staff during the uncertain culling process.
“It’s not been easy, there have been tears, there’s been a really strong sentiment from some segments of the playing group that the administration has let the players down with the way this process has been handled,” Xenos said.
“We’ve been talking to players about childcare placements, we’ve been talking to players about how their contractual uncertainty then impacts their family and a bit more broadly, because especially for our Pacific Islander players, they’re the breadwinners for not only themselves and their children but also potentially for their extended family back home.
“The level of stress and uncertainty this entire situation has caused cannot be underestimated.
“That’s why we’ve worked very hard with people we have on the ground in terms of our player development manager on the ground and also referring psychologists, just to make sure there are as many services available to players as possible.”
Originally published as RUPA boss Ross Xenos wants answers on $30 million ARU boost as new CBA comes into view
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