Waratahs to bid farewell to Kurtley Beale as Aussie rugby gears up for major player exodus
Kurtley Beale was first. Luke Jones was next and now a third Wallaby is defecting to mega-rich French rugby as Aussie players look for ways out amid the game’s financial crisis.
Waratahs
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As the Waratahs returned to training for the first time in two months, amid concern around Rugby Australia’s finances, the future of Super Rugby, and the rival NRL looking to raid the game’s best talent, captain Rob Simmons declared players would have to put themselves first.
NSW vice-captain Kurtley Beale and Melbourne backrower Luke Jones confirmed their departures to French club Racing 92 on Tuesday, and it can be revealed that Wallaby and Rebels lock Matt Philip will defect to French club Pau as the exodus begins.
While RA has their best young players contracted to long-term deals, the contracts were predicated on the signing of a lucrative broadcast deal for their 2021-25 rights that hasn’t materialised.
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Given there is no offer on the table and uncertainty around how much money can be derived from whatever new package they put to the open market in coming months, these contracts are in danger of not being fulfilled and that could see a heap of stars join league or defect to foreign teams.
"It will be wait and see, what is possible, it is a bit daunting in that sense,” Simmons said.
"Guys are going to be looking after their No.1, so whatever comes out of it is what will be.
"Everyone is trying their best and that's all they can do, to try to get us back to where we were.”
Simmons and his colleagues are desperate to return to the field in July for RA’s proposed domestic Super Rugby tournament, but even that seems some way from being finalised after Western Force said they had not received a formal invitation and will not commit until full details of the tournament are handed over.
RA is desperate for live matches to return, to recoup some money from broadcaster Fox Sports, as they battle with debt of up to $120 million and the threat of insolvency.
"I think it was quite daunting to see where the state of the game was, every code is having their own struggles in terms of the COVID situation and not being able to play games and access everything they thought they had,’ Simmons said.
"It's quite interesting, but the main thing is we just need to get back to playing rugby, that's what we're excited about. That's what we're employed to do, and as soon as we can do that and get back on TV, the better.”
Simmons said the loss of Beale, NSW’s equal most capped player who began his career at the Tahs as an 18-year-old, was significant.
“That’s huge news for us, we’re going to miss him,” Simmons said.
“A player like that, he’s got great experience, he’s done a lot for this club, he is the most capped Waratah in history, so to lose someone like that is huge and I suppose this next little bit in this competition, whatever does get off the ground, it will be a good chance for him to send us off.”