Rugby Australia to stop NRL poaching young talent

Fed up at seeing its best young players switch to NRL, Rugby Australia has built up a “fighting fund” to keep its most talented players in the 15-man game.

Rep star Angus Crichton was set for a promising rugby career. Picture: Getty

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Sick of seeing some of their most talented young players being snapped up by NRL clubs, Rugby Australia is stockpiling a “fighting fund” to fend off the poachers and keep them in the 15-man game.

Armed with cash both from Rugby Australia’s Foundation and wealthy supporters of the game, RA wants to shore up their most exciting young prospects as part of a new national approach to helping the Wallabies get back on top of the world.

“We want to make sure that we secure the best young talent and keep it here so we’ve had a number of donors step forward and that will allow us to secure the talent that we identify,” RA chief executive Raelene Castle said.

Rep star Angus Crichton was set for a promising rugby career. Picture: Getty

“We have competitors in this market and rugby league’s one of those competitors so we need to make sure we’re in a position to secure that talent and keep it inside of rugby.”

Two decades ago, when the Wallabies were the reigning world champions and attracting massive crowds everywhere they played, rugby opened its cheque books and began recruiting rugby league players to bolster the Test side ahead of the 2003 World Cup.

Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri switched codes and all played in the 2003 final but Castle said there was no plan to try and plunder the NRL ranks again, saying any new funds would be spent on keeping younger players.

“Our schools and youth development systems are doing a great job at identifying, developing and delivering that talent,” she said.

Former Reds flyer Izaia Perese at Broncos training. Picture: AAP

“We just need to make sure that when they get in to the competitive landscape that we’re in a situation to secure them.”

Rugby’s poor attempts to retain its best players was exposed when NSW State of Origin forward Angus Crichton’s revealed he only switched codes because the Waratahs told him he wouldn’t play Super Rugby until he was 23.

Cameron Clyne and Raelene Castle announced the plans on Monday. Picture: AAP

Earlier this month Queensland Reds winger Izaia Perese announced he was defecting to the Brisbane Broncos but RA chairman Cameron Clyne said the fighting fund was already in operation stopping other talented players slipping through the net.

“We’ve already secured some of the key players that are currently in the under 18s teams which is having great success in Europe so it’s already in play already,” he said.

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Originally published as Rugby Australia to stop NRL poaching young talent