Rugby Australia has faith in its values in letter to players
Raelene Castle writes to players reassuring them she supports their right to personal beliefs.
Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle has written to all current Australian squad members reassuring them the organisation supports their right to personal beliefs, but also stressing the need to uphold Wallabies team values, including respect and teamwork.
A copy of Castle’s letter, apparently sent on Easter Saturday and leaked to The Australian, makes no mention of the Israel Folau code of conduct hearing that will take place tomorrow in Sydney but clearly addresses the popular criticism of RA that it is impinging on the religious rights and freedoms of its players.
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“I understand that for many of our players of Faith this week has been a particularly challenging week and that some have felt unsure or challenged by the media and social media requests to comment on teammates and what has happened,” Castle wrote.
“I want to assure you all that I am proud of the diverse range of religions and belief systems within the Wallabies and the way players are able to present their views in a positive way. Rugby supports you and your right to belief. Nothing that has happened this week changes that.”
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Castle’s letter was written two days after Samu Kerevi posted an Easter message praising Jesus for dying for him on the cross and shortly before the Queensland captain took it upon himself to put up a post on social media apologising for having offended anyone by expressing his Christian beliefs.
The hearing before a three-person independent panel of chairman John West QC, Rugby Australia’s representative Kate Eastman SC and Rugby Union Players’ Association’s representative John Boultbee, begins at 9.30am tomorrow. Folau is required to attend and Castle will give evidence. The hearing will take place begind closed doors.
An extra day has been set aside in case the hearing has to go into Sunday. “The panel will consider submissions and evidencefrom both parties at the hearing, but is not expected to deliver a decision on the weekend,” Rugby Australia said in a statement last night.
Castle’s letter came to light yesterday, just as Kerevi was providing an unintended but almost textbook example of how she saw a Wallabies player expressing his belief in God in a genuine but respectful way.
The Queensland Rugby Union must have thought long and hard about whether to put Kerevi up before the media yesterday for the customary captain’s run press conference. Yes, it would have looked like it was hiding him from the media if anyone other than the captain had fronted journalists at Ballymore, but there were warning bells sounding.
Kerevi had been one of two Wallabies who had “liked” Israel Folau’s warning to all sinners that they were bound for hell unless they repented. And then there were his two texts posted in Durban, the second of which triggered a passionate outburst by Reds teammate Taniela Tupou who suggested that he and other Pacific Islanders might as well be sacked because they shared the same Christian beliefs. That, in turn, prompted a clarifying Instagram message in which Kerevi took all the heat out of talk of a Pasifika revolt within the Wallabies.
Yesterday, during a 15-minute press conference, Kerevi fielded roughly 20 questions about his faith, and answered them all calmly and without rancour, even when journalists ignored his pleas to talk rugby and instead pressed him on religious matters.
“If you want to have that conversation, people can come up to me personally and talk to me about my faith and beliefs — and I’ll stand by it, every day of the week,” he said. “But what I do is rugby. I’ve got a team to lead and that’s what I want to do this week.” Indeed, tonight at Suncorp Stadium, the Reds are at home to the Sunwolves, with a win likely to push them to within one point of the lead in the Australian conference.
The intention was to stand Kerevi down from their last match against the Sharks as part of the Wallabies rotation rest period, not because the match was played on Good Friday.
But even though as a child he had always set Good Friday aside for worship, he made an exception in South Africa. He felt he had to contribute to the Reds and he did, winning the man-of-the-match award as he led Queensland to their first victory in Durban in 15 years. In the current environment, did he feel comfortable to express his faith in God? “Yes, 100 per cent,” he said. “I’ll do it this weekend. I’ll do it every weekend. For me, it’s about giving back to the man who put me in this situation.
“Footy is just what I do. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and the platform it gives me but I’ll just play footy in a positive manner and give back glory to the Man who has given me so much.”
There were, he insisted no hassles with either RA or the Queensland Rugby Union.
“It’s all good at my end … no pressures from up there at all … I feel supported.”
Kerevi’s leadership was, in a word, astounding and it left one wondering. If only Folau had expressed his love of God in this fashion, there would have been no crisis in Australian rugby.
Meanwhile, RA has welcomed funding support from the federal government to carry out scoping work ahead of the bid process for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The formal bid process is expected to commence next year with a final decision to be made in November 2021. The Rugby World Cup is the third-largest sporting event on the globe with the last edition in 2015 snaring an estimated global TV audience of over four billion viewers.
RAELENE CASTLE’S LETTER IN FULL
“Dear Team Wallaby,
It has not been an easy week for us all in Rugby but it is a week that has reminded us that Rugby is an inclusive game and that it is – and needs to continue to be – a game for all. That has been an overwhelming message from so many people since we took action to deal with a breach of contract.
I want to again reinforce that message that our game is a game for all. I know that many of you have been put in a challenging situation over the past week. You have been asked to comment on a friend and a team-mate and that is a difficult situation – a situation none of us wanted to see happen and all of us hoped would not happen again.
The actions taken this week were taken because of a breach of commitment to team and code that was broken. I want to reassure you that we support the right of all players to hold personal beliefs. But we must uphold those values that are core to our game and to the Wallabies, including respect and team-work.
I understand that for many of our players of Faith this week has been a particularly challenging week and that some have felt unsure or challenged by the media and social media requests to comment on team-mates and what has happened. I am really proud of the leadership of those players who have asked me to explain the reasons behind our action and to reassure them of their right to belief.
I want to assure you all that I am proud of the diverse range of religions and belief systems within the Wallabies and the way players are able to present their views in a positive way. Rugby supports you and your right to belief. Nothing that has happened this week changes that.
When we talk about inclusiveness and talk about Rugby as an inclusive game, we mean that Rugby respects differences.
Respecting differences was a key point made by many of those players and officials who spoke out this week. Those messages of respect for differences were not always emphasized in the media coverage but it is important to note they were raised again and again as a key part of the success of the Wallabies and a key part of the success of Rugby as a sport in this country.
It is important that all people of different views, religions, beliefs and backgrounds feel safe and supported in coming together in the team environment and know that they are respected for who they are and what they believe.
It is not an easy time in Rugby and – as I said the other day – I would prefer that we had not been put in this situation.
I am intensely proud of our Wallabies and very grateful for the thoughts from all who have made contact. I am also very happy to chat to you individually if you have any specific concerns.
Congrats to the Reds for their win and all the best for the rest of the games today.
Raelene’’
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