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'Are the players about to be presented with a fait accompli?'

Wallabies after their loss to England at the RWC

The Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) are concerned about a vacuum of information from Rugby Australia over their financial position and worried they will be presented with a fait accompli, after the governing body’s AGM on Monday.

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The sensitive issues of potential large player wage cuts and staff layoffs are among the big issues set to be discussed at the AGM, which will be conducted via a video conference from 10am (AEDT).

WATCH: Brumbies back row forward Tom Cusack speaks out

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Other sports including Australian rules and netball have already announced large short-term player pay cuts and stood down staff.

While some sporting organisations have kept their players’ representative body in the loop over their financial situation, RUPA said they had have had a number of cancelled dates with Rugby Australia.“RUPA members and the game’s stakeholders are frustrated, there is a vacuum of information,” RUPA CEO and former Wallabies’ lock Justin Harrison said.

“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?”

The RUPA executive hopes to meet with RA on Tuesday.

RA will reveal its financial result for 2019 at Monday’s AGM.

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It recorded a net surplus of $5.2m in 2018, but after the last AGM anticipated running at a loss in 2019 due to reductions in broadcast and match day revenue because of a limited domestic Test schedule in a World Cup year.

Revenue for 2020 will be adversely affected by the Super Rugby tournament being suspended for the foreseeable future after seven rounds, and a delay to a proposed domestic competition in its place, while doubt surrounds the Test schedule later in the year.

The sport’s global governing body World Rugby may be able to off er some financial support, though that has still to be determined.

Outside of the financial discussions, RA will on Monday fill three positions on its board.

Those positions are set to be taken by 1999 World Cup winning Wallaby centre Dan Herbert, Virgin Blue co-founder Brett Godfrey and Peter Wiggs, chairman of Supercars.

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Either Godfrey or Wiggs is tipped to take over as the chairperson, a spot filled in an interim capacity since last month by former Wallaby Paul McLean.

He is one of the board’s most senior directors, having served in that role for the past eight years after an almost five-year stint as RA president from 2005-2009.

McLean took over last month from previous incumbent Cameron Clyne, who is stepping down at the AGM.

The new chair is expected to take over from McLean mid-year, allowing a gradual transition into the role.

RA has plenty on its plate over the next year, including finalising a new broadcast deal which had been put on hold, bidding for the 2027 World Cup and a looming new collective bargaining agreement.

– AAP

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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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