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Brad Thorn 'livid' as Reds trio consider their options following pay cut refusals

By Online Editors
(Photo by Teaukura Moetaua/Getty Images)

Reds head coach Brad Thorn is reportedly ‘livid’ at the three Reds players who have been stood down by the Queensland Rugby Union after refusing to take short-term pay cuts.

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Wallabies second rower Izack Rodda, emerging playmaker Isaac Lucas and young lock Harry Hockings, who all share the same agent, have opted against taking a competition-wide salary slash and register for the government’s JobKeeper subsidy.

The rejection to take such action comes at a time when rugby in Australia faces an uncertain financial future due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the game’s governing body in the country staring down the barrel of a $120m deficit for 2020.

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QRU boss David Hanham and RA director of rugby Scott Johnson address media

Queensland CEO David Hanham and Rugby Australia Director of Rugby Scott Johnson talks about the three players who were stood down in a pay dispute

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QRU boss David Hanham and RA director of rugby Scott Johnson address media

Queensland CEO David Hanham and Rugby Australia Director of Rugby Scott Johnson talks about the three players who were stood down in a pay dispute

According to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald, all three players – who played a big part in Thorn’s plans for the future – are unhappy at the Reds and are now considering their options elsewhere.

Lucas, signed until 2023, and Hockings, who is off contract next year, are believed to be pursuing deals in Japan, while 25-test Rodda wanted a move to another Australian franchise.

Rodda’s desire to make an inbound transfer comes after the 23-year-old revealed his disappointment in missing out on the Reds’ captaincy role this year, with Thorn instead handing the position to one-cap flanker Liam Wright.

“At first it was a pretty hard pill to swallow,” Rodda told AAP in January. “It left me questioning what else I had to do to get it … it’s hard to swallow your pride.”

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The Herald says that Rodda now has a “severely strained” relationship with Thorn, who is reportedly so angered by the trio’s decision to turn down the salary cuts that he hasn’t spoken to them since.

The pay cut deal brokered by Rugby Australia and the Rugby Union Players’ Association will see players lose around 60 percent of their income over six months in a much-needed cost-cutting measure.

Rodda, who the Herald reports is on a salary worth A$650,000, would have been eligible for a six-month sabbatical between 2021 and 2023 had he agreed to the pay slash as any player who stands to lose A$200,000 over the six month period, up until September 30, would qualify for the provision.

Instead, the experienced Wallaby could well take his talents abroad as he, as well as Lucas and Hockings, weigh up their legal options in a move that would put a dent in new Australia head coach Dave Rennie’s plans prior to his arrival in July.

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The Herald states that all three players are deeply concerned about the financial state of the sport in Australia and about their wellbeing of their contracts beyond this year as the economic implications of COVID-19 continue to wreak havoc worldwide.

“These situations are unprecedented, so everyone deals with the emotion of this in different ways. To be honest I think it’s a question for the players around their view of it,” QRU boss David Hanham said.

“They’ve obviously got their concerns. They’ve got a lot of mates here and they love playing rugby here. This is a global pandemic and clearly there are some things that are making them nervous.

“You come back to our values; with the team it’s about mateship, it’s about accountability, it’s about resilience, it’s about care for the cause. When you put your heart and soul into it, clearly people that are a part of that feel they want to be on that journey and others make a decision not to.”

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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