Originally posted by Greg Growden
A PROPOSED Possible-Probables match, which was to act as the final selection trial for the end of season grand slam tour, has been called off because of extraordinary pay demands from the Wallabies players.
The Herald has been told that the Australian Rugby Union Players' Association, after being recently approached by Wallabies players, demanded that the Australian Rugby Union pay each player $2500 to appear in the trial match.
This unexpected pay demand, which is understood to have been driven by several senior Wallabies, would have been over and above their already lucrative contracts with the ARU, which include them being paid an extra $11,000 each time they play a Test. The Wallabies' demands - which would have involved the 44 players selected for a trial match proposed for next month - would have meant the ARU footing an extra $110,000 bill.
It is known that senior ARU officials and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans were astounded and deeply disappointed when confronted by the demand from RUPA. They assumed the players would naturally want to play in the game as a way of confirming their selection in the historic grand slam tour - the first time the Wallabies have played England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland one one tour since the 1984 triumph, when Mark Ella scored a try in each Test.
As a result of the unbudgeted pay expense, the ARU in recent days decided not to go ahead with the trial. Due to its cancellation, it is believed there will instead be an open training session in Sydney, where fans will be able to watch the Wallabies in action before they head off for the spring tour. This dispute has been simmering for some time, with the ARU hoping that the Wallabies players would eventually see sense. However, that was not to be.It is believed that the original Possible-Probables match, which several decades ago was the traditional way of selecting a Wallabies squad for a northern hemisphere or even New Zealand tour, would have been played under lights. Several venues were proposed, including the
Sydney Football Stadium and North Sydney Oval. This trial would have also been the ideal way for fringe Wallabies to stake their claims just before the squad was selected. It is certainly a smarter way to determine form than relying on club performances, where the standard and competition is not as high. Also, as the club seasons around Australia are now in the finals stage, there are many potential Wallabies candidates unable to show the selectors their worth because their teams have already finished their seasons.
That is why the ARU and Deans looked so closely at the Possible-Probables match, believing it would give everyone a fair chance, as well as putting pressure on certain established Wallabies players who are badly out of form.
The Wallabies will go into a training camp in a few weeks to prepare for an extensive tour, which starts with the final Bledisloe Cup match in Tokyo on October 31, followed by an England Test at Twickenham on November 7. The Wallabies will get a rare chance to play at historic Croke Park in Dublin when they confront Ireland on November 15, before internationals against Scotland at Murrayfield on November 21 and Wales in Cardiff on November 28. Several midweek matches are also in the pipeline, and the Wallabies will leave for Tokyo with a sizeable squad that could include at least 35 players.
The senior players' stance, which has led to the trial abandonment, will hardly appease an agitated Wallabies spectator base, who can rightfully claim that they did not get value for money from their team during the Tri Nations. Apart from the triumph against the Springboks in Brisbane, the Wallabies have had a dreadful series, finishing wooden-spooners after several bad performances, including against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday night. After the Wellington debacle, this Possible-Probables match could have easily turned into a public relations dream. Instead its demise sadly reveals the cracks within the Wallabies player framework.
