Pay war threatens to get ugly as deadline looms

It’s been mostly fought out behind closed doors so far, but standby for the pay dispute between Australia’s professional players and Rugby Australia to go public – and get ugly – this week, with the deadline for a new collective bargaining agreement only days away.

And if you want to know what might unfold if the tense negotiations can’t produce a deal, the playbook of NRL players in their bitter CBA dispute in 2023 is a good starting point.

The Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) and Rugby Australia have been at the table for months trying to strike a deal for a new five-year CBA, with the current agreement expiring on Saturday, October 31.

Based on dispatches from both trenches, it’s fair to say the talks have grown tetchy and relations have strained.

RUPA is pushing for a significant pay increase for men’s and women’s players, arguing the game needs to invest way more to generate success and reignite the game in Australia. It has also argued players should get a cut of the $100m fee coming to RA for co-hosting the men’s World Cup next year.

RA says it’s put up a good offer, with an uplift in minimum spend on players, and in bonuses for World Cup success.

RA argues it has a responsibility to not squander the big Lions and World Cup windfalls, and to use the money to secure the long-term future of the game in Australia. Some at RA were stunned at the size of RUPA’s initial pay demands.

Both sides have given ground and there is hope a deal can still be reached this week. But there are still some significant sticking points and much more ground-giving will likely be needed.

Players in a league of their own

The stink between RUPA and RA comes after much smoother CBA deals in 2020 and 2022, when the existential financial threat to the game of COVID was a backdrop.

But now the game is back on its feet, the players’ union has adopted a more combative stance and there’s a clear rugby league flavour to the RUPA camp.

New RUPA boss Adrian Turner, who took over in April, was formerly the head of legal at the Rugby League Players Association and he brought in another long-time RLPA figure, former Roosters and Manly player Tom Symonds, to become RUPA chief operating officer.

What happens if a deal can’t be reached by Saturday? A strike by the Wallabies or the Aussie sevens players is not on the cards, given players are under contract. But with no CBA in place, other action could be taken to put pressure on RA, such as refusing to participate in RA’s commercial events and wearing protest shirts at training.

In 2023, when the RLPA and the NRL couldn’t be reach a CBA deal by deadline, NRL stars then refused to do interviews with host broadcasters on match days, delayed kick-off times and even taped over the NRL logo on their jerseys. There were threats to repeat their pay dispute boycott of the 2003 Dally M Awards, but that didn’t eventuate, with a deal finally struck after a month-long, mid-season standoff.

The John Eales Medal night will be held on Friday – a night before the CBA deadline expires – so a boycott of that won’t happen either. Some other NRL’s squeeze points may also not translate to rugby, with players either playing overseas or just starting pre-season training. The Wallabies fly out for a spring tour to London on Saturday.

However it plays out, a public stoush about money will likely take skin off, for both sides. The clock ticks.

Basic tunes gets the job done in Nashville

Australia A had more than enough power to overwhelm a disappointing USA side in Nashville on Sunday, overcoming a red card to cruise to a 61-12 victory.

With only a week’s training in “Music City”, Australia’s second XV stuck to playing pretty basic chords but dominance at set-piece and in the contact zones was enough to run up a score. David Feliuai was sent off for a high shot in the opening half, but it barely affected the Stephen Larkham-coached side.

The Aussie A back row were strong, with No.8 Joe Brial winning man of the match, and Will Harris and Rory Scott both busy. Nick Frost also turned in a good 80-minute shift, as he tries to earn his way back into the Wallabies.

In that same boat, Dylan Pietsch scored twice and defended like a back-rower in the middle of the field. Force halfback and former Highlander Nathan Hastie added to the growing list of Wallaby contenders at No.9, with a classy effort.

The sides will go at it again on Saturday in New Jersey, where the likes of Zac Lomax, Corey Toole and Luke Reimer will all likely get a start.

Young stars stand up as Wallaroos finish strong

The Wallaroos finished the year with a third straight win over Scotland on Friday night in Canberra, and further highlighted some positive shifts already made under the new Tim Walsh regime.

Skills look sharper, and so too the Wallaroos’ ability to retain the ball and build pressure. The tendency to drop out of games for a 10-15 minute stretch is still a big work-on for Walsh, however.

The big takeaways of 2026? The impressive young halves partnership of Samantha Wood (22) and Waiaria Ellis (19) only gets better and better, and throw in Faitala Moleka (21) at No.12, and you have a long-term trio to take to the 2029 World Cup.

There are now good headaches in picking a back three, too, with Amelia Whitaker taking every chance she gets.

Up front, powerhouse prop Falaki Pohiva is arguably the most important Wallaroos forward, but she’s closely followed by back-rower Piper Duck, who has put years of bad luck and injury behind her and been outstanding this year.