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http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883...625429,00.html
Not too long after Israel Folau dotted down for the most irrelevant of scores for the Waratahs in Wellington, the details of his contract were opened up to all in a New Zealand newspaper report.
Folau, the latest in a line of leaguies to cross the code and try his hand in union, is said to be the second-highest paid rugby union player in Australia (after Quade Cooper of 'toxic team atmosphere' fame), despite having completed only his sixth game in the code on Saturday. He is said to be raking in around AU$ 750k.
It is, as the newspaper pointed out, a monumental risk. The rate of return on big-name cross-coders succeeding stands at considerably less than 50 per cent globally. Some - Mark Gasnier and Willie Mason are good examples - pretty much sink without trace.
But for Robbie Deans in a Lions tour year, it's a pain in the backside he could well do without. No doubt there will be pressure upon Deans to make sure that Folau's ARU salary commands some ARU gold jersey time, yet not only is Folau clearly behind three other players for the 15 jersey, he is also extremely unlikely to fit in at any other position.
Granted one of those ahead of him is the disgraced Kurtley Beale, but it's tough to justify Folau's inclusion in a Wallaby squad on current form. Signs are there he is developing into a solid player, but nowhere near Test class yet.
For a union so often pleading poverty, it's a staggering amount of money - even if the cost of living in Australia is rising prohibitively fast and it's less than it sounds when considered in terms of purchasing power.
We'll see what happens when Wallaby squad time comes around. But in terms of the bigger picture, it also points perhaps a very clear picture that the ARU is so unconfident in what similar sums of money might be used to bring through the youth systems that it felt it necessary to clutch at Folau whatever the cost.
Lean times ahead for Australia?
Please tell me its not true - $750k... i'll have some of that thanks