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O'Neill renews transfer fee push
Wayne Smith | February 28, 2008 The Australian
NEARLY a decade after scandalously being rolled on the issue, the Australian Rugby Union is poised to lead a new push for international transfer fees.
Understandably, ARU chief executive John O'Neill yesterday identified International Rugby Board regulation four as a key item on the agenda of the IRB-sponsored meeting in Hong Kong on Sunday of the CEOs of the 10 so-called tier one countries - that is, countries in the Six Nations and Tri- Nations tournaments, along with Argentina.
The regulation, which covers compensation for player training and development, has been on the IRB books virtually since the game went professional in 1996 but has been more honoured in the breach than in the observance, as Australia and O'Neill discovered in 1998.
O'Neill, then in his first stint as ARU chief executive, had sought compensation from Wales of $150,000 for the money spent on developing former Australian Schoolboy, under-19, under-21, Waratahs and Australia A centre Jason Jones-Hughes into a Wallabies tourist - only to see him snapped up to play for Wales at the 1999 World Cup.
When Wales turned a deaf ear to Australia's claims, the IRB was asked to adjudicate and in typical mealy-mouthed fashion ruled that although Jones-Hughes had in fact played for Australia A against Scotland - which technically ruled him ineligible to then play for any country but Australia - it wasn't actually Scotland he had played against but a team from Scotland. The IRB's rationale was that the Scottish rugby team only became Scotland in a Test match, not when it played a midweek tour fixture.
The IRB subsequently recognised the spuriousness of its own ruling and discretely amended its eligibility regulations but Australia is still waiting to see one penny of compensation from Wales.
Ironically, O'Neill acknowledged that any serious enforcement of regulation four in future is likely to cost Australia rather than benefit it now that the country has become a net importer of rugby talent - principally from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Nonetheless, a tougher stance by the IRB could make it less attractive for northern hemisphere clubs to target Test players at the peak of their careers, as happened recently with All Blacks Carl Hayman and Luke McAlister.
"It's a matter of justice," O'Neill said. "When a country has genuinely developed and trained a player, it's only right that it should receive compensation if that player moves to another jurisdiction. I'm in favour of the concept."
O'Neill denied that enforcing transfer fees would put an end to the "golden handshake" tradition that has taken hold in Australian rugby, of Wallaby greats such as George Gregan, Steve Larkham and Matt Burke accepting big-money offers to join French, Japanese or British clubs in the twilight of their careers.
"It's the law of diminishing returns, with the dollar value shrinking with the age of the player," O'Neill said. "With an older player, the likelihood of compensation is zippo."
Although the historic Hong Kong meeting will not set policy, it will bring together the 10 officials who effectively implement policy around the world's major rugby nations. While no recommendations from the meeting will be enforceable, O'Neill believes the summit could fast-track a number of initiatives.
Also on the agenda will be the proposal of IRB deputy chairman Bill Beaumont to stage an annual "best of the best" match between the winners of the Six Nations and Tri-Nations tournaments.
"It's worth a look as long as it doesn't impinge on the World Cup," O'Neill said.
Certainly the hosts of the IRB summit will be pushing strongly for such a match, with Hong Kong Rugby Football Union executive director Allan Payne lobbying for the city to host the first winner-take-all play-off between the top northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere teams.
O'Neill would neither confirm nor deny that Hong Kong will host a Wallabies-All Blacks Test in November when both teams are en route to Europe on their annual tours but he noted, significantly, that the SANZAR partners will meet on Monday following the IRB summit. Presumably the announcement of the historic Test will be made then.
SANZAR also will hear a report from IRB chief executive Mike Miller on whether Argentina will be able to accept SANZAR's invitation to play the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks during this year's Tri-Nations, an offer made on condition that the Pumas be at full strength.
Given that Argentina's top players are based with British and European clubs, the Pumas' hopes of gaining entry to rugby's global mainstream hinge on how seriously the IRB implements another of its frequently disregarded laws, regulation nine. All of which adds weight to Sunday's summit debate on international player availability.
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