Australian rugby back on field after 3 1-2-month hiatus

AUSTRALIA's Super Rugby players return to action on the weekend after a 3 1-2-month hiatus due to the coronavirus shutdown. They'll be a bit lighter in their wallets when they do.

An agreement reached Wednesday, July 1, 2020 will see the players receive 70 percent of their original wage when Super Rugby Au starts a five-team, 10-week set of home and away matches before a two-week playoff series in September.

The Queensland Reds will host the New South Wales Waratahs on Friday, July 4, and the Melbourne Rebels travel to Canberra to play the ACT Brumbies on Saturday, July 5, with the Perth-based Western Force getting a first-round bye.

The matches in Brisbane and Canberra will be allowed a limited number of spectators due to both regions having low new infection rates of Covid-19.

Players from the Reds, Waratahs, Rebels and Brumbies had been told to expect an average 60 percent cut after

Super Rugby was put on hold on March 15.

But negotiations over the last week between the players' union and Rugby Australia resulted in only a 30 percent cut, keeping them in line with senior Rugby Australia staff and new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.

Recalled to the competition after being cut from Super Rugby in 2017, the Western Force are exempt from Rugby Australia's pay agreement.

The domestic tournament will feature new rules, including goal-line dropouts to reward attacking kicks, replacements for red-carded players and extra time in drawn matches.

Before the shutdown, the Brumbies were second overall with a 5-1 record in Super Rugby, which includes teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan.

The Rebels were 3-3 and Queensland 2-5. The Waratahs had only one win in six matches and will have to do without 98-test star Kurtley Beale, who has taken up an early invitation to play in France.

While Australian rugby returns to the field, the New Zealand Aotearoa competition featuring that country's five Super Rugby teams will play its fourth round this weekend, all with unlimited spectators due to New Zealand being virus-free.

Teams from the South African conference in Super Rugby, which includes Argentina, have not returned to play since the shutdown in March.