Players’ group sends warning on longer pay cut

WALES’ leading players have warned Welsh Rugby Union chiefs as they talk about the possibility of taking further pay cuts in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In April, players agreed a 25% pay cut lasting for three months until June 30, but reports surfaced at the weekend that there is now a prospect of longer-term salary reductions.

The WRU could lose as much as £50m with the Covid-19 pandemic biting hard into their finances. In England, players are on a collision course with their clubs over salary cuts.

And the Welsh Rugby Players’ Association warned of the same happening here, saying players understand why further cuts have been mooted.

In a statement, the WRPA said: “The players fully understand the precarious position the game currently faces globally and are determined to be part of constructive dialogue to effect positive change in the game.

“The players accept that financial uncertainty could be prolonged and as such, understand why long-term pay cuts have been mooted in the media.

“However, we would also point out that... long-term pay cuts are complex and need to be jointly explored and agreed. It would be unacceptable for players to help keep the game afloat only for others to make profits off the back of these sacrifices in the future.

“It is not appropriate to put players in comparative terms with the game’s administrators. There is no employment certainty beyond rugby retirement. Should they be asked to complete their work for reduced earnings, they will be asked to do so in an environment on the pitch that puts them at greater risk to Covid-19 than traditional working environments.

“A realistic apportioning of, and share in, the rewards generated must be offered as a counterbalance to any necessary readjustment required to meet immediate demands... that anticipates the upside as well as the downside.

“The opportunity exists, if stakeholders are prepared to grasp it, to create a collective solution to the current and historical issues in the professional game. It is against all of these points that we would all want to avoid the issues we are seeing around arbitrary pay cuts and player revolts in other countries.”