Australia’s NRL heavily fines four players for quarantine breaches
Beaumont v/s Pichot as World Rugby chairman election kicks off
SYDNEY: Australia’s National Rugby League heavily fined four players for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules yesterday, underlining the disciplinary difficulties facing the sport as it seeks to resume play next month.
The NRL said the punishments, which come with the threat of suspensions for further breaches, sent a strong message to players who are hoping to gather soon in Sydney to begin training under tight restrictions.
It said the offenders showed “blatant disregard for public health orders” and significantly damaged the NRL’s reputation ahead of the planned restart.
“We are focused on resuming the competition on May 28, something our fans and stakeholders are excited about,” NRL action chief executive Andrew Abdo said in a statement. “Players who do not comply with community and NRL protocols will face sanction.” Three of the players — Latrell Mitchell from South Sydney Rabbitohs, Melbourne Storm’s Josh AddoCarr and Newcastle Knight Tyronne Roberts-Davis — went on a camping trip at Taree in rural New South Wales with friends over the weekend.
They were caught after footage of Addo-Carr shooting rifles and Mitchell riding trailbikes was posted on social media. Another high-profile player, Nathan Cleary of the Penrith Panthers, apologised after photographs were published of him ignoring social distancing rules to party in a room full of women.
Mitchell and Addo-Carr were each fined Aus$50,000 (US$32,000), with
Aus$30,000 suspended, while RobertsDavis and Cleary were ordered to pay Aus$10,000, with Aus$6,000 suspended.
All will be suspended at least one match for any repeat offences. The NRL fines far exceeded the standard Aus$1,000 police fine for violating social distancing rules. Mitchell and Addo-Carr were also hit with that fine.
In addition, police said yesterday that officers in Taree had charged two men with firearms offences. National broadcaster ABC identified the two as Mitchell and Addo-Carr. The NRL season was suspended on March 24 after just two rounds amid government shutdowns of all nonessential gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.
The cash-strapped league is desperate to resume its season and meet commitments to the broadcasters who bankroll the game. Scenarios for resuming the competition as reported in local media include having all 16 teams, including the New Zealand Warriors, base themselves and play their games in Sydney. Organisers say the competition would be played without crowds and under strict isolation restrictions. Australian authorities still need to approve the plan, and the latest social distancing breaches, on top of rugby league’s long history of off-field scandals and discipline problems, could easily derail the restart attempt.
“It’s bad timing,” Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys admitted to reporters before the fines were issued. “On the surface of it it’s very disappointing, I don’t want to pre-judge it but they’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
Meanwhile, Voting for World Rugby’s next chairman opened on Monday with incumbent 68-year-old former England captain Bill Beaumont facing competition from ex-Argentina skipper Agustin Pichot.
Beaumont or Pichot, 45, must claim a majority of the 51 votes to be elected on a four-year term with results set to be announced on May 12. Beaumont, who retired 12 years before the sport turned professional in 1995 has campaigned with the promise to open up the sport.
Current vice-chairman Pichot, who hung up his boots in 2009 after a club career in France, would like to see the body modernised and has used the hashtag #GlobalGame on social media. The pair were behind scrapped plans for a Nations Championship as countries were worried about potential relegation from the top level of the global game. “Going forward I’m sure there will be a variant of that,” Beaumont told AFP last week.
Pichot said he would bring in different aspects to the competition other than the
Tier One male sides. “I will start the discussions with the Nations Championship blueprint, but I’m not sure if that will be the outcome,” he told AFP earlier this month. “It will talk about the emerging nations, more money for the women’s game,” he added. Beaumont has overseen a $100 million relief package for the game during the coronavirus pandemic while Pichot sees the outbreak as a chance for the sport to restart.
The election process has been overshadowed by last Tuesday’s resignation of Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) chairman Francis
Kean from the world body’s council after accusations of “rampant homophobia”.
Beaumont’s bid was seconded by the FRU but World Rugby stressed the former lock’s nomination came from the FRU, rather than from Kean. Fijian support for Beaumont is seen as a counterbalance to Pichot, who is believed to have strong support among other second-tier nations. Continental body Rugby Europe, who have two votes, said earlier in the day they have supported Beaumont in an electronic ballot process wich runs until Thursday. — AFP