Brumbies, Rugby Australia still at centralisation loggerheads

The angst between the organisations hit a new level this week when Rugby Australia's legal team told the Brumbies they needed to prove they were a financially viable organisation.

The demand put the hostility at an all-time high. The Brumbies were able to meet the requirements, but trust and goodwill has all but eroded between head office and the ACT franchise.

The source of the frustration is what Canberra insiders describe as a "total takeover" rather than centralised collaboration, pointing to the fact the Brumbies have already agreed to central contract, high performance and coaching structures.

Those in favour of a new approach say centralisation won't be a takeover, and that the game can find common ground to have a national framework overseen by Rugby Australia but run by franchises in their regions.

Either way, the biggest sticking point appears to be the rights to intellectual property and why it needs to be included in the initial centralisation push given all states already agree high-performance alignment needs to happen.

Rugby Australia's day of reckoning has been delayed by a week after the Wallabies beat Portugal to remain a slim chance of advancing to the quarter finals in France.

But that hope will be crushed if Fiji beat Portugal in the coming days, and the blowtorch will turn to how officials revive the game after a disastrous campaign.

The Brumbies are on the front line of that fight, with Rugby Australia bullishly pursuing a centralised model and demanding the Brumbies cede control to their intellectual property.

Despite the Brumbies being willing to work together, Rugby Australia only wants to do so if it also has complete control of the entire business - including branding, logos and the Brumbies name.

The ACT Rugby Union board is refusing to budge on that element, questioning why branding needs to be part of the deal if high performance is already on the table.

Rugby Australia is pushing ahead and is adamant it is the way forward. Some confusion and concern stems from the lack of detail provided so far and the lack of a comprehensive plan

The Waratahs set the wheels in motion this week when they handed control to Rugby Australia after succumbing to significant financial pressure.

The Brumbies are facing a similar financial plight, but believe they can find a way forward at least in the short term. The impact of a standoff with Rugby Australia could flow on to several areas, including funding grants, player deals and coaching plans.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham is confident players will remain committed to his team - and Australia - despite rumblings some are already looking to head abroad in a bid to avoid the rebuild.

The Brumbies already work with Rugby Australia to contract players - similar to the set up officials are trying to copy from New Zealand. But the Wallabies only picked about half of the centrally-contracted players for the World Cup campaign.

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Still, Super Rugby franchises see benefits to that centralised model but are perplexed at the desire to own every aspect of the businesses. There is a fear that handing control to Rugby Australia will pave the way for relocation or being axed in the future.

The Wallabies' demise is proof there needs to be change, but Super Rugby clubs fear they are being targeted as the solution to a problem they didn't cause.

The Brumbies feel as though they are the most vulnerable of all and Rugby Australia is increasing the pressure on the business in the hope they will be the next domino to fall.

The Canberra rugby community has rallied to support the Brumbies' decision reject an initial terms sheet tabled by Rugby Australia and the issue is expected to reach breaking point as early as next week when the Wallabies' campaign officially ends.

There have been talks of an exodus of players in the wake of the Wallabies' struggles, but Larkham was confident the core would remain ahead of the British and Irish Lions series in 2025 and a home World Cup in 2027.

"There are different ways you can look at it. If we reduce the number of teams in the competition, you allow players to go overseas and the market eventually works itself out," Larkham said.

"There's only so many spots available for players overseas. You keep the players who can't get spots over there, and then you've got more opportunities to give to other Australians knocking on the door, on the fringes. There's pros and cons both ways.

"From a Super Rugby perspective, and certainly from a Brumbies perspective, we've been in a really good position over the past couple of years with our recruitment policies and the ability to keep our squad together.

"There is a lot that goes into continuity, keeping the players together is certainly a marker of success. We've been lucky enough to keep players. If you open the opportunities up for players to go overseas, it's going to make it harder and harder in the current environment for Australian teams to be successful in Super Rugby."

The Brumbies are in Japan to play two games in the Super Rugby off-season, starting with a clash against the Tokyo Sungoliath on Saturday.

Darcy Swain, Corey Toole and Andy Muirhead headline the Brumbies' side, with Billy Pollard named on the bench after a stint in French rugby.

Larkham said it was a crucial chance to get more game time into Super Rugby squad members and development players ahead in the absence of a third-tier competition in Australia.

"We've been crying out in Australia to play more high-level games. There's certainly some chat of a third tier rugby competition starting up in the next two years, which these boys need," Larkham said.

"Some of them have played a lot of Super Rugby, some guys have played a little bit of Super Rugby, and there are other guys coming in from club rugby who haven't played any Super Rugby.

It's a good opportunity for these guys to test themselves, to see where they're at. It's an opportunity to see if we can make some changes to our game for the next Super Rugby season."

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