NRL players are considering boycotting the World Cup if their increasingly bitter pay dispute with the Australasian governing body continues to sour, according to reports in Sydney.
The Daily Telegraph, quoting un-named sources, says industrial action during the tournament – which is to be held in October, November and December in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – had been discussed informally inside the Rugby League Players Association.
The NRL has recently slammed the players over their demands – which include 29 per cent of revenue – in a leaked email to clubs. It is estimated the League and the players are as much as A$170 million apart in negotiations.
The issue has dominated the lead-up to the opening State Of Origin match tomorrow night, with Australia captain Cameron Smith saying a number of contingencies had been discussed if the stalemate continues.
“We’ve got some ideas on the table,” Smith told journalists. “We’ll make decisions around that. We’ve got some ideas in place.”
The boycott would involve all members of Australasia’s Rugby League Players Association. The players have written a counter-letter to clubs condemning the NRL’s original correspondence as a misrepresentation.(continued below)
However, the World Cup does not benefit the NRL but instead funds international development. The profits are used to run the Rugby League International Federation and contributes to grants for developing nations like Jamaica, Serbia and Niue – meaning the NRL would be entitled to think it got off lightly if the World Cup was abandoned.
The RLIF, on the other, hand would be bankrupted and face multiple law suits for breach of contract – which means it would probably go ahead with non NRL players.
While England would be almost certain winners, other countries despise the use of professionals with only tentative links to the nations they represent and would welcome the chance to showcase more resident players. Ratings and crowds would tank, however, leaving the RLIF with no profit and no income.
But a World Cup without NRL players would probably be a better indication of the comparative strength of the game in the competing countries.
