Player power threatening cup's success

SYDNEY - New Zealand's rugby players' union will be involved in a conference call tomorrow night that could trigger a worldwide revolt over the World Cup.

At issue is the participation agreement players have to sign that requires them to give up their intellectual property rights - such as use of their images and signatures - without receiving royalties.

The Rugby Union Players Association in Australia is taking the Australian Rugby Union to the Supreme Court this month over the issue, a move ARU chief John O'Neill yesterday said was "completely unnecessary".

The Australian newspaper has reported that England and New Zealand players' unions would also consider court action if a solution couldn't be reached.

Tomorrow's telephone hook-up will involve the player unions of Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa and France.

The unions would discuss what steps they can take, as the dispute comes to a head with only four months until the World Cup starts.

The unions want to counter the International Rugby Board's refusal to back down on forcing the players to sign the participation agreement.

As well as the intellectual property rights, other parts of the agreement in dispute are that players can be fined or suspended without appeal during the Cup and the rights for a player to sue a referee if he is injured due to the official's negligence.

The players' court action seeks a declaration that the ARU is not entitled to employ players on the terms set out in the participation agreement. They are also seeking an injunction to prevent the ARU asking Australian professional players to sign the agreement.

O'Neill spoke of his disappointment on Channel Seven yesterday.

"You are in the middle of negotiation and discussion and they are going well and suddenly the party you are talking to sues you."

At the same time, the ARU was negotiating with the union on "very generous bonuses for a World Cup win as we did in 1999".

He said the Australian players received $A30,000 ($34,500) each for their World Cup win that year, when they signed the Cup's participation agreement "without blinking".

The Australian players are understood to be seeking a payment upwards of $A300,000 if they win the Bledisloe Cup, the Tri-Nations and the World Cup.

They are believed to have been offered a bonus of around $A100,000 if they win all three.

Australian commentators say the All Blacks are rumoured to be getting $A40,000 if they win the World Cup.

The ARU has been negotiating with the IRB over the participation agreement and O'Neill said the IRB would deal only with the major unions.

"We didn't need court action. It hurts. It's just not necessary.

"This a defining year for World Cup rugby. This is rugby at its best, an absolute showcase. It's not a good look for rugby to be in the newspapers with our players' association suing us."

He said a worldwide player revolt could not be ruled out.

"No player will be forced to sign the participation agreement but we can't select a player who hasn't signed it."

He said the ARU would deliver the best possible participation agreement and the best bonus payment agreement.

The players' union said in a press statement that the ARU had not kept it fully informed in its negotiations with the IRB and that O'Neill had told the IRB in April that he would get the Wallabies to sign the participation agreement as it stood.

- NZPA