Two million reasons for Australia to win

SYDNEY - Australia's rugby players could be in for a cash bonus of A$2 million ($2.21 million) if they win the World Cup in October.

Australia is seeking to become the first country to win successive World Cup titles, and the Australian Rugby Union says the home side will get a sizeable cash bonus if they win.

At the last World Cup, the ARU paid out A$1.3 million, giving each of the 30 squad members A$30,000. Management staff also received a share of the bonus.

"I wouldn't want to speculate on what the win bonus might be, but clearly we're four years down the track and we'll take inflation into account," ARU chief John O'Neill said yesterday.

He said Australia's player contracts and collective bargaining agreement showed it was "at the forefront of the world's best practices. We will be generous on the bonuses - we are not cheapskates."

O'Neill said comparisons between the Wallabies' money and the A$250,000-a-man reward for the Australian cricket team after they won their World Cup were unfair.

The Australian Cricket Board had handed over prizemoney, "but in our World Cup there is no prizemoney."

The International Rugby Board agreed ( last week to lift the host union's profit ceiling of A$45 million. Australia had sought the review after huge early ticket sales.

"We will keep the first A$31 million from ticket sales and the rest will be split, 70 per cent to the IRB and 30 per cent to us," O'Neill said.

The ARU will now budget for a World Cup profit of about A$48 million.

"But that does not take into account the A$18 million we had to spend to ensure clean grounds for the tournament," O'Neill said.

"The state governments have provided us with around A$13 million, so that still leaves us A$5 million in the red on that account."

- NZPA