Wallabies players may sit out Super 14 rugby matches as part of an enterprise bargaining agreement under negotiation, a Sydney newspaper reported today.
The Rugby Union Players' Association (Rupa) has floated the idea to the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) for Wallabies to sidestep Super 14 matches in 2006 in a dealto keep the players' schedule at a limit of 30 games per season.
The move from Rupa will effectively rule out any Wallabies playing club rugby, further weakening the code's already struggling grassroots scene in Australia.
Rupa chief executive Tony Dempsey told the Sun-Herald newspaper that limiting the number of games an individual could play was a key consideration in the negotiations.
"Player burnout is on the agenda with the expansion of the Tri-Nations and the Super 14."
It is understood the three provincial unions - New South Wales, Queensland and the Brumbies - are concerned that missing their Wallabies players for even one game could be the difference between making the finals or missing out.
"The players have stated their case and in an expanded Super 14 and Tri-Nations we have to take players' rest and recovery periods into consideration," New South Wales coach Ewen McKenzie said.
McKenzie conceded over the next couple of years the Wallabies might not be available for pre-season trial matches but he was reluctant to see them miss Super 14 games.
The ARU and Rupa are expected to finalise a deal this week although it could be some time before it is ratified and made public.
