Australian Rugby Union responds to QRU Chairman

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has requested a full explanation from Queensland Rugby Chairman, Mr Peter Lewis, on his reported outburst on player contracting.

"Until we get confirmation of his comments and a complete understanding of the place and context, we will not be responding directly to the specific emotional words he used," said Rob Clarke, ARU Chief Operating Officer.

The ARU CEO and Managing Director, Mr Gary Flowers, is flying to Brisbane tomorrow to see Mr Lewis.

"Even if he was at the parish pump, his reported remarks are not only wrong but are detrimental to the game," said Rob Clarke. "The appropriate forum for debate is either next week's Board of Directors meeting or the six-weekly meetings of the Super 14 Chief Executives.

"The player contracting procedures were developed in conjunction with and agreed to by all the provinces, including Queensland. These procedures have served all provinces well for the 10 years of professional rugby, including the Queensland Reds. In fact, in February of this year all the provinces reaffirmed their commitment to them and that the procedures worked well.

"If the Queensland corporate sector has, as stated by Mr Lewis, the "s****" with the Reds, maybe the Reds should acknowledge responsibility for that and do something about it rather than just pointing the finger of blame elsewhere.

"The provinces are responsible for attracting and signing players, not the ARU. The player gets offers and presentations from all the interested provinces and the player then decides where they want to play.

"It is a big career decision for them but ultimately they make their decision based on the rugby program. They assess each province's culture, the administration structure, the business model, the coach and the staff, the facilities and the setup, and lifestyle.

"A number of the players that left the Reds confirmed they made rugby decisions and it is not all about the money. Drew Mitchell confirmed that recently.

"The ARU provides equal Super 14 grant assistance to all provinces. No province gets more money than another from the ARU. The top-up money from the ARU for Wallaby players goes directly to those players; there is no benefit to the province.

"The ARU does not direct nor influence players as to where to play - that would be a de-facto draft system, which is not allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed by all provinces and the ARU with the Rugby Union Players Association.

Rugby in Australia has never been in better shape. A record $9 million was allocated to provincial unions last year; average crowds are up; participation is at an all time high; TV audiences are up strongly; we have record sponsorships; the Under 19s won the World Championship; and the Under 21s also have a good shot at being World Champions.