New Rugby Australia collective bargaining agreement will pay female Test players for first time

Australia's women's rugby union team will be paid for Test matches for the first time under a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

In another gain for women's rugby union, professional sevens players' base pay has been raised to a similar level to their male XV-a-side colleagues at $44,500 entry level salary.

The deal may allay some concerns about the treatment of female players by Rugby Australia, who admitted late last year it would not pay players in next year's national women's XV competition.

Rugby Australia has struck the CBA with players' representatives and Super Rugby clubs, lasting till the expiration of its broadcast deal at the end of 2020.

Clubs can now increase their Super Rugby squads to a maximum of 40, allowing more players affected by the axing of the Western Force to find homes.

Clubs' salary cap has been increased from $5 million to $5.5 million.

The CBA comes after a difficult year for players, many of whom faced months of uncertainty as the governing body made the decision to axe the Western Force from the SANZAAR competition.

Amid low crowd numbers, Australian teams also struggled on the field, with none of them able to beat a New Zealand-based franchise.

Commenting on the agreement, outgoing Rugby Australia Chief Executive Bill Pulver advised “while we continue to invest heavily in the professional game, Rugby Australia and RUPA (Rugby Union Players' Association) have worked together to ensure that the game can address the issue of funding at the community level.

“We have struck a balance that will allow greater investment in the community game, while ensuring that our High Performance programs are supported to deliver the on-field success that rugby fans demand and deserve.

“The new CBA is the first of its kind to incorporate all professional programs, including our Sevens teams and the Wallaroos, and importantly addresses key issues of pay equality and player welfare.”

RUPA President Dean Mumm said that the execution of the CBA was critical in order to allow for players to focus on rugby in 2018.

He added “with the previous CBA expiring at the end of 2017, securing this Agreement has been a priority for all parties and provides the certainty and stability to put recent challenges behind us.

"This agreement allows all parties to draw a line in the sand and move forward towards a more prosperous future for Australian rugby.”

Women’s players will also have a Pregnancy Policy built into the new agreement.

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