Rugby Australia and the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) have today released Queensland Reds players Izack Rodda, Harry Hockings, and Isaac Lucas.
The decision comes after the three players elected to pursue termination of their contracts after being stood down by the QRU on Monday.
Rodda, Hockings, and Lucas were stood down after they declined to accept a reduction in pay and to nominate for the Australian Government’s JobKeeper subsidy, notwithstanding the interim pay agreement between Rugby Australia and RUPA.
Rugby Australia interim CEO, Rob Clarke said: “Rugby Australia and the Queensland Rugby Union have made the decision to release the three players from their contracts, effectively immediately.
“As everyone is aware the impacts of COVID-19 have been felt in every country, across every industry, and Rugby is no exception.
“As a result, the game collectively took the difficult but necessary action to stand down over 70% of the entire Rugby workforce, which equates to over 150 workers that are now receiving the JobKeeper subsidy.
“At the same time, 189 professional Rugby players in Australia accepted reduced pay for an interim period to enable the game to navigate this unprecedented situation. The three Queensland players elected not to accept these terms.”
QRU CEO David Hanham said: “A decision has been made today. Our focus and attention is on the players, staff and rugby community who have committed to our program and our team.”
