Queensland Reds trio stood down after refusing salary cut

Queensland Rugby Union has confirmed that Izack Rodda, Isaac Lucas and Harry Hockings after the trio refused to take pay cut following the pandemic coronavirus.

Rugby Australia and the clubs had to deal with the financial crisis caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 which disrupted the ongoing season and as a result a number of side had opted for the federal government’s JobKeeper subsidy.

All three players have expressed their displeasure in the move by the Queensland Rugby with reports indicating that Lucas and Hockings are linked with a move to Japan while Rodda has shown interest to move to a different Super Rugby franchise in Australia.

Earlier, Rugby Australia and the Players' Association had agreed for a approximately 60 per cent cut in wages across the board over a six-month period to deal with the crisis.

“Many industries in Australia are facing the same circumstances as sport in this country and the majority of our people have agreed to reduced hours under the federal JobKeeper legislation, which is assisting businesses such as ours through the COVID-19 pandemic," said QRU CEO David Hanham.

“We understand this situation is difficult for everyone and individual decisions need to be made to protect the long-term viability of Rugby in Queensland.

“As we have outlined before, these conditions are necessary at present and allow the QRU to create a financial bridge to the other side of this pandemic.

“Unfortunately, we have had to take the decision to stand-down three of our players. Given the recent negotiated player-payment reduction agreement, this was not a situation the QRU had expected to face.

“As we build towards the likely resumption of community and elite Rugby, the QRU remains focused and on-track to deliver on its three goals during the COVID-19 period – to ensure the health and safety of our people, to protect the financial viability of the QRU and to ensure the safety and viability of our clubs.”