http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...n/news-story/af2da55c204ac5370355360b6252e956
Jarryd Hayne holds secret talks with Australian Rugby Union
Iain Payten, The Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
JARRYD Hayne is a step closer to playing with Israel Folau at the Waratahs next year after meeting the Australian Rugby Union for a second time.
Hayne was captured by the Daily Telegraph emerging from a secret meeting with Australian rugby boss Bill Pulver at rugby’s St Leonards’ headquarters, just three weeks after first sitting down with the ARU chief executive.
When approached Hayne and manager Wayne Beavis declined to comment but it is understood the ARU and the cross-code superstar discussed Hayne playing for the Waratahs next year in Super Rugby.
It would be another blow to the embattled Parramatta Eels but if Hayne was to sign up for the Waratahs, it would set up a mouth-watering partnership with childhood mate Folau; who ironically also turned to rugby union in 2012 after a deal with the Eels fell through.
“We have had dialogue with Jarryd and discussed the potential opportunities available to him in Rugby,” Pulver told the Daily Telegraph.
“Jarryd is obviously a very high calibre athlete and we are always open to talking to a player who is genuinely interested in playing the game.”
As with the first meeting on June 30, Beavis requested Thursday’s discussion at the ARU.
It is understood no money was discussed but Hayne and Beavis were seeking clarity on how an Aussie rugby contract in 2017 could be structured for the former NRL, NFL and Fijian sevens star.
This would indicate Hayne is eyeing off a stint in Japanese rugby in the second half of next year, which would be crucial for the 28-year-old to supplement a somewhat limited salary package in Australian rugby.
Hayne can not play for the Wallabies because his international eligibility in rugby is now forever tied to Fiji, due to his cameo minutes at the London Sevens in June.
But along with the Waratahs, it is believed the ARU are considering piecing together an attractive 8-month contract offer - at least - that could see Hayne make a massive impact for rugby in Waratahs’ colours.
Just days after coach Daryl Gibson said he was searching for a back “with x-factor” to replace Kurtley Beale, the Waratahs could potentially offer Hayne a marquee contract in the vicinity of $300,000 a year; potentially more with third-party arrangements.
If the ARU contributed a similar amount, Hayne could pocket a sizeable pro-rata sum that - in combination with a big Japanese payday - could still see him earn over a million dollars for the year.
It has been strongly speculated the Eels were prepared to pay Hayne up to $1.5 million a season but with an administrator overseeing the entire Parramatta organisation, that sort of money would be in doubt.
The ARU paying a non-Wallabies eligible player a top-up would be unprecedented, and would have the potential to cause a ruckus among the Waratahs rivals.
Where the money came from would be critical, too, with Australian players not likely to be happy if fewer homegrown players got top-ups as a result.
But such would be the massive off-field impact for the Waratahs of Hayne playing in the 15-man game - and for the fading profile of rugby in the Sydney market - both NSW and the ARU could justify the spend on marketing grounds alone.
Folau is the highest paid rugby player in Australia but he has conservatively paid for himself several times in promotional value for rugby.
Figures revealed by the Daily Telegraph in 2014 showed Folau was a lucrative “lightning rod” for publicity, ticket revenue and sponsorship dollars in his first year at the Waratahs in 2013.
NSW boosted their media exposure by almost 50% from the 2012 season and according global sports marketing research company Repucom, the “QI media value” for the Tahs then-major sponsor HSBC, increased 46% up to $4.7 million. The Waratahs’ overall sponsorship value increased by approximately $1.5 million.
Folau standing next to his old Minto mate Hayne in a Waratahs jersey would be a massive coup off the field, and on it as well.
Hayne could potentially follow the footsteps of Folau and play fullback for the Waratahs.
THREE REASONS WHY IT COULD HAPPEN
1. BIGGER THAN THE GAME
Sonny Bill, Israel and now Jarryd. Hayne had already established himself as a single-name star bigger than a single code but a move to rugby union in Australia could see him join SBW and Folau as an athlete able to play any sport, anywhere, anytime. Rugby would be a new challenge that opens up the world.
2. PUSHING RUGBY’S PROFILE
The ARU and the Waratahs battle to make any major impact in the Sydney sporting market. Hayne would change that — just like Folau in 2013. The Tahs’ doubled their media coverage and sponsorship values after his first season. Hayne’s in that category.
3. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Hayne could earn more than $1 million a season in NRL but he could do that in Aussie and Japanese rugby. As a Fijian, he would not be regarded as an import in France and their top players earn up to $2m a year.
THREE REASONS WHY IT MAY NOT HAPPEN
1. MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Hayne is 28 and if he gets a four-year deal at $1.5 million a year from an NRL club, even the Denver Broncos defensive line wouldn’t stop him from grabbing it. Hayne gave up a truckload of money to play NFL. He would have barely been paid at all in sevens for Fiji. A secure future in NRL may trump code hopping.
2. ARU PLAYS FAIR
Most of the Wallabies talent, who receive top-up contracts from the ARU, are in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. Melbourne and the Western Force, struggle to attract Wallabies. To pay a fortune to recruit a player for the Tahs could go down like a lead balloon.
3. HAYNE GETS REJECTED BY RUGBY
The ARU said no to Andrew Johns as he was getting on and had a history with injury. Hayne’s no spring chicken and it may be determined that the money would be better spent on rising stars in rugby.
