Match fees and bonuses The IRFU professed to be disappointed and dismayed yesterday at what it considered a breach of an agreement with the Irish Rugby Union Players Association in airing grievances over match fees and bonuses in public, in an article in yesterday's Irish Times.

A spokesperson for the IRFU, John Redmond, pointed out "there was a mutual agreement between the union and IRUPA, as is the industry norm, to conduct their business in private. It is standard practice and the IRFU is disappointed and dismayed that IRUPA have chosen to air their grievances in the media with a very one-sided version of events.

"Negotiations are ongoing with a variety of issues up for discussion. It is distracting and mischievous to raise these issues on the week of a rugby international."

There is a slightly comedic touch to the row in that the principals are within touching distance in the same office on the same floor. IRUPA's chief executive Niall Woods' office is probably no more than 10 feet away from the office of Maurice Dowling, the IRFU's human resources manager.

The union also pointed out those comparisons between Irish rugby players and Manchester United captain Roy Keane were inappropriate. Woods had said Keane earned more in a fortnight than most internationals earned in a year.

"Drawing a comparison between Irish rugby players and Roy Keane is a nonsense. They are two entirely different sporting disciplines and two different commercial markets," said Redmond. "One is arguably the best player at the richest club in the world while rugby is fourth in the pecking order in terms of Irish sporting preferences. Roy Keane earns more in one week than most Irish people will earn in two years."

The IRFU points out the total income for the 2003-2004 season was €34.7 million with the cost of the professional game to the union coming in at €24 million. Of that player salaries accounted for €12.5 million.

According to Redmond the average salary increase for a top-30 player was 13 per cent in the 2002-2003 season, 11 per cent in 2003-2004, while this season it will jump to 18 per cent. He further contended there were players whose salary increased by 60-70 per cent last season with unspecified players seeing a 90 per cent increase this season.

The average guaranteed basic salary of a top 30 player in the 2004-2005 season is €153,000 and that is without ancillary benefits such as a company car. The average guaranteed basic salary of an established international is €165,000. These don't include bonuses.

Using this season as an example, the following bonus structure would apply to the eight games, three autumn internationals and five matches in the Six Nations Championship. The players' match fee is 8 x €1,270 (€10,160) while the win bonus is set out at 7 x €3,810 and one (the USA game) x €1,910. If Ireland win all eight internationals the players would receive a further €28,580.

This does not take into account European Cup and Celtic League bonuses or the 40 per cent tax rebate given by the Government to sports people. Those players who toured with Ireland during the summer received a once-off fee of €4,000.

Redmond also addressed a point made in yesterday's Irish Times article that match fees and win bonuses hadn't been increased since 1998: "In that period (from 1998 to the present) the professional costs for the whole game have gone up 163 per cent, the salaries of the top players have gone up to just under 300 per cent while the income from the professional game has increased by just 95 per cent.

"I don't think it is fair or relevant to compare the match fees and win bonuses for the Irish players to those paid by other unions. If you take the specific cases of England, France and Wales, the unions in question do not pay the salary of the players. The clubs in those countries fulfil that remit. It's not a true comparison."

The two sides, the IRFU and IRUPA, are to meet today and the hope is that both having stated their case in public can now reach agreement and guarantee that the issue isn't allowed to fester and undermine what is being achieved on the pitch.