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Savea played his last game in Japan on 27 April and Barrett his last game on 5 May.

Really? He's generally been raved about as a squad member by his teammates (despite his past behavioural failings) and his addition to the Force this year was regularly cited as a positive influence by his teammates for the experience he added. His decent form this year combined with Schmidt's...

The guy who wrote the history of the Wallaby jersey doesn't like it either. Probably worth pointing out that the last lot of RM Williams Wallaby stuff sold out very fast from what I understand so maybe the designs being very different to the Wallaby jersey is actually a good thing?

He's a pretty shrewd businessman. Historically he's a rugby fan more than the other football codes but he's not going to pour money into Australian rugby/Australian rugby teams.

Why would good players accept that when literally every other prospective employer is offering them a guaranteed salary?

NBA, MLB and NHL are all guaranteed contracts. You sign a $20m a season contract then they are obligated to pay it for the duration of the contract. There are certainly incentives to boost the total value of the contract through things such as All NBA selection but this is the cream on top, not...

The only US sport where contracts aren't guaranteed is the NFL and that is moving towards far more guaranteed money, particularly for the best players. Like all sports the best players get paid the most money, get the most guarantees and get the most favourable contract terms (such as no trade...

I think it's also reasonable to think that Cheika has improved over the last five years. I think it was always going to happen irrespective of Pocock and I don't think there was a lot of recruitment required to get him to the Waratahs. He went to the Brumbies out of school because the Tahs...

Adam Gotsis is an Australian defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has certainly had plenty of success. He went through the US college system though.

That's not how life works. There's a reason the best players in all sports (and in any job really) have the most favourable terms in their contracts. If a significant part of their contracts are not guaranteed then the potential upside there needs to be a lot higher. Otherwise why wouldn't they...

A lot of the suggestions involve players (particularly the highest paid players) giving up substantial amounts of guaranteed money and replace it with potential sponsorships, non-guaranteed match payments etc. There was a suggestion a page or so ago that marquee players would be on two year...

Yassmin has actually played college football so has a better chance of actually learning the game in time. As he went to college there I don't think he is part of the IPP. Another Aussie that is part of the IPP is Jotham Russell who signed with the Patriots.

Arguably the International Pathway Program is as much about creating overseas interest in the NFL than it is about uncovering players. If they weren't additional to the rest of the squad none of these players would be close at the point they are signed. Neither of them made a 53 man roster...

I think a big part of the NFL thing is that players going need to be absolutely ready to do nothing but train and that's their contribution to the team. They will be on the practice squad and will get to be involved in a maximum of three preseason games and that will be it. They won't get to...

Ultimately professionalism and Super Rugby resulted in the best x number of players making rugby a profession in Australia. I don't think it can be dismissed as not being a central tenet of the reason for Super Rugby existing from its start. It's all well and good to suggest that something...

I think the NFL is also hugely popular among a lot of these guys and they would genuinely see these guys as idols versus peers so I think the chance to try and compete there and see how good they actually are is pretty enticing.

Holmes took a pay cut to go to the NFL and I think wanted out after preseason. If he'd wanted to stick there on the practice squad I think he could have. The finances have definitely made it more appealing in the three years since.

The international pathway program players are allocated an additional spot on the practice squad and once on the practice squad can't be signed by another team (unlike other practice squad players). Given that there doesn't seem to be much likelihood that LRZ won't see out his contract and get...

Which unsigned players are the priorities? Lukhan Salakaia-Loto presumably at the top of the list. There's a bunch of players already signed for 2025. Now clearly those contracts will be with a different team and that will certainly give the players an out if they want to leave but likewise...

What does this even mean?