Wallabies winger to miss again as Rebels’ cash woes continue

Wallabies winger Filipo Daugunu will miss a second game for the Melbourne Rebels on Friday after an unpaid $7000 debt owed to him by the club led to him withdrawing from the team to play against the Queensland Reds last week.

News of Daugunu’s absence comes as the Rebels continue to pursue their demands for funding from Rugby Australia, with the former Super Rugby club board and the governing body locked in meetings on Tuesday.

Wallaby Filipo Daugunu will miss next week’s match.

Daugunu, an elusive outside back with seven caps for Australia, cited “personal reasons” for pulling out of the Rebels’ side for the round-four clash at AAMI Park, which the Reds won 53-26.

Informed sources, who spoke anonymously due to the confidential nature of the matter, said the withdrawal was related to Daugunu being owed $7000 by the Rebels, incurred when he paid for his own relocation costs from Brisbane to Melbourne over summer.

After Daugunu submitted his invoice to the club in January, however, the Rebels were placed in voluntary administration, with debts exceeding $21 million.

Rugby Australia subsequently recontracted Rebels players, coaches and some staff to play the 2024 season, but Daugunu’s relocation costs were deemed to fall under the Rebels’ liabilities, and the Fijian speedster is listed as one of the club’s 47 creditors.

As late as Friday, Daugunu’s camp pressed Rugby Australia to pay him back the $7000, but RA declined, pointing to need for the administration process to play out.

Clause 9.7 of the professional rugby CBA spells out Rugby Australia’s obligation, in the event of a Super Rugby franchise losing its right to field a team, to “assume liability for payments of all amounts due to players who are contracted to the relevant rugby body”, including relocation allowances.

Daugunu returned to training for the Rebels on Tuesday but after missing two training sessions, coach Kevin Foote was unable to consider the 29-year-old for a return to action on Friday night against the unbeaten Hurricanes. The team fly out for Wellington on Wednesday.

“He is back at training and the players were very happy to see him,” Foote said.

“From our perspective it will be great for him to get back on the field. He is just a footballer who wants to play rugby with people he cares about, and the quicker we can do that the better for everyone.”

Rebels captain Rob Leota said: “Obviously ‘Lipo’ (Daugunu) pulled out for personal reasons, that’s what we have been told. And also we know he has been receiving a lot of support.

“For us, we just have to keep going on. It was good to have him back today within our training and execute well, and help us prepare for our game. It was really good having him back and seeing him smile and happy around the group.”

RA and Rebels locked in legal meetings

Rugby Australia and the Rebels directors met on Tuesday to thrash out the claims made in a 10-page notice of demand the Rebels board sent to the peak body earlier this month.

That letter outlined a proposed course of action, as Rebels directors seek to recoup $8 million from RA they say is owed to the besieged club.

They allege the governing body owes $6 million for underfunding the club over a number of years, and an additional $2 million to cover the cost of Rebels’ player wages while they were on Wallabies duties.

Rugby Australia declined to comment.

Three sources with detailed knowledge of the ongoing process, not authorised to speak publicly, also confirmed on Tuesday that the former board are continuing to work out a Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA) to put forward to creditors, who are owed a collective $22 million.

In February, Federal Court judge Catherine Button granted a 60-day extension to the voluntary administration process to give the board time to put forward the DOCA,

The board is chaired by Paul Docherty, and made up of lawyer Tim North, investor Lyndsey Cattermole, Rugby Victoria finance officer Owain Stone, Gary Gray, Georgia Widdup, and Rugby Victoria president Neil Hay.

The board has until Friday to submit the DOCA to PwC administrators tasked with handling the voluntary administration process.