World Cup rights crisis for players

SOME of rugby’s biggest names are growing increasingly concerned about signing the players’ agreements for this year’s World Cup, a leading players’ representative claimed yesterday.

International Rugby Players’ Association (IRPA) chairman Tony Dempsey said the issue was “snowballing” as players expressed their dismay at having to sign over their image rights without any offer of royalty payments from the sport’s ruling body the International Rugby Board (IRB).

The IRPA is also concerned about players losing their right to sue if they are injured in scrums and what they say is a lack of prize money for players.