Paul Rees
When the Barbarians take on Australia in Cardiff at the end of next month, it will be the last time the invitation club meets a touring side unless it agrees to donate a significant percentage of the profits to developing nations.
For the past 54 years, the Barbarians have traditionally brought down the curtain on a tour to Britain and Ireland by one of the three major southern hemisphere nations.
Australia will receive 400000 for playing the Barbarians at the Millennium stadium just three days after the Wallabies have faced Wales at the same ground. The rest of the proceeds will be shared by the Barbarian players, the agents acting for the club and the Welsh Rugby Union, which will receive 15% of the gate.
The Six Nations committee tried to stop the match being arranged until it had been given financial assurances. It failed, but it has warned that in future years it expects the Barbarians to agree to donate money to small, struggling unions or face losing the right to play touring sides.
“At the moment, it is a vehicle for the rich to get richer,” said Syd Millar, a member of both the Barbarians’ and the Six Nations’ committees.
“The first time the Barbarians played a touring side was back in 1947 and the match was arranged because the Wallabies did not have enough money to pay for their return home.
“The fixtures should be a mechanism for money to go where it is really needed.”
Countries like Romania, Canada and the South Pacific islands are struggling because of a lack of resources. Tonga threatened to pull out of its tour to Scotland and Wales in November unless it was guaranteed 160,000. A compromise was reached when the Welsh and Scottish unions agreed to pay 30,000 each, with the International Board set to part with a similar sum.
While the Barbarians are independent of the Six Nations committee, they are vulnerable to the threat of placing their matches on the international schedule, which would give the committee the right of veto.