Italy’s World Cup preparations got off to the worst possible start on Monday as the players allegedly refused to train or even wear their national kit in a dispute over pay.
The players are believed to have led a walkout after rejecting the Italian Rugby Union (FIR)’s plan for remuneration at the Rugby World Cup, which allegedly includes substantial performance bonuses but a decreased base level of pay.
The Azzurri squad has assembled at Villabassa in Northern Italy for a training camp that is supposed to last three weeks. Captain Sergio Parisse and centurion Martin Castrogiovanni were missing due to their Top 14 commitments, a lead that the rest of the squad has followed in their refusal to train.
The FIR said it had “taken note” of the players’ decision “to neither take part in training nor wear federation kit before a financial agreement is found over participation in summer training and the World Cup”.
However later on, the Italian Players’ Association (GIRA) released a statement saying it was the union, and no the players, that stopped training. The players are believed to want a face-to-face conversation with FIR president Gavazzi, to discuss the payment plan.
In April, during the Six Nations, Gavazzi called the Italy squad ‘pensioners’ and bemoaned their drop to 15th in the ranking. He has apparently denied their request for a meeting due to ‘personal reasons’.
Of the decision to strike, Gavazzi said: “I am disappointed by the attitude taken by the athletes. Not so much for the situation but because this decision denotes unwillingness to back their sporting ability.
“The offer that was presented is consistent with the our current positioning and with the agreements between the athletes and the Tier 1 federations closest to us in the rankings. I remain confident that, as always, common sense will prevail and, together, we can increase attention to results.”
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