Rugby makes a formal offer to Mark Gasnier

The Australian Rugby Union has formally offered a playing contract to St George Illawarra Dragons and Australian Rugby League centre Mark Gasnier today.

The contract is a joint offer between the ARU and the NSW Rugby Union given that Gasnier indicated that, if he was to cross over to Rugby, he would only consider playing in his home state.

ARU CEO and Managing Director Gary Flowers said Gasnier was a talented athlete who would be challenged by Rugby, but stressed that there is no such thing as a guarantee of Wallaby selection.

"We didn't go out looking for Mark Gasnier, he came to us. We met with him on a number of occasions and we have now made him a formal offer," Flowers said.

"He is a world-class Rugby League player, one of the best in the world in his position, and John Connolly and our High Performance Unit feel he has the potential to make a big impact in the game.

"We have made him an offer that is commensurate with his abilities and standing as a professional footballer, but one that is affordable, performance-based and in line with contracts offered to players of a similar standard.

"If he decides he wants a new challenge in an international game with the potential to play his way into a Rugby World Cup, that's great.

"However if he chooses to stick with Rugby League, we will be comfortable in the knowledge that we have offered him the best possible opportunity to cross over to the 15-man game.

"We had a couple of meetings with him to get a feel for his motivation and expectations about Rugby. As much as you can get a read on someone over a coffee, he came across as an impressive person who is genuinely interested in the challenge of playing Rugby against the best teams in the world on an international stage.

While the terms of the offer are confidential, Flowers stressed the offer was nowhere near the $750,000 figure that has been reported.

"The figures that have been bandied about over the past month are well off the mark. The fact is that we have offered Mark a performance-based contract that is befitting to his abilities, but also reflects the fact that Mark would have to adapt quickly, work hard and perform at the highest level if he is to make the Wallabies.

"Our Collective Bargaining Agreement is structured in a way that means we have a fixed allocation for player contracting, so this will have absolutely no effect on our level of investment in junior player development and grassroots Rugby.

"We spend around $6 million each year on developing players through the Under 16s, Under 19s, Under 21s, Australian Sevens, Australian Schoolboys and the Premier Rugby competitions and that will continue."