The Wallabies have ditched their all-or-nothing World Cup bonus payment strategy and want access to a proposed $6.2 million in the knockout stages in October.
As negotiations on the four-yearly bonus structure reach the 11th hour, The Sun-Herald understands the players are proposing they be rewarded for winning a quarter-final and a semi-final, with an extra cherry on top for bringing home the Webb Ellis Cup.
While neither the Rugby Union Players' Association nor Rugby Australia would comment on precise figures, it is understood RUPA's total proposed per-player bonus, excluding match payments, would see them pocket up to $200,000 - more than the All Blacks - for winning the World Cup.
The structure would be a return to the traditional approach taken by Australia and most other tier-one nations during World Cup campaigns, but a departure from the 2015 agreement and a large increase in the total prize pool.
In the lead-up to the England tournament, RUPA agreed to a Rugby Australia proposal that the Wallabies go hard or go home, hinging the entire bonus of $100,000 per player on a World Cup win. The Wallabies were beaten 34-17 by New Zealand in the final and didn't pocket a cent more than their regular Test match payments of $10,000 per player in the matchday 23.
But this time around the players appear to be looking for incremental reward. In a proposal put to RA last week, they want bonuses for making the semi-finals and final, worth a total of $100,000, plus an extra $75,000 to $100,000 if they win the tournament.
Each player in the 31-man squad would be paid the bonus, while Test match payments for the matchday squad - $10,000 for nationally contracted players and $12,000 for others - would be pooled and distributed evenly over the entire squad. The total prize pool would go from $4.7 million in 2015 to about $6.2 million this year.
The All Blacks have negotiated a $150,000 bonus per player with the NZRU if they win, and $35,000 if they finish runners-up.
RUPA chairman Bruce Hodgkinson confirmed the players had put their proposal to Rugby Australia but were yet to hear back. RA is understood to favour the win-or-nothing status quo from 2015.
"That's being negotiated as we speak," Hodgkinson said. "My understanding is that participation agreements are required [by World Rugby] by the beginning of July. Most of the teams have already negotiated and have bonus structures in place. At this stage we don't have a finalised agreement."
The 2015 agreement was also agreed late in the piece and pitched by then-ARU boss Bill Pulver as the right thing to do for a game struggling financially.
The total $4.7 million figure fell well short of the $5.7 million on offer in 2007 and was also lower than the $4.9 million agreed ahead of the 2011 World Cup – neither of which were paid out after the Wallabies crashed out in the quarters and semis respectively.