Wallaby World Cup Match payments

Absolutely. Always should be. 10k a game still sweet coin for representing your country (sweet coin for playing footy too). Easy money for the privilege.

I once told my front row son (who wouldn't tackle willingly) before a game that I would pay him $5 for every hit he made. He usually averaged 1 good tackle per game. The result? He came off the field $5 richer. The point of that little story is that I doubt Nick Phipps is looking at Sunday's test as a way to buy a new 3D HD TV. I think (or at least hope) that he is looking at Sunday's test to fulfill a life-long dream and take his career to the next level.

I think Mike Catt may have been quite happy to hand back his match fee and cry 'Uncle' when Jonah Lomu was thundering towards him. He didn't, not because he was thinking of the money, but because he had a job to do. Ok, he did it badly, but he still did it.

Same for the young and new Wobs when they have to hit 120kg's of Samoan muscle at speed.

A privilege for sure. Easy money? Not on your life..

I tend to think that if you don't have the desire in you be a top line footballer (or any other sport for that matter) to begin with, then you probably aren't ever going to get to the position to be taking performance based bonuses. It's not like it's easy to be among a very select group of players to play in the Wallaby jersey and the training to get you to that point would finish off many lesser players.

That's a roundabout way of saying that the bonus won't be the be-all and end-all for the players. That little gold trophy will be.

No doubt. I hope Nick and the rest of the team are out there because they're keen as mustard to wear a gold jersey and give it their all.

No different to the amateur's running around on a Saturday in clubland against West Harbour, the Griffith Blacks or Tuggeranong Vikings.

Given that the majority of rugby players in Australia play for the love of the game, I reckon it's easy money.

Performance related pay works at the uppermost levels of business, which is at least as driven, and at least as rarefied, as top level sports. You might argue that business is driven by money, but in my experience there is just as much desire to succeed for its own sake at that level in business as there is in sports. Money is just one more driver that can be moderated to achieve the best result.