The Rugby Union Players' Association believes constant speculation as to whether an Australian Super Rugby team will be cut from the competition in 2018 has "no doubt" made the option of going overseas more enticing for home-grown talent.
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However, chief executive Ross Xenos said that while the uncertainty is far from ideal, he just wants SANZAAR and the Australian Rugby Union to end up with the right decision and not a rushed one.
The ARU released a statement this week saying there had been "no decision taken on the removal of one of Australia's Super Rugby teams".
While this might be correct, it is widely believed the ARU has a team in mind, with reports this week from News Limited suggesting that franchise would be the Western Force, if SANZAAR did opt for a 15-team model.
While the Force paraded the fact the ARU came out and said no formal decision had been made, the game's governing body did not specifically deny the speculation and reports about the Force, meaning those in Western Australia won't be able to sleep comfortably just yet.
Xenos and his team have been bombarded with phone calls from members trying to get further clarity but the reality is RUPA knows just as much as what has been reported in previous weeks.
There is speculation players, whose team may be punted, will be asked by the ARU to move to another state and fulfil contracts there.
Xenos said the ARU has assured him such a process would be highly consultative but believed the fact clubs have been advised to not hand out new contracts to non-Wallabies players could be too much for those wanting job security.
"The challenge during this period of uncertainty is that it has clearly obstructed teams and players from negotiating and entering into contracts with certainty over the future and there is no doubt that has made overseas opportunities more attractive for some players," Xenos said. "The ARU has indicated to us that they will work in a very consultative fashion with any player who is contracted beyond the end of this year to a Super Rugby team who is no longer participating in the competition from 2018.
"We have no reason to believe that won't be the case but we also believe the legal rights of players are quite strong in this case."
Xenos disagreed with the notion the ARU is just paying lip service to the Western Force, knowing full well they are the team it has in mind to chop.
He conceded it was frustrating for those involved but made it clear the correct decision needed to be made.
"I don't think so ??? we would reiterate the position that the Western Force have distributed and the ARU has distributed; that no decision has been made around the future of Super Rugby," Xenos said. "All stakeholders would prefer to have this matter resolved sooner rather than later but I would reiterate that what's most important is that SANZAAR and the ARU make the right decision, not a rushed decision."
Many have questioned SANZAAR's decision to tweak the competition now and Xenos said it had been an unwanted sideshow to the football on show.
"The review process has taken longer than everyone would have liked and as a result the ongoing uncertainty has fuelled speculation that has unfortunately detracted from the performances of teams on the field," Xenos said.
Meanwhile, Xenos has backed the Waratahs' handling of Bernard Foley's concussion following the news he experienced unexpected symptoms following his return against the Rebels on Friday.
"We have full faith in the Waratahs medical team in how they are looking after Bernard and strongly believe that his welfare as a person and as a player is being put first in this case," Xenos said. "While it is concerning for any player to be out for an extended period of time with any injury, what's most important, especially given that concussion and head injuries are a space that we are learning so much about, is that we take as conservative an approach as possible. Full credit to the Waratahs for doing so in this case."
