Incoming Wallaby coach Dave Rennie hasn't officially started his new role, but he's taking a voluntary 30 percent pay cut as Rugby Australia (RA) struggles to deal with the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rennie's Wallabies contract doesn't begin until July so he's been immune to any cuts RA has made so far, but the Kiwi has opted to take a reduced salary until September 30.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, his sacrifice equates to AU$75,000 over three months on Rennie's reported AU$1 million a year salary and comes days after RA ruled out asking Rennie to take one.
Rennie had previously taken a 25 percent salary cut in the final months of his Glasgow Warriors contract in Scotland, which officially ended this week, as the Pro14 season was cancelled.
RA is struggling financially, staring at a AU$120 million ($NZ128m) revenue black hole this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A RA spokesperson confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that Rennie agreed to a pay cut, saying that the Kiwi first raised the issue back in April.
"Dave is a really decent rugby man and a good bloke and he understands the situation we're facing," Australian director of rugby Scott Johnson said.
"He offered to take the same pay cut as everyone else way back when all this was kicking off. He wasn't on contract yet so I said we'd talk about it further down the track. That's the kind of man he is, he would never have separated himself from anyone else."
The percentage cut is in line with the 30 percent taken by the organisation's 15 senior executives.
Australia's Super Rugby players had agreed to take a 60 percent pay cut, which is scheduled to end on September 1, although that may change with the franchises to resume playing in a domestic competition next month.
More than three-quarters of RA's office and high performance staff have been stood down since April and 47 of its 142 full-time workers were made redundant in the first stage of a restructure announced this week.
Rennie leaves Scotland for New Zealand this week where he'll spend time with his family before heading to Australia to begin his new job in mid-July.
RA is hopeful of having the Wallabies play in a tour-test Bledisloe Cup series against the All Blacks at the very least towards the end of the year, which depends on a trans-Tasman bubble forming.
