Saracens are reportedly having to decide between keeping Owen Farrell or Maro Itoje as one of their marquee signings.
It opens the door for one of them leaving the Gallagher Premiership and going to play in France.
Which brings us back to that old question, should the RFU change their selection policy?
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South Africa showed how it can be really useful to build a huge pool of first class players all playing at the same time. In SA it was detrimental as it meant that only max 6-8 scrum halves in the entire local league are possible choices. However it opens the door for more players to be operating at the highest level hence SA has such a depth of choice and there are so many South Africans playing throughout the world's leagues.
One thing that needs to happen is the removal of the no overseas based players rule. Borthwick may well have to go down on bended knee to the RFU but it has to go. As Alfred points out, the number of England qualified players going abroad is rising and won't stop anytime soon.
Secondly, we need a truly competitive second tier with the championship clubs being properly funded and promotion/relegation being brought back.
The very concept of the marquee player seems flawed in game that relies so much on the squad. Why not just give clubs a salary cap and let them decide if they want to blow it all on one player.
Hybrid contracts would allow those who play extra games in the year at the highest level to up their earnings to reflect the higher chance of injury or to compensate their club for the lack of availability
85% of the RFU's income comes from Twickenham internationals. Somehow we have to protect our national team otherwise the whole game at every level will suffer.
English rugby is a disaster. The salary cap should be removed full stop!!!
Not sure I see the sense in your plan. Fact is, when the prem can't compete on wages people will leave, and when they can't they won't.
Not sure we can usefuly build a model so affected by market forces (which can be fickle).
Personally, I think they should play where they want and, if the RFU wants them in England, they offer to pay. Hopefully getting a concession about the minimum number of EQP players in matchdday squads.
yes (didn’t even watch the video)
The RFU have been discussing hybrid contracts as part of the new PFA. They need to hurry up if they want to stop the player drain to France.
Surely it is not beyond the wit of players and their agents to negotiate contracts with French clubs to allow them to train and play for England and rest during 6 nations fallow weeks.
Central Contracts. Contract the Players to the RFU, and ‘lease them to clubs
Only the elite players are going to be wanted by teams in the Pro 14, has beens can top up their pensions abroad, but it will make no difference to the average prem rugby player. The problem is the product ie rugby is not attracting the crowds or the viewers to pay the players high expectations
If we let big name players go abroad to earn more money they will get better as they play tougher opposition. We would also see younger English players get better as prem teams are forced to blood more of them in league & European games. So England’s established players get better and their younger players come through quicker. All positives for England. Yes, the premiership might not be the strongest league in the world but I think there’s a lot of misplaced pride there. The prem isn’t the best league anyway
England need to change Borthwick – and the RFU – and the referee trainer – and tthe ITV commentary team. Bring back straight feeds in the scrum – you know it makes sense!
Giteau’s law idea – 60 caps and then you can play abroad. Makes sense to me especially when money is so tight in the English game.
We only need to think back as to how France had been until recently.
They had been awful for years, but look at them now.
I don’t know what was happening in their league, but it has certainly developed a whole team of variety skill and excitement.
Obviously changes within their management have altered things dramatically.
As to the home premier league, we can see it is dominated by one or two teams of only a small selection of a few other teams who are just managing to survive financially. Those teams themselves are punctuated with a mixture of skilled players from all over the world, who will never qualify to play for England.
We’ve seen it in football, and now the consequences will show through in rugby.
Rugby is going through turmoil in so many areas, what with the rules and regulations, finances and discipline.
It is a very ‘interesting’ time.
It will need a lot of wisdom to see it through. I don’t think we have much of that in reserve.
60 or 50 cap rule would reward players for club and country commitment. We need to keep the best young talent in England.
The current system is terrible for clubs that invests and develops young talent. They put so much time and resources/money into developing them just for them to turn into stars and the club having to depart with them because they its unsustainable to keep them
Can/should the Prem remain independent, or should it join the URC? Hard to see how it will generate the revenues it needs on its own to compete with the French.
The terrible Rand basically forced SA to change their international player policy. And it really paid off. Personally I haven't seen the quality of domestic teams drop due to this decision (maybe I'm just blinded by bias). It's obvious that it can only benefit any team to have a bigger selection pool. Be like the Boks.
In many careers people are required to balance several factors like financial security, remaining in one home vs globe-trotting or at least relocating in country, staying in one company or hopping around. It’s just normal life 😉
I think something needs to change. It was different when the prem was the best league in the world but not sure that it is the case anymore.. can only help the national team with players playing in the best league/teams. Can also help give space for younger players to come through the academy in English teams
At the moment, we have the worst of both worlds. A diminishing pool of players due to a lot of SA, Argentinian, Welsh, Scottish players, playing for English clubs. Then we can't have our players play in Grance and still be eligible. If England were a dominant force, or at least on a par, we could get away with it. But we are not and we can't
Itoje getting all that money?He doesn't deserve it!! From S.Africa 🇿🇦