Alex Sanderson: ‘The game could die unless something dramatically changes’
Sale boss Alex Sanderson has described the proposed introduction of hybrid RFU contracts in England for Steve Borthwick’s leading players as a long-awaited, game-changing development that can help the sport survive in the long term.
The Gallagher Premiership has been riddled with financial concerns since its inception, a shortfall exacerbated by the pandemic and the subsequent loss of three clubs – Worcester, Wasps and London Irish – last season, reducing the top flight from a 13-team tournament to 10 for 2023/24.
One of the solutions put forward to try and lessen the burden of high wages for leading players has been the introduction of a new hybrid contracting system whereby 25 of England’s players can have part of their salary subsidized by the RFU.
In return for these deals, where the RFU would pay a larger sum to clubs than the current £40,000 awarded for each player supplied to the elite player squad (EPS), England boss Borthwick would have more say on each player’s conditioning, game time and position at club level.
Rather than host mid-winter England mini-camps, Borthwick has visited all 10 Premiership clubs to meet a wider group of players to discuss their progress and his plans for the next period and he met with players, including the Curry twins, George Ford, Manu Tuilagi, Bevan Rodd and Jonny Hill, last month when he visited Manchester.
Sale director of rugby Sanderson was delighted with the visit and he believes that hybrid contracting will be a positive step forward when the proposed deal is eventually rubberstamped. “I do because we want the lads, our young English players to play for England,” he said when asked by RugbyPass what his view was on the proposed new system.
“We want that to happen because it is their aspiration. What it does is take a bit of weight off us in terms of the salary cap because you get allowances for that and also in terms of their individual salaries because they would be guaranteed up to £160,000 a year I think so for many reasons it works for us, it helps us and it rewards those teams who have a larger contingent of English qualified players.”
If hybrid contracting is expected to be such a good thing for English rugby, why isn’t it already in situ in a country that won its only Rugby World Cup way back in 2003?
“The Premiership, the PRL and the RFU have just seemingly been opposing forces, vying for time with the players, and it for the most part being a financial transaction as opposed to what is for the betterment of the game,” Sanderson replied.
“Over the last four years, since covid, there has been a coming together; the game could die unless something dramatically changes. Also, the agreement that has been in place has been eight years long so we have been skipping through large periods, almost decades worth of seasons, without the ability to change it because contracts and agreements have been in place.
“Now we have the opportunity to make radical changes and this is one, taking the best things from Ireland, from New Zealand, from all those centrally contracted unions; where you have got more influence over them [the players], they have a greater allegiance to country than club whereas at times it might have been the other way around in this country. We can hopefully close the gap a little bit just on that front.
“I don’t think I’m of much influence, to be honest, there is very little by way of up management that I can do that has an effect but seemingly my understanding of the RFU – this is not a negative thing – because it is such a big organisation, 600 people work in it, steeped in tradition, and with people who are still there from the amateur period.
“It takes a long time for things that are not just said but are right to come to the fore and get actioned on. It has to go through a lot of people and a lot of conversations and at that point sometimes the opportunity and the momentum is gone to make a change.
“Seemingly there has been a bit of a shift recently and I can feel it in terms of my relationship with the senior coaches and long may that continue as we look to make the game better.”
Comments on RugbyPass
It will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
144 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
144 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
144 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
144 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
144 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
144 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
144 Go to commentsBen is right here though, Springboks were woefully poor with the advantage they had throughout this game. The France match was heroic because that was an even contest this match had it taken place in Rugby Championship would have been an easy win for NZ. If anything this match should tell the Bok coaches that a lot of this team should be changed. They beat this same NZ team by record margin with the same circumstances but with a different core. They bring back the tried and tested guys and they nearly botch this game.
144 Go to commentsI knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
144 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
144 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
144 Go to commentsHo hum.
144 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
144 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
144 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
144 Go to comments