1
England rugby union stars could be placed on ‘hybrid contracts’
England stars could be placed on ‘hybrid contracts’ as part of negotiations over a significant change to the way the national team is managed.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby are in talks to give head coach Steve Borthwick greater control of a set number of Test players, the PA news agency understands.
Under the agreement, Borthwick would pick a group of internationals who he would see as providing the foundations of his squad for the 2027 World Cup.
In return for having more of a say on aspects of each player’s career such as conditioning, game time and position, the RFU would pay a larger sum to his club than the current amount of £40,000 awarded for every player supplied to the elite player squad (EPS).
If the agreement is approved, it would be one of the most significant changes to the English system since the game went professional almost 30 years ago.
While watered down from the central contracts that are a success in Ireland and New Zealand, they would break new ground given previous England coaches have had no influence over their players’ schedules when they are on club duty.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney raised the possibility of central contracts a year ago and there is a growing appetite among clubs battling against a bleak financial outlook to surrender some control of their Red Rose stars in return for compensation to help pay their wages.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hybrid contracts have also been floated by Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall. Saracens supply Jamie George, Maro Itoje, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly and Max Malins to Borthwick’s current World Cup squad.
“It should be top of the agenda, central contracts. If there is an opportunity to do something a bit differently and for club and country to work very closely together over a particular player,” McCall said in March.
“Maybe share his salary? We all know the top international players will be unavailable for half your programme anyway.
“Probably down the years it has been unfair on the club to pay that player his full salary if that’s the case.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You need to understand as well that as soon as the RFU starts to contribute towards someone’s salary then you lose a bit of control over that player, but I think that’s the right thing to do.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Excellent analysis Nick as we have come to expect. I was not really aware that NFL strategies have been adopted by rugby teams, especially in defence. One point I would make is that the Northhampton attacking player on the end of the chain in the video examples has not maintained the correct depth to be effective. In the footage shown the outside player is too flat to make the best of the opportunity his inside players have provided. In each case they have to reduce speed and turn their body backwards to secure the ball, losing all momentum and giving the impressive scrambling defence the chance to shut down the threat.
1 Go to commentsMorning, John. Do you think that it may be a good idea to rest both teams from the Madrid comp leading in to the Olympics
2 Go to comments« I am preparing myself for much more, something much bigger. I’m focussing on the next cycle, » You don’t say…
1 Go to commentsGeez plenty of time to come right before test season starts. Dont panic mr Mannering!!!!!
1 Go to commentsGreat read Nick. The Reds really have been great to watch this year, and the improvement of not only the players you mention, but the squad in general has been obvious. The Reds 10/12 play making axis is a nice counterpoint to the 10/15 partnership at the Brumbies and Rebels. If Schmidt was to pick say, Lolesio, Paisami and Wright / Kellaway, would this be too many play makers? I notice in a lot of those clips Tim Ryan playing across the field in support of Vunivalu. Is this a feature of Kiss’s structure?
3 Go to commentsSo sad, god rest him. Too young to be gone. RIP
2 Go to commentsRIP big man 🙏
2 Go to commentsThe GB coach. “Just because we don’t get together as much as other teams we don’t use that as an excuse for performances when we don’t hit the mark”. Why mention it at all then?
1 Go to commentsNo mention of the yellow card for Harlequins which really cost them.
3 Go to commentsThought you’d left us Nick. Good to have you back writing for us. So hunter ikitau works? I reckon wright kellaway as two of the back 3. Tim Ryan and Toole looking good for strike winger but I still want the power of korobeiti and figure our forwards still need him to help them out. Million dollar question is who plays 10? I’m thinking Noah for his kicking and combo with wright. Reckon the pair adds up to an attack and kellaway will help. Can you comment on Zac Lucas in Japan? How is he going?
3 Go to commentsMack Hansen, Ethan Roots, Taine Plumbtree, Louis Lynagh, Emmanuel Meafou? Which country do you want to pick your Barbarians from?
3 Go to commentsInstead of apologising, try to act like an adult, fcknut.
3 Go to commentsLooks like the Force twisted his leg…ahem arm
7 Go to commentsScotland should change their name to the Barbarians
3 Go to commentsThe game was already over leave the bloke alone ….from a Welsh fan 😀👍
3 Go to commentsShamefully the Toulouse players acted like footballers, falling down feigning injury at the slightest knock. About time refs penalised this play acting.
8 Go to commentsAnother non Scot for the anti Scot Townsend. Soon there will be no Scottish born and bred players in the National team.
3 Go to commentsGreat comeback to the playing field by Richie Mo’unga after the loss of his father. A great performance by Richie . I know him well and he is a great guy. On and off the field one of the greatest for the Crusaders. Scott Robertson would have loved him in his All Black’s side. A very missed player and person.
3 Go to commentsYeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
3 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
7 Go to comments