England to stage Six Nations warm-up match prior to Italy in search of cash boost
With England due to play their Guinness Six Nations back match versus Italy in Rome on October 31, the Rugby Football Union are arranging a warm-up game for Eddie Jones’ England just 24 hours after the planned October 24 Gallagher Premiership final.
Amid the financial crisis that will see the RFU shed 139 jobs due to the projected loss of £100million due to the pandemic, they will look to maximise their potential earnings by adding an extra game to the roster.
It has already been revealed that if the capacity at Twickenham is limited to 30,000 all but a small number of tickets will be given to the lucrative hospitality operation that normally helps the RFU generate around £10m per match.
At present, England have not announced their Six Nations warm-up opponents but the Barbarians are one option while the scheduled November Test games with New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia remain under threat due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19.
As a result, an expanded Six Nations competition is planned – two groups of four – which will include Japan and Fiji who have confirmed they have been approached to join in.
That would reduce the number of planned home games for England who are negotiating a cut in the match fees to their players. It was £25,000 per player but this will be reduced when a new deal is struck.
The idea of a warm-up game on October 25 hasn’t gone down well with everyone in English rugby, however. One club director of rugby told RugbyPass: “Why do you need a warm-up – it’s a game with Italy? We’re not getting any warm-ups before we restart the Premiership games.”
Martyn Phillips, the Welsh Rugby Union chief executive, has been helping to sort out the calendar and he insists getting all of the international fixtures agreed for the next Test window agreed is down to the English and French unions and their respective clubs.
He said: “It’s largely down to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) as well as FFR and LNR in France to iron things out. We’re nearly there. We’re just waiting on those two nations to square things out so it is down to England and France to get us over the line.”
The dates for next season’s Top 14 club games in France will be discussed on Wednesday following Tuesday’s World Rugby executive meeting which is hoping to confirm the international schedule, and the Top 14 clubs (LNR) insist that five Test games – not six as wanted by the FFR – will be arranged.
A leading figure in the discussions told RugbyPass: “We’re dealing with October and November, hammering out release dates, and there is total unity in the club game in Europe. Some of the best minds in the game operate in club rugby and I hope we are at the start of a more inclusive discussion, but first we need to get the internationals sorted for this year.
“There is this period, then there is next season and also the longer term and they are three very different things. Bilateral discussions are taking place rather than imposing regulations. LNR have been talking to the FFR, and PRL and RFU are doing the same. This year can be sorted.
“This is just the beginning of the process. We all want to keep July as an international window and it is a strongly held view. That has all been parked to get this year sorted and there is a long way still to go. Those discussions have yet to be arranged.”
About those done deal claims… https://t.co/sOTDVRq6rk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 7, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to comments