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'My inbox is inundated with messages from Premiership players asking is there any chance of coming over to the MLR'
Ben Foden’s inbox is evidence of the growing interest from Gallagher Premiership players to finish their careers in the United States. The 34-times capped England and Northampton fullback is in his third and final season with Major League Rugby’s Rugby United New York, but has no intention of heading back to the UK, believing there are real opportunities to help grow the game in the USA.
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As part of his preparations for the next MLR season in February, which will see ex-England captain Chris Robshaw make his debut for San Diego Legion, Foden is taking part in the World 10s Series Rugby Tournament, which runs from October 24 to November 7 in Bermuda.
Foden is part of the London Royals, a team based around the England 7s squad that is currently without RFU funding and includes record try-scorer Dan Norton, who has just completed a short-term deal with London Irish.
With a 10-a-side circuit set to launch next year to offer MLR players a chance to supplement their income during the off-season, these are significant times for the sport, and Foden believes the interest from current Premiership players proves the USA can become a viable alternative to Japan for those seeking a shorter season.
Robshaw will play his 32nd game of the English season when he runs out at Twickenham on Sunday for the Barbarians against England, and the attraction of halving that schedule by moving to the MLR was a major factor in his decision to join San Diego.
Foden told RugbyPass: “My inbox is constantly inundated with messages from players in the Premiership asking what the MLR is like and is there any chance of coming over because they would love the opportunity to finish their careers in the USA.
“The interest is definitely there from English coaches, young and old players and everyone is waiting and watching the MLR.
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“I think we are three or four years away from the TV and money coming in, and because of where rugby in the USA is currently at there are so many opportunities to get involved. It is not just in the MLR, college sport over here is massive and they have lots of money and if they want to be involved there will be chances to carve out another rugby career.
“I want to help push American rugby to the forefront and put it out there as an upcoming sport in this country, and (in future) the USA could dominate.
“When rugby takes off then the Dallas Jackals will be have their own TV channel and the same will be true in New York with their own ex-players as pundits. I know that World Rugby is waiting for it to take off in the USA and it will then be a cash cow for rugby in general. It could be a game changer.
“The fact the season is only six months long means the body doesn’t take such a battering. One of my pet peeves with the Premiership is that far too much rugby is played, if you are involved in international rugby, Heineken Cup and Premiership it means you are at it every week.
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“I can fully understand why Robbo (Chris Robshaw) is coming and he spoke to me about joining New York and has ended up on the west coast with San Diego, who are a really good team and he will have a nice lifestyle. They had Ma’a Nonu last season and have brought in Robbo and Cecil Afrika, the 7s star into their squad.
Welcome news for the Red Roses.?https://t.co/rE06KoMQa9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 19, 2020
“I believe the MLR are getting it right now and the league is expanding and what I would like to see is the MLR and USA Rugby merging so they can jointly govern. If they are not working hand in hand then there can be a conflict of interest as the game grows. All the guys involved in the MLR want to get better with teams growing and now Los Angeles and Dallas, two big cities, are joining.”
While Foden has big plans for his rugby future in the USA, the 35-year-old ex-England fullback has the 10s to experience for the first time in Bermuda.
Asking any member of the England team to sit out of a club game would not mesh well with their instinctive nature.
It could make financial sense, though, argues @Jbeardmore https://t.co/2XHiCNGymo
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 18, 2020
He added: “Having Dan Norton in our squad is excellent and in my career I played 7s with guys like Danny Care and Dave Strettle, but never 10s.
“I am interested to see how the game works and do we play with a constant scrum-half and a pod system or just a bigger version of 7s? I believe there is room for a 10s circuit and the more rugby available the better, and getting the USA involved is great because the States is like 50 different countries and we have the MLR, the Sevens team doing well and potentially a Rugby World Cup in 2031.
“The World 7s series has gone a long way from when I played and we only used to get paid a bonus if we won.
“It is healthy for any sport to have different dimensions and tens could be a transition or a stand alone option where they guys can earn good money and see the world.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to comments