Recruitment change coming for Premiership clubs and who will suffer most
While the vagaries of the Gallagher Premiership salary cap have made headlines in recent months, another driver of squad change over the next two seasons could come from a different source.
Instead of clubs just having to worry about getting their squad under the salary cap, they will also have increasingly worry about who their players qualify to play for at Test level.
The introduction of a new England Qualified Players system in 2024 – which has been recently confirmed – will see Premiership rosters altered significantly in the next two seasons. In a similar fashion to the LNR’s JIFF protocols in France, the new system will regulate how many non-England qualified players (NEQPs) can be selected in any given matchday squad.
As it stands, in the Premiership, a maximum of two foreign players can now be in the matchday 23, at all periods during the season. Given the current makeup of a number of squads, many might wonder if the legislation is being followed at all.
The answer is yes, thanks to the European Court of Justice’s Kolpak ruling, which came into being in 2003. As a result of the ruling; South African, Tongan, Fijian and Samoan players were not classified as overseas players in the context of the Premiership’s squad rules.
There was also the Bosman ruling to consider, which effectively meant any EU national has the same rights as any ‘local’ worker and therefore cannot be defined as a foreigner. Basically put, players from the likes of Ireland, Italy or France were all considered local in the context of professional rugby.
That changed in January 2021 as a result of Brexit, and now the league are amending the rules to reflect the UK’s positioning outside of the EU.
As such, the Premiership have created an interim period for clubs to get their house in order, in which players ‘who are or would have been classified as a Non-Foreign prior to 1 January 2021 will retain such Non-Foreign classification until the end of the 2023-24 season.’
While the exact details under the Professional Game Agreement (PGA) are still being ironed out, it is likely that clubs will be obliged to have a minimum of 15 EQPs in each match-day squad from August, 2024.
The ruling, which is still relatively generous in terms of how many none EQP each squad can support, will affect some sides far more than others. While one Prem side may need to make next to no adjustment, others will have to consider culling some of their none EQPs over the next 24 months or so.
For example, under the new ruling, Sale Sharks’ matchday squad for this weekend’s Gallagher Premiership game with Saracens contained 13 EQPs, two less than the new cap will allow in 2024.
One side that could be significantly affected is London Irish. As a snapshot example, London Irish’s 23 for their derby with Harlequins has just nine EQPs, well short of the 15 needed in two years’ time.
In stark contrast, Bath’s side that will face Exeter Chiefs today has 19 EQPs. Similarly, Harlequins’ side for their game with London Irish has 18 EQPs, comfortably over the minimum that will be needed.
According to Premiership Rugby Ltd, the level of EQPs in the league has been ‘fairly consistent’ since its inception and currently stands at ‘approximately 70 per cent’. That equates to about 200 English players playing every weekend in the competition.
The extent of the effect on the player market is yet to be seen, but it could theoretically lower the price of overseas players over time. Anecdotally, in France where the JIFFs rules are in place, French-qualified players fetch an increased premium with clubs eager to meet JIFF regs.
It could also stem the tide of South African players making a career for themselves in the Premiership. Currently, about 12 per cent of the league’s players hail from the Rainbow Nation.
One recruiter who spoke to RugbyPass believes the new system will give clubs an increased incentive to upscale their academy production lines, while simultaneously leading to more non-Kolpak players being recruited from the likes of New Zealand and Australia.
“It will definitely put an onus on smart domestic recruitment but it was also put a lot more pressure on academies. Not just the academies to produce homegrown players, but pathways that academies have in place to produce those players and make sure they are ready to play at Premiership level, which is something that English clubs have varied in strength at doing over the years.
“It looks like there will no longer be a foreign player, non-foreign player definition, so for recruiters, instead of thinking ‘Right, I can load my squad with Kolpak players from South Africa, or Fiji, or Samoa or Tonga, you are a little but more open in terms of what you can do recruitment wise, from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and America, countries like that.
“At the moment, all those players would be deemed foreign, unless you can get them into that non-foreign category. A lot of Kiwi or Aussie players come over with Samoan, Tongan or Fijian passports for example.
“The fact they are removing that, and that you’ll just have EQP and none-EQP means you’ll probably have a little more flexibility in terms of your recruitment.”
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
60 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
60 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
60 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
60 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
60 Go to comments