Why English rugby's damning discard of young talent much too soon could be about to change
The coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc with sport all over the world and although it is a freak situation that no one could have expected or planned for, it has exacerbated the problems already encountered by young talent in Premiership Rugby and the English game.
English rugby sits on an enviable player pool of schoolboy talent, one that is arguably only surpassed by South Africa in terms of a combination of quality and quantity. Some clubs have delved into this pool very successfully. Others have gone down a different route, heavily recruiting from rival domestic clubs or from abroad in order to build their squad.
Every shareholder in Premiership Rugby – plus Yorkshire Carnegie – are given exclusive recruiting grounds and provided with funds from the RFU to run an academy. A lot of very good work goes on in these pathways and players are pushed forward and developed. The contracting decision, which occurs around February or March of a player’s final year at school, is a big moment for player and club alike.
Players are either left dejected or elated in the run-up to their exams, a significant issue in itself, but it is the next step in the pathway for them that we are focused on here. A senior academy intake can vary from just one or two in a particularly sparse year, to as many as twelve or 13 in a year overflowing with talent and players coming to the end of their school commitments. This puts players who have successfully earned a professional contract on one of a few pathways.
There are the players who are ready for the life of a professional rugby player and all that entails. They avoid major injuries, are physically and technically talented enough to make an immediate or short-term impact at the senior level, and are mentally ready to cope with the stresses and rigours of being a professional athlete. English rugby has no problems advancing these high-end talents straight out of school, and that has been evidenced by the rise of the Curry twins, Zach Mercer, Marcus Smith and Nick Isiekwe – to name but a few – in recent years.
Then you have the group of players who might be ready for professional rugby or those whose clubs will have to be a bit more patient with, but all of whom opt to continue their academic studies while also playing professional rugby. Unfortunately, this is a relatively small group, with most who sign pro contracts opting to exclusively focus on rugby, whether that is through their own choice or based on the recommendation of their club.
Lastly, we come to a large and seemingly growing group, the players who are chewed up and spat out of professional rugby. These are players who maybe spend one, two or even three years in a senior academy as a professional player, they have no university education, apprenticeship or other post-school qualifications and then they are released with very little rugby under their belts and slim to no chance of securing a professional contract elsewhere.
It is not just coronavirus that has brought a surge in these cases, the outbreak has simply highlighted what the surge in player wage expectations in recent years has begun to cause. Many of these players are used for training ground cannon fodder, with their pathway to meaningful contribution to the senior side blocked by extensive senior recruitment. They are sold a dream of professional rugby but discarded swiftly and often mercilessly.
There is always fresh talent to call upon from the junior academy and clubs can afford to churn this talent over with little negative comeback for themselves, as swelling the squad with these affordable options allows them to aggressively pursue high-end players from abroad and contract players on salaries that are unsustainable in the modern game.
That is not to say that all clubs act in this way. There are examples of Premiership clubs who actively push forward those players not initially ready for the rigours and demands of senior rugby, focusing on their development, being proactive with loan rugby and creating pathways for them to succeed. Hate or love them, Saracens are very good in this regard, as are Northampton Saints. They are perhaps the best two examples in the Premiership currently.
They put a strong emphasis on player development post-18, rather than just match preparation. They have comprehensive and multi-faceted coaching staffs to get the best out of players at all positions. They are proactive in getting players out on loan and playing competitive rugby. Competition on the pathway to the first XV is fierce due to the strength of their respective senior squads, although it is a pathway the players involved in believe in and are confident of traversing if they work hard enough.
The abundance of players cut within one or two years of signing their first professional contracts across the league is, however, a damning indictment of the structure in general. These players are then left adrift at 19, 20 or 21, holding on to the dream of playing professional rugby, but with little to no opportunity. For many, the idea of going to university to play rugby and secure an academic qualification while also pushing their rugby forward is wrongly considered a backwards step as they already have experience of being a professional.
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At least for the players who weren’t initially contracted, they will have been able to start building up their rugby experience in a different environment and get themselves one, two or even three years into a degree or post-school qualification or trade.
There should be an onus on Premiership clubs when making those decisions to either provide an academic back-up for players or to be surer that they have the pathway in place for this player to develop and forge a career for themselves. No one can get every contracting decision at 18 right and there will always be unfortunate scenarios where players are turned away early, but the growth in which we are seeing that happen currently is worrying. English rugby has become top-heavy at the highest level and it is the players at the bottom, without the finances, experience or qualifications needed to excel in other fields, who are now bearing the brunt of that.
Coupled with the funding cuts imposed by the RFU on the Greene King IPA Championship, suggested by some as a way for PRL to financially ringfence rather than facing the PR backlash for officially ringfencing, there are even fewer opportunities for these players to land at the next level down from the Premiership. They have been sold a dream and denied a real shot at achieving it.
There has been a lot of talk of rugby realigning and resetting in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, something which was further emphasised by the recent election for World Rugby chairman. Although that centred around tournaments, seasons and professional structures, there is still plenty to be done for the players, without whom we would not have a game to watch.
When the Premiership does eventually return, whether that is to finish the current season or to begin the 2020/21 campaign, the financial hits being endured because of the coronavirus outbreak are hopefully enough to make clubs realise there is more value to their senior academy players than being an affordable Premiership Shield player who is exempt from the salary cap.
Whether you hold traditional ‘rugby values’ in the highest esteem or you believe them a mantra for the dinosaurs, it cannot sit well that these players, who pass up education and opportunity outside of rugby, are discarded with such ease, all in order to add an extra £20k or £30k to the salary of a player who will already be earning 20, 30 or even 40 times as much as these youngsters.
Tough decisions will always have to be made in regard to contracting, but if you ask a player at 18 years of age to put their life on hold and be a professional rugby player, at least see that investment through. Do not pull the rug out from underneath them after a year or two.
When rugby returns, these players must be given a chance to show their worth. Hopefully, academy managers and directors of rugby can look beyond squad size and make the correct calls for the players on whether or not handing them a professional contract immediately after school is the right thing to do. If they do invest in a player that is not immediately ready for senior rugby, it would be encouraging if they show the necessary patience and create a pathway for them that works.
Hope, while in high demand right now, is sadly not always something that comes to fruition in professional rugby.
Comments on RugbyPass
Gee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
19 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
19 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
19 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
19 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
19 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
19 Go to comments