Danny Care has backed the new “hybrid” contracts if they prevent England’s top players from leaving the country. A deal between the International Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby is rumored to have handed 20 England players a central contract, giving Steve Borthwick much greater authority over his core squad members.
The deal, which will be a part of the upcoming Professional Game Agreement, is expected to cost the 10 Premiership clubs £32 million annually. Taking the move overseas has grown more alluring in light of the financial turmoil in the Premiership.
Henry Arundell, John Willis, Joe Marchant, and David Ribbans, four members of England’s World Cup team, have all signed with French teams. Pero Itoje & Billy Vunipola are additionally linked to moves abroad.
The current RFU regulation is that players living outside of Britain are not qualified for selection, although an exception being made for Willis and is anticipated to be granted for Arundell during the Six Nations tournament next year due to their prior clubs going out of business. Care, however, is optimistic that the agreements would help keep footballers in the Premier League.
I’m sure I’m right when I say that we wish to see English athletes play in England. “England needs to keep its finest players in the country, and if there’s ways to achieve so that would benefit the professional game and make clubs more financially stable, I believe the players would support those measures. I hope they can resolve that.
“The boys will play [fewer] games as a result of the club game being reduced to 10 teams. I have often advocated against scheduling Premiership games within the Six Nations timeframe. Everyone wants that, including fans and teams.
“You want your top players playing, and teams want to keep the best players available, which helps with TV money and stadium attendance from fans who want to watch Owen Farrell play for Saracens as frequently as possible. I’m all for it if there are procedures and frameworks in place to do that.
The combination of contracts would promote better cooperation amongst club and country but would prevent Borthwick from deciding how many games the chosen 20 players play in or allowing them to do so. Insiders have also cited Borthwick’s claims that the athletes weren’t prepared for the Six Nations when they reported to camp.