Steve Borthwick has said he wants license to pick the strongest England team possible amid fears that an exodus of players heading abroad after the World Cup will weaken his hand. The Rugby Football Union’s strict criteria currently stops Borthwick from selecting players based outside England but with cash-strapped Premiership clubs unable to compete with overseas rivals, powerbrokers are under pressure to change that policy as part of an overhaul to the domestic game.
Luke Cowan-Dickie, Sam Simmonds, Joe Marchant and David Ribbans have all agreed moves to France after the World Cup while Jack Willis is on a short-term deal with Toulouse and only currently available for England after the RFU granted temporary dispensation to players who lost their jobs at Wasps or Worcester.
Due to the union’s long-standing policy, however, Willis – and all those heading abroad – will not be eligible after the World Cup while Manu Tuilagi and Billy Vunipola have also been linked with moves to Japan. Overseas clubs are able to offer more lucrative contracts than their Premiership counterparts, who are operating under a reduced salary cap.
The England vice-captain, Courtney Lawes, who is understood to have the option to leave Northampton at the end of the season, recently warned of the consequences for the national side of so many players suddenly becoming unavailable and Borthwick has revealed the issue is forming part of the discussions around the new Professional Game Agreement which comes into effect next year.
Citing a meeting with the RFU last week, Jamie George insisted those discussions have been positive against the backdrop of the threat of strike action by the Wales squad, which put into doubt England’s Six Nations fixture in Cardiff on Saturday, but there is a growing sense that major overhaul is required to avoid England’s own player crisis with some Premiership clubs no longer considering it viable to house numerous internationals.
While the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has previously suggested a form of central contracts could be considered, that nuclear option is unlikely, but until Premiership clubs have the will and the means to retain England stars, greater flexibility over selection criteria would limit the damage to the national team. “What we are faced with here are some extreme circumstances,” said Borthwick, who has made one change to his side to face Wales with Anthony Watson selected on the left wing for a first start in almost two years.
“There are discussions ongoing about what this means and what the implications are going forward. It’s about the players’ livelihoods and careers as well. From my point of view I want to make sure we are able to select the greatest number of players possible. And the best players possible. Do I want to make sure we have an England team where we have the best players available to us? Yes.”
Andy Farrell insists the rookie half-back pair Ross Byrne and Craig Casey fully merit the opportunity to run the show for Ireland in Rome.
Farrell has made six changes for Saturday’s Six Nations showdown with Italy, including handing fly-half Byrne and scrum-half Casey maiden career starts in the championship. Byrne will deputise for his injured Leinster teammate Johnny Sexton in the number 10 jersey to continue his international resurgence, while Casey comes in for fellow Munster man Conor Murray.
The Ireland team to play Italy
H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); R Byrne (Leinster), C Casey (Munster); A Porter (Leinster), R Kelleher (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht), I Henderson (Ulster), J Ryan (Leinster, capt), C Doris (Leinster), J Van Der Flier (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster).
Replacements D Sheehan (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), T O’Toole (Ulster), R Baird (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), S McCloskey (Ulster).
Borthwick expressed sympathy for the Wales squad, who agreed to remove the threat of industrial action after a compromise was reached with the Welsh Rugby Union over their demands. As a result, the 60-cap rule, which prevents players with fewer who are based outside Wales from being eligible, has been reduced to 25. Historically, the RFU has held firm over its ruling, which was introduced after the 2011 World Cup. Tom Palmer was eligible for the 2012 Six Nations because he was still contracted with Stade Francais but, barring the odd exception for Brad Shields and Piers Francis, who were about to join Premiership clubs, players such as Steffon Armitage have been repeatedly overlooked.
But given the current landscape, Borthwick added: “There are negotiations for a new Professional Game Agreement, starting in 2024. Players have been involved in the early point of those discussions. From my point of view they are in the early stages but we do know there are issues in rugby right now. I and all our players sympathise wholeheartedly with what the Welsh players have had to go through. Nobody should have to go through the level of uncertainty they have had.
“Everyone knows it’s been a challenging situation for rugby in this part of the world. We’ve seen two clubs no longer playing Premiership rugby this season. So we need to make sure those things are right. What we’re doing right now is focusing on putting on the best performance we can on Saturday.”
