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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Gerard Meagher

England warn rebels that joining rugby breakaway would end Test careers

England Rugby RFU Jack Willis Steve Borthwick
England players in a huddle during training
England players in a huddle during training at Twickenham on Friday. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters

Steve Borthwick’s ailing national side could be decimated by England players signing up to a breakaway global league, with the Rugby Football Union adopting a view that they would be sacrificing their Test careers if they did so.

Plans are afoot for a new league featuring eight franchise teams and about 200 players which would take matches around the world across major cities. Twenty players are said to have signed up in principle for the league, which is believed to be backed by US and Middle East money and due to begin in 2026.

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