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England head coach Steve Borthwick has secured greater influence over his elite players thanks to a historic new agreement between the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby. The eight-year deal, which introduces “enhanced contracts” for up to 25 England players, grants Borthwick the “final say on all sports science and medical matters,” marking a significant shift in the power dynamics of English rugby.
Under this Professional Game Partnership (PGP) agreement, the RFU will pay Premiership clubs £33 million annually, with the aim of creating “world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues.” The new system stops short of a centrally-contracted model seen in New Zealand and Ireland, but still represents a significant step towards greater central control.
“This will reshape the rugby landscape and reset the professional game,” said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney, highlighting the transformative potential of the deal.
One of the key elements of the agreement is that each elite England player will follow a tailored program designed to help them peak for major international matches. While club directors of rugby will retain control over selection decisions for domestic matches, Borthwick will have unprecedented oversight of his key players’ fitness and conditioning.
Mixed Reactions from Club Coaches
Exeter Chiefs’ director of rugby, Rob Baxter, expressed some concerns about the agreement, despite a reassuring meeting with Borthwick. “I have to admit I am less concerned having had a very, very positive meeting with Steve and with our EPS [Elite Player Squad] players,” Baxter said in an interview with BBC 5 Live. However, he voiced his unease over the broader implications of the deal.
“I do think the RFU has been wrong with what it has done… We end up now negotiating this new agreement and to get the finance from the RFU the only way we get it is to give up more control of our players,” Baxter remarked. “That to me feels like someone taking advantage of a situation.”
Saracens’ director of rugby, Mark McCall, echoed a cautious optimism, suggesting that if managed correctly, the new system could be beneficial. “If there’s proper collaboration between club and country this can be used very effectively and very positively,” McCall said, though he noted that the success of the agreement would ultimately depend on its implementation.
New Initiatives and Structural Changes
The PGP agreement also includes several new initiatives aimed at improving the overall structure of English rugby. These include an expanded England A fixture list, a rejuvenated player pathway with a larger Under-20s squad, and a two-legged play-off between the bottom-placed Premiership side and the winner of the Championship, provided the second-tier club meets Minimum Standard Criteria (MSC).
In addition, the agreement introduces redefined academy boundaries to ensure better regional coverage and increased flexibility in the MSC to aid ambitious clubs in gaining promotion to the Premiership.
Former World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes has been appointed to a newly-formed Professional Rugby Board (PRB), which will oversee the strategy and governance of the professional game under this new partnership. The PRB, described as “world-leading” by the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA), will bring all rugby decisions under one roof, with representatives from the RFU, Premiership Rugby, and the RPA among its members.
Simon Massie-Taylor, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, emphasized the importance of the new partnership for the future of English rugby, stating, “We have worked hard with the RFU and RPA to provide more financial stability, better governance and a joint high-performance plan that will help make the men’s England team and the Premiership clubs as successful as possible.”
