Clubs demand £15m peace prize

13 April 2012

The future of Martin Johnson's untouchable England rugby squad is hanging on the RFU paying £15million for the players' guaranteed release next season.

The price of peace plunged the Twickenham hierarchy into emergency session after the Premiership clubs presented their bill, provoking a furore which left Clive Woodward without a clue as to what sort of England team he will be left to manage against France in barely a fortnight's time.

The clubs refused to disclose figures over the festering row which they have at last brought to a head, forcing the RFU to make the stark choice of paying up or losing not just an elite squad capable of winning the next World Cup but every single English-qualified player in the Premiership. They are demanding one-third of the RFU's revenue from Twickenham matches, more than £45m, as their 'fair share'.

Leicester chief executive Peter Wheeler said: 'The RFU has something like £29m in the bank. It made a record profit of £14m last season.

'We're producing more and more players for England, they're filling Twickenham and that's producing the financial figures. Yet the clubs aren't compensated in any way. We want this money to be redistributed fairly and what we're proposing is a long-lasting solution for the benefit of the game as a whole.'

'Of the £15m at stake, I understand £5m will go to the players via their trade union, the Professional Players' Association, and £10m to the clubs. The proposed distribution of the money is at the heart of the newly-formed alliance between clubs and players, Premier Rugby Partnership Ltd, as revealed by us yesterday.

Despite ample warning that the clubs were going alone after accusing Twickenham of reneging on the plan promising to pay £1.8m per club, RFU officials were shocked to be confronted yesterday with what amounted to a fait accompli. Wheeler, a driving force behind Premier Rugby and also a senior member of the RFU, said '99per cent' of the Premiership's 380 professionals had signed a 10-year agreement with their employers.

The 'deed of variation' means that their release for international matches changes from automatic to conditional with effect from May 31, three days after England are scheduled to leave on their American tour.

The International Board, the game's Derek Mann, an RFU member for 11 years, claimed last night the entire England squad had effectively disqualified themselves from appearing against France on April 7 or going on the Lions tour.

He said: 'By signing this contract they have put themselves outside selection for internationals.

'It would be a sad day for rugby if they relinquish or forfeit their futures with England for a mess of potage.' The existing agreement between the clubs and the RFU runs out at the end of the season. Premier rugby chairman Tom Walkinshaw said: 'We need a new contract because the RFU cancelled the old one. We've tried our best but it has become incredibly difficult for the executive management of the RFU to deliver an agreement because of the Union's constitution. There are too many debating societies.'

In a statement RFU chief executive Baron expressed 'disappointment' and confirming the RFU would not respond until the issue had been thrashed out at the next meeting of the Management Board a week today.

MORE ABOUT

Management

Richmond, London

Trade Unions

Twickenham

Clubs demand £15m peace prize

Read More