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Concern over 'creating false market for English-qualified players'

(Photo by Juan Gasperini/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

London Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney has dived into an issue that is sure to dominate the conversation around the Gallagher Premiership in the near future. A squeeze has already been put on the 13 top-flight clubs with the £1.4million salary cap reduction already in play along with the 2022/23 season reduction from two to one marquee player sitting outside that budget. 

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Amid a stalled plan to increase the Premiership to 14 clubs, the salary cap reduction will be followed in 2024 by the stipulation that will see all top-flight clubs having to select 15 English-qualified players in every matchday squad of 23, a policy that mirrors the emphasis in recent years in France towards home-grown players. 

The French have reaped the reward for this as their national team is now the strongest it has been for a decade and it resulted in Fabien Galthie last month guiding them to a first Six Nations title since 2010. However, it won’t be for some time before it is known if a greater emphasis on home-grown talent in the Premiership will have a similar effect on the England national team. 

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      It will be the 2024/25 league season when the regulation comes into play in the English top-flight and Kidney, the ex-Ireland Grand Slam coach, had pondered the pros and cons of this impending Premiership change with RugbyPass. In recent times, London Irish have started to get their younger, newer players noticed by England boss Eddie Jones, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Tom Pearson and some others getting chosen for international squad training in the past year.

      While Kidney is greatly enthused by this progress, he is wondering if the added emphasis on English-qualified players playing every week in the Premiership will dilute the quality of the league? For instance, the try-celebration picture accompanying this article features South African Benhard van Rensburg, the Australian Nick Phipps and Scotland’s Kyle Rowe, a trio of non-English players at London Irish.   

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      “I have been on the other side of that,” said Kidney to RugbyPass in reference to his previous role as Ireland boss from 2008 to 2013, a five-year stint that was followed by some time away from the game before he linked up with London Irish as their director of rugby in March 2018. “You want players coming through in every position for the English team, without a shadow of a doubt, but what you want to watch is if there are 14 teams with 15 (English-qualified) players in the squad, do England have 210 players who are Premiership ability? 

      “You just want to make sure that the standard of the competition stays up. From an international point of view to be able to have, say, ten players in each position to pick from must strengthen the hand of the international coach but at the same time then you want them to play in a competition that is really meaningful. 

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      “The Premiership has served England well in the past. I know there are always arguments over players being overplayed and the attritional nature of the matches, which is certainly true. That is my experience of working here as against the PRO14 or URC. There is a high attrition nature here. They are all difficult leagues in their own way. The advantage of the English one is that a lot of matches are played at three o’clock and you get home that night.

      “PRO14 you are playing in a different country at eight o’clock on a Saturday night and then there is extra travel and things like that, so the different competitions are demanding in their own ways. From an England point of view, an awful lot of the things that are set up right for the national team and putting this in place is another one. But what you do want to make sure is the standard of the competition stays that high.

      “If you only allowed eight (non-English-qualified players) in your squad, I presume the number of non-English players being recruited for each club will reduce over the next three years. There is no point in having 16 (non-English) players in your squad and only half of them can play at any one time. 

      “But the converse of that is, do you create a false market for English-qualified players and you end up with players being paid a lot of money and if they don’t reach the standard of the competition, then that is what can deteriorate. So the same money could be going out but if the standards of the competition aren’t kept up, that could adversely affect the English team.”

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      PL 2 hours ago
      Lions Tour Aussie takes: Bigger is better, the stars who failed to fire

      I find it interesting that journalists who have done nothing in rugby comment on selections & coaching like they are experts

      Concussive injury’s will remove insurance cover from the game unless their is strict application of the laws designed to remove MND Parkinson’s and CTE from the game


      Head on head I saw red to Adam Coleman as tackler for Irish while unconscious on a stretcher - concussions occur without twitching on the ground or the wobbly boot - I know I had maybe 20 from rugby


      The officiating of last feet is non existent

      The lack of effective wrap by Lions front rower & that decision had a close relationship with ordure in a toilet

      A head on head tackle red for Coleman not even penalty lead to a try in a phase or 2


      Powys v Evans lead to a £> 2 mill verdict against the ref personally special leveraged to Hiuse of Lords

      Refs will stop reffing with no insurance then no game


      About 5 years ago 4 or 5 French colts died from head hits in elite club games - that led to below sternum law - hamlets honoured in breach not observance

      Last feet non existent - enforcement favour flowing rugby nor lions meat grinder forwards get momentum and puck & drive NZ Vowel noise


      The UK Class Action could be very well be lost WRC will try every dirty trick in case they already used dial a neuros to argue the unarguable is law gossip


      I reffed ref coached & assessed for ruffly 17 seasons


      The application of laws is like a zig zag on speed

      Line out laws not enforced scrums tight pulling loose down one side mirror on other side elbow pointing to ground stretch marks on jersey

      Der moment the refs need to go Soec Savers

      My bet unless they stop lack of intestinal fortitude game management


      Yellow every time head contact or above sternum


      Needs sterner GMGs material impact removed set piece caterpillar remove

      Last feet to last feet + 1 m


      When I reffed I kept them well apart - hated me till they got over yellow and they actually had fun & complemented me post game backs had room and pick and drive had momentum


      As for intentional foul play like tackle in air auto red no replacement 100,000 fine player 250,000 club


      Treble it for international 26 week suspension & it’s disappear over night

      25 were scrum for dissent


      Penalty all this rubbish shots at opponents after error


      All the s.ite would disappear


      The pathetic unsportsmanlike behaviour would lead to standards


      Remember Les Boyd’s penalty re Brohman -if that is the way we treat foul play but while foul play with potential serious injury with a feather duster like we are the game is destined to no insurance following that no refs cause would you risk bankruptcy like Powys v Evans

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