English rugby’s new deal piles more pressure on Borthwick – Andy Goode

The devil is definitely in some of the missing detail in the long-awaited new Men’s Professional Game Partnership but it does in theory augur well for Steve Borthwick and England - so the pressure is on.

It has been 18 months in the making and includes the key details, which have been widely known for a while, that up to 25 England players can be on hybrid contracts and Borthwick will have a greater level of control but it’s impossible to truly keep everyone happy.

Of course, a rosy picture was painted in the press release and accompanying media gathering and it should represent a step forward but Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter has already hinted that the clubs may have been taken advantage of to a certain extent.

Ultimately though, the international game is still the big revenue generator, clubs need cash and £33m a year in central funding for the next four years, before a profit-share arrangement for the following four years, is not to be sniffed at.

There is already a limit on the amount of rugby top international players can play, although that was exceeded by Maro Itoje and Henry Slade last season, so the fact that is going to be a bit more restrictive or closely monitored by Borthwick now shouldn’t be a massive issue.

Maro Itoje of England looks on during the International Test Match between New Zealand All Blacks and England at Eden Park on July 13, 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

I’m sure there will be the odd flashpoint behind the scenes now that the England boss has the final say on all sports science and medical matters relating to the management of Enhanced EPS players but the money clubs are getting should offset that.

There is a chance that it might be slightly less attractive for a club to have a large group of players on Enhanced EPS contracts depending on how it all plays out but you want to have the best players on your books so I can’t see that being a major consideration for club head honchos.

The job of being a Premiership director of rugby is a hugely difficult one, though, and this does add another extra layer of complexity to it but it just reflects that they need the money that is on offer in this agreement.

It’s only right that the RPA are now co-signatories and have a voting seat on the board, together with three each for the RFU and Premiership Rugby, and players need to back them and utilise that.

There have been some dissenting voices and the formation of different groups in recent years but the RPA should have the players’ interests at heart and we don’t know how many votes it’s going to take to pass anything but they now have a seat at the table.

The adjustments should also make it at least a bit more realistic for a Championship club to earn promotion to the Premiership with the two-match play-off still on the cards and increased flexibility in the Minimum Standards Criteria meaning it might actually happen at some point.

However, there are still only going to be a small number of clubs with that on their radar in the short term and the reality is that the gap between the top and second tier in England is bigger now than it has ever been so it’s hard to see a changing of the guard anytime soon.

Some of the other elements to the partnership relating to pathways, player welfare, the commercial side of things and a joint marketing agreement obviously need more flesh on the bones and transparency before they can be judged.

(Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)

It’s great to see that all parties are publicly presenting a pretty united front with the aim of “world-leading English teams, thriving professional leagues and an optimised performance system” but only time will tell whether everyone continues to be happy when the heat is on.

Rugby, like all sports, is a results-driven business and if the national team is winning, that is filtering down and the club game is looking healthier, then all will be rosy to the outside world at least. If it isn’t, cracks will naturally begin to show.

This partnership does take England further towards the likes of Ireland in terms of the way the system works, although not quite that far, but RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney described it as an “English solution for the English game” and it is clearly different for every country.

Ireland are the team on everyone’s lips at the moment because they’ve won the Six Nations title two years running but they did still get knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup, when the conditions are very different, and their system wouldn’t work in England.

France are a more comparable example to England and they did win the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022 in the wake of greater collaboration between clubs and the national team being announced and Fabien Galthie having more control over the top players.

England did win the Six Nations in 2020, the heavily pandemic-affected year, but one title in the past seven years and some very lowly finishes is clearly a major underachievement.

Borthwick has cited access to players and preparation time on a few occasions in the past in the lead-up to tournaments, not that he has necessarily used it as an excuse, but that should surely fall by the wayside now.

England's defence coach Felix Jones at training in June (Photo by Steve Bardens/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

The departures of Aled Walters and Felix Jones can’t be an excuse for England either but Sweeney did acknowledge that he was “deeply disappointed” with the latter’s decision.

We’re never going to know the ins and outs of an individual’s decision but the fact that both have happened in quick succession, together with long-serving strength and conditioning coach Tom Tombleson as well, has got people talking.

It’s obviously Borthwick’s job to ensure their good work is continued and they’re replaced by the best possible people so the ship remains on course and the new partnership should certainly enhance his chances of success.

There is never going to be a perfect solution and inevitably the devil is in the detail but, whichever way you dice it up, the new eight-year agreement is weighted in his favour and that without doubt brings with it an even greater pressure to win.