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RPA takes swipe at EPCR's 'watered down statement' after Vunipola fan incident

Saracens number 8 Billy Vunipola. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Damian Hopley will raise serious concerns over player safety with English rugby chiefs tomorrow after Saracens No.8 Billy Vunipola was confronted by a Munster supporter on the Ricoh Arena pitch after the Heineken Champions Cup semi-final.

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Hopley, CEO of Rugby Players Association which represents England’s professional players, will use tomorrow’s Professional Game Board meeting in London to call for an urgent review of stewarding levels at major matches to ensure there is no repeat of the incident when the Cup final takes place between Saracens and Leinster at St. James’ Park in Newcastle on May 11th. The PGB is made up of representatives of the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby, Championship Clubs and the RPA to monitor and manage all issues to do with playing professional rugby in England.

Vunipola was the target of constant booing during Saracens 32-16 win following his social media comments about Wallaby full back Israel Folau’s claim that gay people would go to Hell. Vunipola was issued with formal warnings by the RFU and his Saracens club after “liking” Folau’s post and a Munster fan invaded the Ricoh Arena pitch to gesticulate at the England forward at the end of the semi-final.

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Watch: Munster issue statement on Vunipola incident

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Hopley told RugbyPass: “This is a massive issue and there was a pretty watered down statement from the European Cup organisers following the incident but this was a fundamental breach of security. We have seen incidents this season in football with players assaulted and who knows what may happen when an alcohol fuelled spectator who wants to be the big man on the day of a major rugby match and enters the field of play. Then we are entering dangerous territory.

“It was a pretty dark day for the sport that the breach happened at the Ricoh Arena and you would have hoped the authorities could have dealt with it in an appropriate way. We will be raising the incident with the PGB because player safety has to be paramount. The safety of the athletes who are generating all of his interest and income for the sport is vital and we cannot have anything that jeopardises their health and wellbeing.

“We have seen pressure growing in the game and I love the passion of supporters but it is important everyone takes a deep breath, remembers this is still a game and have a sense of perspective. The events at the Ricoh are a wake-up call to not sit on our laurels and to make sure that the stewarding is at a level that ensures we do not have a repeat of that incident. There is going to be an incredible final in Newcastle and we need it to be a great advert for the sport.”

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Soliloquin 1 hour ago
Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

I don’t know the financial story behind the changes that were implemented, but I guess clubs started to lose money, Mourad Boudjellal won it all with Toulon, got tired and wanted to invest in football , the French national team was at its lowest with the QF humiliation in 2015 and the FFR needed to transform the model where no French talent could thrive. Interestingly enough, the JIFF rule came in during the 2009/2010 season, so before the Toulon dynasty, but it was only 40% of the players that to be from trained in French academies. But the crops came a few years later, when they passed it at the current level of 70%.

Again, I’m not a huge fan of under 18 players being scouted and signed. I’d rather have French clubs create sub-academies in French territories like Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and other places that are culturally closer to RU and geographically closer to rugby lands. Mauvaka, Moefana, Taofifenua bros, Tolofua bros, Falatea - they all came to mainland after starting their rugby adventure back home.

They’re French, they come from economically struggling areas, and rugby can help locally, instead of lumping foreign talents.

And even though many national teams benefit from their players training and playing in France, there are cases where they could avoid trying to get them in the French national team (Tatafu).

In other cases, I feel less shame when the country doesn’t believe in the player like in Meafou’s case.

And there are players that never consider switching to the French national team like Niniashvili, Merckler or even Capuozzo, who is French and doesn’t really speak Italian.

We’ll see with Jacques Willis 🥲


But hey, it’s nothing new to Australia and NZ with PI!

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