Professional Game Agrement

[Egret]

The PGA which saw ?30M+ paid each year by the RFU to PRL clubs is up for renewal for presumably another 8 years from thec24/5 season. News reports suggest the RFU want central contracts and the PRL don't.

As Ireland's close coordination between club and country is being replicated to some degree by Scotland and Italy, I see closer ties being a critical element of any deal for England's future success. I also like the approach the French have taken to give their young players more opportunities/limit 'journeymen' foreign players.

What else should be in the agreement?

As an aside I had forgotten about the RFU funding each club on average ?2M+ pa when discussing the shocking losses made by PRL clubs year on year.

[Neils]

The main problem in England is the growth of the Sugar Daddy clubs. Elsewhere the clubs are either wholly or partly funded by their Unions. The RFU, remember an inept organisation,  problem is trying to persuade the Craig's, Lansdowns, Wray type characters to give up their fiefdom.

[Shugs]

Indeed so. ?You know all that money you?ve put in? Well now we want control of what you?ve built?. No chance.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

What is the aim of central contracts? What are England or it?s proponents hoping to achieve for the game?

At the moment the reading app reads to be Ireland are doing it so it must be a good idea. The problem is that it?s a completely different setup and was a much smaller, niche sport.

Until I see a well thought through plan of what the aim is and how central contracts will work in detail to achieve that aim  I?m against them. They are a solution looking for a problem and seem to be all things to all men. The danger is they end up being an RFU power grab and their track record in recent years is second to none when it comes to aimless drift and lack of leadership.

[Shugs]

Fundamentally central contracts serve to support the national side at the cost of the domestic game. English rugby is not in state domestically to absorb that hit. Personally I much prefer a competitive domestic league but that?s just me.

[westwaleswasp]

But it isn't a competitive league when one of these sugar daddies is such a sad loser and so used to getting his own way he decides the way to win the cock measuring contest is to use a different ruler to everyone else that tells him what a big boy he is and threatens to sue the others who might tell him he is is in fact a needle dicked cretin.

For the last decade we have had serial cheats win the league more often than not. Has any sport such with shameful record? How is that competitive? It is all very well saying anyone can beat anyone, but if the team at the top is ahead because they have 8 internationals on the bench then we don't have a competitive league, which has been the case.

If central contracts means scum like the Wrays throw their toys out of the pram and walk away, let us have them. Sorry, but if the price of owners is having Nigel/Lucy about then I would rather have the gin swilling farts handing out contracts, whatever the consequences.

As it happens I don't think that would be the outcome, I think it would be skewed to make the clubs like Sarries have more top players, and it would screw over the Falcons of this world.

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Agree with all said before, and it will always (with the status quo) come down to a club versus country argument.

Someone needs to think outside the box and come up with some creative solutions.

Central contracts are unlikely to work within the current framework - the clubs spend too much on developing players to want to relinquish control of them to the RFU. Following the Irish model the RFU would then determine how often they played, against whom, and in some instances *for* whom! Clubs will not accept that.

Here's a thought (and that's all it is - I haven't thought this through: feel free to shoot it down):

Regional model (a la Ireland) competing in URC (or, more likely, British League) with the clubs a tier below. Bit like the NZ / Super Rugby model. Regions can have central contracts, clubs retain identities and develop their player pathways... competitive domestic league at club level, regions strong enough to compete at Euro level...

[Egret]

I don't buy the argument that the club's spend so much developing their players, if they did, the English players individual skillset would be way higher than we see at the moment in terms of scoring 2 on 1 opportunities or even just passing the ball consistently both ways so that the recieving player can catch it without breaking their stride. Without central contracts I can see England being a tier 2 country for a long while.

I'm also coming to the view that PRL has been very bad for both club and country. The sooner they are brought up on a 'bringing the game into disrepute' charge the better.

[Shugs]

West wales Wasp I agree with you and enjoyed the analogies. What I was saying was that I don?t think it will happen.

[jamestaylor002]

Agree with all said before, and it will always (with the status quo) come down to a club versus country argument.

Someone needs to think outside the box and come up with some creative solutions.

Central contracts are unlikely to work within the current framework - the clubs spend too much on developing players to want to relinquish control of them to the RFU. Following the Irish model the RFU would then determine how often they played, against whom, and in some instances *for* whom! Clubs will not accept that.

Here's a thought (and that's all it is - I haven't thought this through: feel free to shoot it down):

Regional model (a la Ireland) competing in URC (or, more likely, British League) with the clubs a tier below. Bit like the NZ / Super Rugby model. Regions can have central contracts, clubs retain identities and develop their player pathways... competitive domestic league at club level, regions strong enough to compete at Euro level...

To support your statement about the RFU having a say in which club a player plays for... That has already happened in Ireland when Joey Carbery was moved from Leinster to Munster.

Can't remember the year but it was at the time when Carbery was considered Ireland's next 10 and needed to move away from Leinster to get regular game time.