Rob Andrew today hailed the new eight-year deal unveiled by the Rugby Football Union and Premier Rugby as a turning point in the occasionally rocky relationship between the two governing bodies. The RFU elite rugby director claimed that the deal, aimed at resolving the club versus country row, was the first "sustainable English solution for the English game, since the game went professional".
According to Andrew, the deal - in which the RFU will provide around £110m to the Guinness Premiership Clubs - represented "the first time that all the parties have fully understood the issues, and this is one of the most significant agreements that has been reached in the last 10 to 12 years."
Premier Rugby's chief executive Mark McCafferty agreed, claiming the arrangement can help the national team develop without hindering club rugby. "The agreement provides a good balance between what England needs, to build on its success, and what the clubs need, to continue the rapid growth of the professional club game," he said. "It protects and develops the Guinness Premiership, and supports the continuing success of our clubs in Europe. Both are the foundations for international success."
Under the new agreement, which comes into effect from July 1 next year, a Professional Game Board will be appointed to oversee the sport while three elite player squads will be also created - Senior, Saxons and Under-20.
Players in each 32-man squad will have their training regime decided after consultation between the RFU and their club, who will also be responsible for ensuring the training is carried out properly. Meanwhile RFU coaches will also be given regular access to their players and will enforce a medical protocol to ensure that each is in the best possible physical condition and health at all times.
To improve the preparation for England matches, all senior elite players will be released 13 or 14 days before the start of the autumn internationals, the Six Nations and for the duration of both international windows. There will also be a minimum two weeks' preparation for the senior elite players before each summer tour - on which England will take their strongest available squad.
In return, the RFU has agreed to pay Premier Rugby clubs £102m over the course of the agreement, plus a share of the revenues from a fourth autumn international every other year. In total, the deal could mean Premier Rugby will earn around £110m over the period of the agreement. However, clubs will only receive payment under the agreement if they have players in one or more of the three elite squads.
"I am very pleased to have negotiated this agreement with Premier Rugby," said the RFU chief executive Francis Baron. "The agreement has taken a considerable amount of time, but it was vital to get it right and seek to resolve once and for all the issues that have caused 'club v country' conflict - through a long-term agreement that is right for the game as a whole.
"Our aim has been to produce the most comprehensive and detailed agreement covering the professional game that has been drawn up anywhere in the world. We believe we have done that: we have secured an agreement which both gives the national side the strongest platform it has ever had to maintain and build on its success, while maintaining the integrity of our excellent club game. This agreement is in the interests of everyone involved in the game. This is a truly exciting period for English rugby."
