RPA issue statement amid bombshell England players' decision

The Rugby Players Association (RPA) has expressed disappointment over the England men’s team decision to terminate their role as exclusive commercial representatives.

This change, effective at the conclusion of the current Elite Player Squad (EPS) agreement in June 2024, marks the end of a two-decade partnership. Since 2004, the RPA has represented the commercial negotiations of Team England LLP, including the team’s contracts, image rights payments and bonuses.

According to The Times, the motion to drop the RPA was followed by a landslide vote in favour of parting company with the RPA by Team England LLP members. It is understood that negotiations over the Netflix documentary deal – which saw the streamer film during last year’s Guinness Six Nations – played a significant role in the bombshell decision.

A statement from the RPA reads: “The RPA are disappointed to announce that Team England LLP have chosen to end the RPA’s status as exclusive commercial representatives at the end of the current EPS agreement in June 2024.

“The RPA have proudly represented the England Men’s squad since 2004, consistently positioning them as the best rewarded in global Rugby Union.

“We will continue to support, promote, and protect all elite players in the English game via RPA representation, including those selected to play for the England Men’s side. A current EPS men’s representative has placed on record that the squad give the RPA their full backing in supporting players across the English game.”

RPA Statement on Team England LLP#ForOurPlayers pic.twitter.com/zn4eZi9n0a

— The RPA (@theRPA) January 3, 2024

Cracks had begun to appear in the relationship during the pandemic when Gallagher Premiership players were forced into heavy salary cuts in the face of fixture cancellations and a ban on attending matches. With the RPA partly funded by the RFU, question marks had been raised around conflicts of interest, most notably voiced by England loosehead Ellis Genge, who in 2020 voiced a campaign for the players to establish their own union separate from the RPA.