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The Danny Care verdict on 'hybrid' contracts for England players
By Liam Heagney
England veteran Danny Care has shared his thoughts on the mooted hybrid contracts that would change the way Steve Borthwick is able to manage the national team in the next Rugby World Cup cycle.
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The English game is currently hugely financially challenged with three Gallagher Premiership clubs – Wasps, Worcester and London Irish – all going to the wall in the past year and the RFU came in for further criticism of its funding when Championship champions Jersey last week fell into administration as well.
It has since been reported that there are negotiations ongoing about the national team management being able to have more input regarding a Test player’s conditioning, game time and position at his club, a development that would see the RFU pay a larger sum than the current amount of £40,000 awarded to clubs for every player supplied to England’s elite player squad.
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Such a change would represent a huge alteration to the English system, given the power the clubs have wielded on the players since the game turned pro nearly 30 years ago.
The 36-year-old Care hadn’t seen the reports about hybrid contacts but he would be in favour of anything that collectively boosts the club game in tandem with the Test side.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t see it but is there one available for me? I haven’t seen it, to be honest,” he quipped at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage on Tuesday after England training ahead of this Saturday’s pool finale versus Samoa in Lille.
“The administrators I am sure are looking into ways of keeping the best English players in England. I’d be behind it if it is a good thing for the players. I’m not sure I’ll see one but we want to see English players playing in England. I am definitely right in saying that, but I haven’t seen the article so I am not sure.
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“England needs to have the best players playing in England. If there are ways we can do that which might help the club game as well, help the clubs to be sustainable, more sustainable, the players would be on board with that. Hopefully, they can sort that one out.”
Care was wary about comparing England to Ireland, the world’s No1-ranked side where the wages of the frontline Test players are all 100 per cent paid by the IRFU via a central contract system for 15 to 20 of its stars.
“The Irish structure is completely different to what we have got in England. Now with the club game going down to 10 teams, there is automatically going to be less games for the lads.
“I have always pushed and been an advocate for Premiership games to not be played during the Six Nations windows. Fans, clubs want that, you want to see your best players playing. Clubs want to have the best players available which helps everything I sure, TV revenues, fans coming to stadiums.
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“They want to see Owen Farrell playing for Saracens as many times as he can so if there is ways and structures around to do that, I am all for it. I have said a few times there are a lot cleverer, smarter people than me working on these decisions. That may be debatable, but hopefully they get it right and the game in England can flourish.”
England boss Borthwick has apparently been helping to smooth relations between England and the clubs. “Steve and the coaches are doing that already behind the scenes and have been doing it since Steve took over the job.
Suited-up England get stuck into tackle practice at training in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage ahead of their Pool D finale versus Samoa next Saturday. #EnglandRugby #ENGvSAM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/YWKrCPZtjE
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 3, 2023
“Obviously if there is more structure to it I am sure it might help everyone but the one thing about Steve is he is working hard behind the scenes to make sure all the clubs are aligned and whatever the best thing is for the players, Steve is looking to that. I think the wheels are already in motion with that.”
Has Care, who has 92 England caps, been in a situation before where his club and country responsibilities have been awkward to balance? “When you are with England I have just tried to be all in with England and then as soon as you get back to the club, sometimes it is hard to switch back into club mode.
“I remember 2016 when I was captain of Quins I found that really tough to come back in and be asked to lead when I had not been there for eight, nine weeks. I felt like a bit of a fraud telling the lads what to do, I had not been there to experience that so maybe that would help in that respect in the captaincy or leadership type thing. That would probably be my only example where I found it tough.
“But I know lads have struggled before with long campaigns. We have been in (Rugby World Cup camp) for 16, 17 weeks, so it would be very different when you go back to your club now and lads have been there for the same amount of time. But I am loving my time here (in France), I don’t want it to end any time soon. I’d like to stay until the end of possible.”
