English rugby’s ‘club v country’ row deepens

ENGLISH rugby’s club versus country crisis has deepened — barely a fortnight before England kick off their autumn Test series.

A day which started with England's Rugby Football Union announcing immediate termination of the 2001 Long Form Agreement (LFA) a blueprint document drawn up by Twickenham and Premier Rugby on how the professional game should be organised ended with top English clubs vehemently opposing such action.

The RFU management board unanimously decided that Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation for all 12 Guinness Premiership clubs, had "repudiated" the Long Form Agreement by not accepting that a June 2004 Elite Player agreement was a variation of the 2001 LFA.

But Premier Rugby has rejected that stance, as issues such as player release for England training days rumble on.

"PRL have advised the RFU management board representatives they do not accept the RFU position, and will therefore oppose the RFU in the action the management board has initiated," said a Premier Rugby statement.

"PRL greatly regret that the RFU management board have decided on this course of action, particularly since the clubs have continued to hold to their August good faith offer of releasing players for extra training days, which begin next week, ahead of the autumn internationals.

"PRL and their clubs have also maintained their commitment to a total of 16 training days, which are in addition to each of the weeks before the eight internationals (this season), and which is what was in place last year.

"It is also what had been deemed only 12 months ago by the RFU to be sufficient to prepare fully for Rugby World Cup 2007."

England begin their November schedule against Australia at Twickenham on November 12, followed by New Zealand and Samoa.

The RFU, meanwhile, have appointed an eight-man negotiating team including England head coach Andy Robinson to try to resolve existing club versus country issues.

Player release days beyond next month's Tests have yet to be resolved, while some £120,000 (€176,000) in Lions compensation cash has been withheld by Twickenham in a row about sufficient summer rest periods for English stars who toured New Zealand earlier this year.

While RFU management board chairman Martyn Thomas says Twickenham is "committed" to reaching a new agreement with PRL, further political strife in the English game appears inevitable.