RFU considers 'nuclear' option of central contracts amid club crisis

'Everything is on the table' as RFU chief is also looking at 10-team Premiership from 2024 after Worcester and Wasps meltdowns 

ON THE MOVE: Exeter’s Sam Simmonds has agreed a move abroad for next season and the RFU are worried other England stars could follow. Pic: Steve Haag/PA Wire.

The Rugby Football Union is ready to explore the “nuclear” option of introducing central contracts for England players as powerbrokers seek a solution to the financial crisis with the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, insisting “everything is on the table”.

The plight of Worcester and Wasps has accelerated plans for the RFU and the Premiership clubs to reshape the English domestic game with Sweeney conceding the existing structure “is not ideal for club or country and we’re all fed up with it”.