RFU unveils new deal to 'reshape the landscape of rugby' as Steve Borthwick given greater control over players

English rugby to be reshaped by new Professional Game Partnership (Getty Images)

England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players’ Association have unveiled the highly anticipated Professional Game Partnership (PGP) that will shape English rugby for the next eight years.

The deal comes after 18 months of negotiations and collaboration between sporting stakeholders with the aim of developing “premier English teams and thriving professional leagues”.

The PGP will give head coach Steve Borthwick greater control over an enhanced England squad (EPS) of up to 25 players. He will have the final say on all medical and sports science matters, with Maro Itoje and Jamie George confirmed as among the first beneficiaries of the EPS deals.

The ten Premiership clubs will receive £33m in funding – £5m more than under the previous deal – over the first four years, with future funding based on a profit-sharing model.

The two entities will work together to drive commercial growth, while the course and academy structures have also been overhauled as the union attempts to better develop players.

“This eight-year commitment will reshape the landscape of rugby and reset the professional game to support, showcase and fund our game for the next decade and beyond,” said RFU Chief Executive Bill Sweeney.

Steve Borthwick will have more control over a squad of up to 25 players (Getty Images)

“Despite the RFU losing £150m of revenue due to Covid and a £30m increase in operating costs over the last four years due to inflation, we are in a stable financial position. Today we have taken an important step forward in transforming our spending on the professional game into a true investment partnership with a shared strategy, objectives and risks.

“The England national team has the advantage of being able to control the IDPs, medicals and S&Cs of England’s best players at the top of their game and in the best shape to play for their country. And the community game benefits from well-run and funded academies to enable every young player to fulfil their potential and winning England teams generating money to reinvest into the game as a whole.”

The agreement will see a new board of directors established, comprising an independent chairman and two other independent members alongside representatives from the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the RPA. One of the RFU members will be former referee Wayne Barnes, who retired from refereeing after overseeing last year’s World Cup final.

Although the future structure of England’s second division remains unclear, the winner of what is currently the Championship will continue to meet the bottom-placed club in the Premiership in a promotion play-off, provided they meet the minimum criteria.

Premiership clubs to get increased funding but future of championship remains uncertain (PA Wire)

“The new professional playing partnership is fundamental to the next phase of English club rugby,” said Premiership Rugby CEO Simon Massie-Taylor. “We have worked hard with the RFU and RPA to deliver greater financial stability, improved governance and a joint high-performance plan that will help make the England men’s team and Premiership clubs as successful as possible.

“What we have learned from the challenges of recent years is how important healthy clubs and a successful England men’s team are to the rugby ecosystem – and also how important it is to work in partnership with players, the governing body and other rugby stakeholders.”

This is the first time the RPA has signed this agreement, despite England’s decision to part ways with the players’ union earlier this year. The organisation has agreed a new minimum wage and helped set up a Players’ Support Fund, which will be administered and supported by Restart, the RPA’s official charity.

Christian Day, RPA General Secretary, added: “The inclusion of the Rugby Players Association as a signatory to the Men’s Professional Game Partnership is a historic day for our organisation, but more importantly for the players.

The joint agreement comes after 18 months of collaboration between the RFU, RPA and Premiership Rugby (James Robinson)

“The RPA will always exist to support, promote and protect our members. It will build an adequate safety net and strive to make England the best place in the world to play rugby.

“We are in a period of positive change and unity for rugby in England, following a period of collective challenges. This new agreement should begin to give players a sense of real added value and in doing so can only enhance their added value in the game they love.”