RFU unveil new agreement to ‘reshape the rugby landscape’ as Steve Borthwick given greater control over players

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

The agreement is unveiled after 18 months of negotiation and collaboration between stakeholders within the sport with the aim of developing “world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues”.

The PGP will afford head coach Steve Borthwick greater control over an enhanced England playing 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 recipients of EPS deals.

The ten Premiership clubs, meanwhile, will benefit from funding of £33 million - £5m more than under the previous agreement – 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 pathway and academy structures have also been revamped as the union attempts to better develop players.

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

“Despite the RFU having £150m revenue losses through 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 reached a significant milestone in turning our spend into the professional game into a true investment partnership with shared strategy, goals, and risks.

"The England national team benefits by having control over the IDPs, Medical and S&C of the best players in England at the peak of their form and in the best shape to play for their country.  And the community game benefits from well run and funded academies to allow every young player to fulfil their potential and winning England teams that generate money to reinvest into the whole game.”

The agreement sees a new board established with an independent chair and two further independent members alongside representatives from the RFU, Premiership Rugby and The RPA. One of the RFU’s members will be former referee Wayne Barnes, who concluded his officiating career after overseeing last year’s World Cup final.

While the future structure of the English second tier still remains unclarified, the winner of what is currently the Championship will continue to meet the bottom-placed Premiership club in a promotion play-off provided they meet the minimum standards criteria.

“The new Professional Game Partnership is fundamental to the next phase of English club rugby,” said Simon Massie-Taylor, Premiership Rugby CEO. “We have worked hard with the RFU and RPA to provide more financial stability, better governance and a joint high-performance plan that will help make the Men’s England Team and the Premiership clubs as successful as possible.

“What we have learnt from the challenges of the last few years is how important healthy clubs and a successful men’s England team are to the rugby eco-system - and also how important it is to work in partnership with the players, the governing body and other rugby stakeholders.”

This is the first time that the RPA have been signatories to the deal despite the senior England squad electing to split with the players’ union earlier this year. The organisation has agreed a new minimum wage and have helped establish a Player Support Fund, which will be administered and supported by Restart, the official charity of the RPA.

Christian Day, RPA general secretary, added: “The Rugby Players Association’s inclusion as signatories to the Men’s Professional Game Partnership is a landmark day for our organisation, but most importantly for the players.

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

“We are progressing through a time of what we believe to be positive change and unity for rugby union in England after a period of collective challenge. This new agreement should start to give players a feeling of real value, and in doing so can only improve their value add back into the game that they love.”