Rugby Football Union’s new selection policy will help in the long run, Rob Andrew
Director of England’s elite rugby, Rob Andrew, has appreciated the decision of Rugby Football Union (RFU) in regards to selection policy and said this decision will help to make a good team in the long run.
The RFU announced yesterday that only those players will get a chance in England’s World Cup squad, scheduled for next year, who are playing in English Domestic League.
This decision of Rugby Football Union would affect many English players, who are busy in playing in domestic leagues of other countries, especially French League.
Their three main players from the current squad Jonny Wilkinson, James Haskell, and Tom Palmer, who play in France’s domestic league, and Andrew Sheridan, who has recently signed a contract with Toulon, will be the most affected players,
as they are an automatic choice in England’s squad.
Rob Andrew, who was talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said he believes that this decision will help many young talented players, who are playing in the English Domestic League and are capable of playing at the international level.
If they selected an English national team now, then they will grow with the time and England should have a very strong team for the 2015 World Cup, which will be fully capable of winning the World Cup for England.
"Post-2011 we've got a long lead-up to the 2015 World Cup. We've got a lot of very talented young English players coming through the system and we really feel that we want to keep them playing in England, both for our clubs and
also for the England team".
He further said, this policy doesn’t mean that players can’t play in other domestic leagues, as it is a free World but if players play in their country’s domestic leagues then they can protect their international career.
RFU’s policy is looking for an inspiration from Southern Hampshire teams, as they are also following the same selection policy. New Zealand and Australia, two main rugby countries of Southern Hampshire, have already made this thing
very clear to their players that, if they want to play in their national squad, then they have to play in their local domestic leagues. Otherwise they couldn’t get a chance in the national squad and their performance is in front of you, they are the number
one and number 2 teams in International Rugby Board’s ratings.
On the other hand, Leicester director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, has criticized the new policy of RFU and said, it can make the English side weaker, as a lack of international commitment could actually make players more attractive
to overseas clubs.
He further said, you can’t follow the policy of Southern Hampshire region. There players are generally good and they get very handsome contracts from their home clubs. But on the other hand, if English players get a better deal from
any overseas club then they will definitely go there. Dealing with English players will also be a better option for clubs because due to a new policy they will have players for the whole year.
"That might be an attraction. English guys who are in the twilight of their careers might decide to go there for the financial rewards - and the French clubs might find it more attractive simply because they have them all year
round”.
RFU should reconsider their selection policy, as undoubtedly this policy will help in the long run, as players will mature with time and experience. But what will happen in 2011 World Cup, where it will be very difficult for new players
to compete with the experienced teams of New Zealand and Australia?
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