Rugby: Many English stars could miss World Cup, including Jonny Wilkinson, James Haskell and Tom Palmer
The Rugby Football Union of England has warned that overseas-based players who are playing in foreign leagues risk becoming ineligible to play for the national team. The RFU’s decision has created an uproar in England, as several
English stars currently play for foreign leagues and may be dropped from the national team – which could seriously hurt England’s chances at the World Cup.
England’s top three national rugby players are currently under contract with different French clubs and do not play with any domestic English club. Their star fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has a contract with Toulon, while flanker James
Haskell and lock Tom Palmer are both playing for Stade Francais. Under the new rules, these players will have to miss the World Cup if they continue playing in their respective French clubs.
Other players who are strong contenders for the English squad but are currently playing for overseas clubs include Paul Sackey and Dean Schofield, both of them playing for Toulon; Magnus Lund, playing for Biarritz; and Danny Cipriani
who recently signed a contract with the Melbourne Rebels.
The RFU’s newly appointed chief executive, John Steele, spoke to the media about the issue and said the RFU would not stop players from playing in foreign leagues but that doing so would greatly reduce these players’ chances of
playing in the World Cup, save in exceptional cases.
Furthermore, Steele said that the RFU has not made any change in its selection policy to introduce this rule, as the rule was already a part of the policy. However, as a precaution, the RFU has written to players’ agents about
the rule.
Steele further said that since England will be hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup, it is his biggest desire to see England win the cup at home, and that this would only be possible if all of England’s key players were entirely committed
to the home team.
"As things stand today we have a number of elite players in various squads and clubs outside England, principally in France, and you may be considering that as your next career move,” said Steele in his letter to players and their
agents. “If that is the case then I wanted to let you know that it is our view that we are best served by having our England Elite Player Squad and our England-Qualified Players all playing in England at English clubs.”
He further wrote that the RFU was planning to work more closely with elite players and had decided to take the help of team management, coaches, technical staff and sports science teams for this purpose.
"So I would like to confirm that it is our strong intent, from the end of Rugby World Cup 2011 through the RWC 2015 cycle, to select our Elite Player Squads at all levels entirely from players playing at English clubs where at
all possible," the letter concluded.
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