Bath expect an inevitable ‘conflict’ to arise this season over the way their England players’ workloads are managed, following the recent announcement of a new club-country deal with the RFU.
The terms of the Professional Game Partnership give national coach Steve Borthwick the final say over when the majority of his squad are available to play for their clubs, for fitness or medical reasons.
It is a major shift in control that has been quickly endorsed by Premier League directors of rugby, including Johann van Graan, who is gearing up for another title challenge in the West Country.
Ollie Lawrence, Sam Underhill and Will Stuart are among the Bath contingent likely to be given ‘enhanced EPS’ contracts. Van Graan knows there will come a time when he wants to select them for a big league or Champions Cup match, Borthwick decides they need to rest and a dispute needs to be resolved.
“The agreement has been signed, so that’s something I’m going into with good intentions,” the South African said. “I would like to think that everyone, whether it’s the national team or the clubs, has the best interests of the players at heart. There will be some conflict because of the regulations where certain decisions can be made by the relevant people.
Johann van Graan expects ‘conflict’ over his players’ workload this season
Ollie Lawrence (centre), Sam Underhill and Will Stuart are among the Bath contingent likely to receive ‘enhanced EPS’ contracts
“From a personal point of view I had a fantastic meeting with Steve. All the England coaches were here a couple of weeks ago. There is an agreement on what the process is. The challenge will come once the call is made.
‘Firstly we have to have a Premiership and secondly we have to have international rugby. It’s always going to be club versus country. I’ve been on both sides of the fence. You need club and country. How well can we work together and when the tension rises how can we hopefully come to the right decision?’
Asked if he had confidence that Borthwick and the England hierarchy would respect the needs of the elite clubs, Van Graan added: ‘Yes, I do. Steve and I have been friends with rugby for a long time. There are 10 DoRs and Steve, and we respect the fact that he is the national coach. We are aligned with the PGP.
“There is now a process in place if there is a point of contention or if we get to a point where there is disagreement. It is important to know who the person is who makes that decision (as head of a committee that oversees player management).
‘Both sides will present the facts and a decision will be made. It’s good that it can’t be emotional – there has to be something factual and then someone has to make the decision. Do I try to live my life thinking that people will make the right decisions for the right reasons? Yes, because in the end it’s the players who play for the club and the national team.’
The PGP was brokered by the RFU, along with Premiership Rugby and the players’ union, the RPA. Their involvement marked a breakthrough, as the terms of the deal now included players of other nationalities playing in the top division of English rugby.
Steve Borthwick will have the final say on when the majority of his squad is available for their clubs
Bath are expected to rest Scottish fly-half Finn Russell, their master playmaker, at key points in the season.
“Yes, we have been informed about that,” Van Graan said. “The facts are that a player cannot play every game in a competition. I think we did that (resting players) very well last season. It will happen more often now with quite important club games and a number of stars will be missing. We have to be able to adapt.”
Bath kick off their new Premiership campaign on Friday evening with a repeat of last season’s final, which they ultimately lost narrowly to Northampton at Twickenham.
The highlight of the domestic season was undermined by a first-half red card for Bath’s England mainstay Beno Obano for a poor high tackle.
That incident and others have convinced Van Graan that players should only be sent off – in the full and definitive, traditional sense – for acts of flagrant fouling, rather than misjudgment. “I believe there should possibly be another color card,” he said.
‘If a player hits another player, I think he should get a straight red card and not be allowed to come back into the game. However, if there is a collision and the player is three centimetres wrong, I think we want the game to be 15-a-side. So I think a player – or another player – should be allowed to come back.
“That is way beyond my decision-making process, but if you ask my opinion, that’s my opinion. I understand that we have World Rugby, we have all the different countries, and you get different opinions. So if I’m asked for my opinion, that’s my opinion. I do believe there is a difference between a deliberate foul and hitting someone on the head with an unintentional tackle.
Beno Obano hit Juarno Augustus’ head with force during the tackle and was shown a red card.
‘The red cards in the World Cup final, the Champions Cup final and the Premiership final were not deliberate acts of foul play. It is a dynamic sport and players do sometimes get it wrong.
‘Do I believe that Christophe Ridley (Premiership Final referee) has understood the Beno incident correctly under the current laws? Yes he has. He had absolutely no choice. Did Beno intend to hurt the other player? Absolutely not.
‘The great thing about rugby is the big clashes, scrums, mauls, so it’s a balance between the two (that and safety). If a player punches another player or stamps on their head or gouges their eyes out, I think that should be an automatic red card.
“But where do you see that in the game now? The game is clean, it’s in a good place. So I think we need to look at how we can reduce collisions that are unintentional, with players moving quickly.”