The loss of Itohé and Smith will be even more bad news for the Premier League and possibly England. urged the Rugby Premier League to «make it more attractive». that the clubs keep their English players and that the Saracen castle consider a profitable move abroad after the World Cup.
With a £5 million salary cap, Premier League clubs have struggled to compete financially. with their counterparts in France and Japan, and Telegraph Sport understands Itoye and England teammate Marcus Smith are weighing their options ahead of the end of current deals next summer.
With any move, the duo will follow internationals Luke Cowan-Dickey, David Ribbans, Joe Marchand, Sam Simmonds and Jack Nowell, all of whom have secured the post-Channel transition from the World Cup. Reports in the French press link Anthony Watson to Castro as Courtney Lowes contemplates leaving the Northampton Saints.
And Itohe, who has played 66 Tests for England since his debut in 2016, can't accept solution. to move abroad when asked on Wednesday.
"First of all, I like to play as a Saracen" Itoye, 28, said. “I love Saracens. In an ideal world, I would like to spend most, if not the rest, of my career at The Saracens.
"I want to stay here, I want to stay in England. I think it's good for the game to have English people in England. I think it's good for the game to have a situation where the Premier League is thriving, the English players are in England, the clubs have their English players… I think it's a situation where all sides win.
"But, unfortunately, at the moment we have a situation where, for many reasons, there are a number of rules and requirements that make it difficult for English players to stay in England. I think that now we are seeing an unfavorable trend. There are a lot of good English players in their prime who go abroad, which has never happened in my playing career.
Smith is one of the most prominent talents in English rugby. Photo: Getty Images/Charlotte Wilson
"Usually, players at the end of their careers go abroad for a year or two. Most English players want to stay in England and play rugby in England. I think we need to make it more attractive to clubs for English players. I think the PRL needs to be made more attractive to English player clubs. We need to find a solution to this problem"
Given the outcome, there is now pressure on the Rugby Premier League and the Rugby Football Union to either offer their players more financial incentive to stay in the Gallagher Premier League by raising the salary cap in a season during which the two clubs went bankrupt. or loosen its foreign player selection policy.
Steve Borthwick, England manager, supports the latter option and would in any event like to continue using the 'exceptional circumstances' clause to select players from abroad in next season, lobbying the RFU to give him more freedom to do so. /p>
Borthwick took advantage of the stipulation to start Toulouse's flanker Jack Willis during the Six Nations, given that the back rower was left clubless after the Wasp' However, Telegraph Sport reported last week that there would be no change to the choice of foreign players in negotiations with Premiership Rugby over the Professional Gaming Agreement, due to come into effect in 2024.
In the meantime, Itoye revealed that he had «a few instances where things didn't quite go the way [he] wanted»; in connection with the racist scandal in the English rugby union.
On Tuesday, former England center Luther Burrell said he was «proud» of his performance. after an RFU investigation found that his allegations of racism in sport were true.
The RFU study added that «in all areas of elite rugby, players have experienced some form of racism.» 34;.
Itoje says he had several instances where things didn't quite go the way [he wanted ] liked' in connection with the racist scandal in the English rugby union. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
“Obviously it’s not the best place, it’s not what we want in our sport,” Itohe said. “We must actively fight against racism and try to eradicate it from our sport, our game and our lives. As a society, we struggle with this from time to time. I really think there have been improvements, I really think that if you compare society today to 50 years ago, my experience of growing up is very different from my father's experience growing up in London.
“I think I’ve had a few times where things didn’t quite work out the way I wanted [in rugby]. I have never felt that the color of my skin interferes with my choice, in terms of play, in how coaches perceive me. But I guess there were cases in my time where people didn't live up to the standards.
While Itohe has supported further education to make rugby more inclusive, Castle added that tipping points — such as the death of George Floyd — could have a bigger impact.
"It's hard to say there is one fix or to say 'do this and it goes away'. History suggests that over time, gradual events occur that lead to change.
“There are some moments that highlight this more explicitly than others – the George Floyd moment in 2020 around the world highlighted the issue and put it at the top of our minds. It's hard to say what the solution will be. But the more we can connect with someone and understand the other person's point of view, the better we will understand and hopefully address this issue.»
Q&A — Maro Itohe, Marcus Smith and France: what's really going on?
Charles Richardson
Marcus Smith and Maro Itoye are just the latest England players to jump across the channel to play rugby at their club. Credit: Getty Images/Dan Mullan Which players left England?
Luke Cowan-Dickey, David Ribbans, Joe Marchant, Sam Simmonds and Jack Nowell — all of whom could potentially make Steve Borthwick's Six Nations team — have signed 14 top clubs for the post-World Cup season this year. Cup. According to L'Equipe, Anthony Watson is discussing an offer from Castra while Courtney Lowes is exploring overseas options. Maro Itoye and Marcus Smith's contracts are ending in 2024 and the duo are open to overseas moves.
Why are the players leaving?
English clubs with a £5m salary cap have struggled to compete with the financial influence of France and Japan. The top 14 have a salary cap currently set at €10.7m (£9.3m). English clubs are allowed to drop two players from the player pool, which is gradually reduced to one before the next season, while French clubs do not use this system. Clubs receive £80,000 in England International Player Credits to make up for absences from international matches, up to a maximum of £400,000 per team.
Don't players get fees for playing for England? ?
They do. England players receive £25,000 for every international match they play, but this amount is subject to qualification and is considered insufficient to close the gap between offers in France, Japan and the Premier League.
Will the departed players still be able to play for England?
How things are, no. Rugby Union policy in conjunction with the Premier League states that England internationals based overseas can only be selected in «exceptional circumstances». Steve Borthwick chose Jack Willis for the Six Nations using this exemption — as the flanker moved to Toulouse after the Wasps broke up — but the England head coach lobbied the RFU to allow more such selections next season; an idea that management rejected.
Despite playing for Toulouse, Jack Willis was able to play for England during the recent Six Nations thanks to liberation. Credit: Reuters/Paul Childs Will the Premier League salary cap rise?
Currently, the ceiling is set to rise to £6.4m in 2024/25, but with both Os and Worcester in administration, several club executives, including Gloucester and Leicester, have called for a rethink.
Why did Marcus Smith leave in 2024 when he was just 25?
Money is the obvious answer, but a two-year deal overseas could act as a kind of international "sabbatical". A French move would not have excluded the Harlequins midfielder from the Lions' roster for the 2025 Tour, as a return to the Premier League in 2026 would see him earn his rightful place at the 2027 World Cup.
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