Former England boss Sir Clive Woodward emphatically reinforced his call for a rule change that could elevate the International rugby to new heights.
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The former England coach, who recently quit ITV’s Six Nations coverage, advocates for ditching the rule the RFU Have regarding overseas players, arguing that it hampers Borthwick’s ability to assemble the strongest squad without constraints.
Expressing concern over the potential dampening of excitement in this year’s Six Nations, Woodward contends that the absence of key players could detract from the tournament’s previous thrill.
“England can’t select the likes of Henry Arundell and Jack Willis because they are employed by French clubs,” Woodward wrote in the Daily Mail.
“The same will be true of Farrell next season. I maintain that England should ditch the foreign ruling.
“The Six Nations is arguably the No 1 rugby tournament. You could make a case for it being as big, or bigger, than the World Cup because of its unrivalled history.
“While I hope I’m proved wrong and that we see brilliant matches and great entertainment, I’m not sure we can say ahead of this year’s competition that it will be the pinnacle of the game.”
However, there are no plans to change England’s eligibility rules, says Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney.
Sweeney said departing players have had conversations with head coach Steve Borthwick and “partly a lifestyle choice” was their reason for leaving.
“If you look at the number of players going abroad, it doesn’t really impact our core group,” Sweeney said.
“Where we currently stand on the policy of only selecting players based in England stays as it is.”
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Other players mentioned in The Sun’s article included the likes of Mike Tindall and Aaron Smith.
#1. Danny Cipriani
Danny had previously shared details with The Sun about his sexual experiences and his two-year relationship with Kelly Brook, who famously referred to him as a “car crash.”
During their relationship, the model and TV star punched Danny in the face and ended their connection when he gave his phone number to a Las Vegas stripper.
They wrote: “He has been involved with a string of stars, from Katie Price and Lindsay Lohan to Cheeky Girl Monica Irimia.
“It seemed he had finally settled down when he married Victoria Rose in April 2021.
“However, earlier this week, they announced they had split after two and a half years of marriage after Victoria reportedly “saw messages on his phone”.”