{"id":298992,"date":"2023-12-03T23:25:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T23:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=298992"},"modified":"2023-12-03T23:25:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-03T23:25:17","slug":"chris-foy-there-is-life-outside-top-tier-not-that-rfu-seem-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/rugby-union\/chris-foy-there-is-life-outside-top-tier-not-that-rfu-seem-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"CHRIS FOY: There is life outside top tier&#8230;not that RFU seem to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> CHRIS FOY: Nottingham and Cambridge create a buzz and show there is life outside top tier&#8230; not that the RFU seem to know<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nottingham seeking to thrive at upper level of the country\u2019s club game<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Farrell&#8217;s decision to suspend Test career has caused a lot of soul-searching\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>England head coach Borthwick also facing a complex equation at scrum-half\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On A freezing night, it was a fabulous game. Nottingham hung on to beat a spirited Cambridge side 22-19 at Lady Bay last Friday, to briefly claim second place in the Championship.<\/p>\n<p>To the Archers, that meant they were near the peak of the English rugby pyramid, given that the top tier is locked up and will stay that way. A crowd of around 1,000 enjoyed a close encounter which highlighted how competitive the second division of English rugby can be. The DJ\u2019s tunes created a buzzing atmosphere. Cheap tickets attracted plenty of young spectators, including many students. The coffee was good, the food was good and the rugby was good.<\/p>\n<p>There is life below the Premiership and real value. Nottingham have a rich history of developing Test talent for England, from the likes of Brian Moore and Rob Andrew to \u2014 more recently \u2014 Tom Youngs, Dan Cole, Will Stuart and Ollie Chessum. But they and their rivals are struggling with reduced funding and restructuring plans hatched by the RFU and PRL which don\u2019t suit them.<\/p>\n<p>Late last month, the Championship voted unanimously to oppose a franchise system. They want to be part of a meritocracy, with freedom of movement, up and down.<\/p>\n<p>But there is no prospect of any club being promoted to the Premiership in the near future, due to the Minimum Standards Criteria and an obligation to buy shares, which do not fit with any sustainable commercial blueprint.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/03\/20\/78530481-0-image-a-70_1701636515425.jpg\" height=\"437\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Nottingham have a rich history of developing Test talent for England including Ollie Chessum<\/p>\n<p>Talks with the union are due to continue and the matter is now critical. Cornish Pirates have just abandoned hopes of playing at a new stadium in Truro due to uncertainty about the outlook for English rugby, after four leading clubs went bust in the last year.<\/p>\n<p>So Nottingham are seeking to thrive at the upper level of the country\u2019s club game, knowing that the Premiership stands apart; propped up by enhanced funding while the rest struggle on.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We are top of the pyramid,\u2019 said their chairman, Alistair Bow. \u2018Nottingham are the third-best club in English rugby. I can\u2019t count the 10 in the Premiership \u2014 they are franchises. The Championship is the top. You can\u2019t go any further. So we believe we are representing the rest of the game.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our funding has been cut from \u00a3680,000 to \u00a3150,000 per club. It is not going back up. But this is not just about money. We support an all-game solution, and that is not just an agreement between the Premiership and the RFU. We need to have a say, because there are 1,400 clubs in English rugby and we are the top of that pyramid.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Premiership do engage with us, but they\u2019ve got their deal done. They\u2019ve got their 10 teams and they\u2019ve got their funding sorted, so they\u2019re happy and they don\u2019t need us. But we are the pathway for future players.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/03\/20\/78530555-0-image-a-71_1701636769270.jpg\" height=\"444\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>There is no prospect for clubs like Ealing and Doncaster of being promoted in the near future<\/p>\n<p>Bow describes the Premiership as \u2018technically locked\u2019. In theory, there could be a play-off to decide promotion and relegation between the top two divisions at the end of this season but, in reality, it won\u2019t come to that. \u2018We\u2019ve got clubs in this league \u2014 Ealing or Doncaster \u2014 who are worthy of being promoted,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But it should be a meritocracy. At the moment, it\u2019s not a fair competition to go into and we\u2019re not treated fairly with funding, so let\u2019s concentrate on sorting the rest of the game out. Then hopefully, one day, the Premiership will say, \u201cThe door is open again\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2>Problems mount for Borthwick<\/h2>\n<p>Steve Borthwick has more than just one half-back position providing a lot of food for thought. Over the weekend, the England head coach will have started planning for the absence of Owen Farrell at No 10 \u2013 leaving a playmaker dilemma to address \u2013 but Borthwick is facing a complex equation at scrum-half too, for all the right reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With Ben Youngs now focused solely on his Leicester career, the new hierarchy is becoming crowded. Alex Mitchell scored a fine try for Northampton and is the incumbent, after becoming first-choice during the World Cup, but there is plenty of competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ben Spencer has been imperious for Bath alongside Finn Russell and scored his fifth try of the season in the thumping win over Exeter at The Rec. Harry Randall produced a stunning solo strike against Gloucester to prove he shouldn\u2019t be forgotten, while Danny Care also touched down as he and Marcus Smith orchestrated Harlequins\u2019 demolition of Sale on Friday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not so long ago, England were struggling to find two Test-class scrum-halves, now they have several jostling for recognition.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/03\/23\/78534309-12820873-image-a-10_1701644849008.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>England head coach Steve Borthwick is also facing a complex equation at scrum-half<\/p>\n<h2>Lawes could set trend<\/h2>\n<p>Courtney Lawes for the Lions again \u2013 don\u2019t rule it out. Northampton\u2019s veteran flanker, who retired from England duty at the end of the World Cup, says he would be open to another long-haul mission with Britain and Ireland\u2019s finest, while suggesting it would take a \u2018fluke\u2019 for him to be picked again.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His modesty is at odds with his enduring class, as Lawes proved once more in the Saints\u2019 win at Saracens on Saturday. He will be 36 when the Lions go to Australia in 2025 and could make an ideal tourist; experienced, calm, with the wisdom to act as a leader and mentor, and the freshness of someone not stuck on the Test treadmill during a busy club season.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pushing for Lions selection while not representing their country could become a trend among players from the home nations \u2013 either ones in international exile abroad, or others who are reluctant to commit to regular, long stints in camp \u2013 away from home \u2013 but would embrace a high-profile, one-off assignment.<\/p>\n<h2>Euro scourge removed<\/h2>\n<p>The Champions Cup returns next weekend \u2013 no longer just European and no longer possessing the grandeur of old, at least in the early phase.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some teams will earn big wins and plenty of air miles, depending on the motivation levels among the Gallic contingent in particular \u2013 and the requirement for some teams to slog down to South Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>English challengers are bound to face an up-hill task, despite the fact that some of the French superpowers will be more interested in furthering their Top 14 prospects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another revamp means there are four pools of six teams, with each side playing four round-robin games \u2013 against rivals not from their own league. That avoidance of \u2018derby\u2019 fixtures is a welcome development as they have been a stale scourge of the tournament for too long.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The first weekend will feature a repeat of the last two finals, as Leinster travel to take on holders La Rochelle, who have endured a difficult domestic campaign so far, but may be inspired by the return of cross-border matches.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s hoping that results allow for a Welsh, Scottish and Italian flavour to the last 16 stage and beyond \u2013 when the whole thing really comes alive.<\/p>\n<h2>Last Word<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/03\/23\/78377675-12820873-image-a-9_1701644466222.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Owen Farrell is to step away from England duty to prioritise his family&#8217;s mental well-being<\/p>\n<p>Farrell\u2019s decision to suspend his Test career has caused a lot of soul-searching in rugby circles. It has shone a harsh light on the strain imposed on players in the higher reaches of the sport, with a sense that the burden is especially heavy on England captains.\u00a0So maybe the post should be scrapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The modern mantra is all about \u2018leadership groups\u2019 so why not formalise that system?\u00a0Let one senior player deal with the officials, let another deal with the media and let another be the face of the marketing and sponsorship side. Let one do the bulk of the team talks, but that responsibility can be shared. Assign duties based on individual strengths and characteristics, so it is not all foisted on one person who may relish some elements and acutely dislike others. Spread the load \u2013 officially.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Another good option being championed by Lawrence Dallaglio is to encourage England players to take sabbaticals, sign lucrative deals in France or Japan, take a year or two out of the high-stakes Test bubble and return to fight for a recall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It would provide a release valve. Good idea.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12820873\/CHRIS-FOY-Nottingham-Cambridge-create-buzz-life-outside-tier-not-RFU-know.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHRIS FOY: Nottingham and Cambridge create a buzz and show there is life outside top tier&#8230; not that the RFU seem to know Nottingham seeking to thrive at upper level of the country\u2019s club game Farrell&#8217;s decision to suspend Test career has caused a lot of soul-searching\u00a0 England head coach Borthwick also facing a complex&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>CHRIS FOY: There is life outside top tier...not that RFU seem to know - Tell My Sport<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/rugby-union\/chris-foy-there-is-life-outside-top-tier-not-that-rfu-seem-to-know\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CHRIS FOY: There is life outside top tier...not that RFU seem to know - Tell My Sport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"CHRIS FOY: Nottingham and Cambridge create a buzz and show there is life outside top tier&#8230; 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