- England lost fitness expert Aled Walters to Ireland and assistant Tom Tombleson to England.
- The RFU and Premiership Rugby are expected to sign an agreement for the PGP next month.
- Rob Baxter suggested that uncertainty about the role could lead to confusion.
England’s loss of two key members of their strength and conditioning staff could create confusion over how they will manage their top stars under national rugby’s new professional game partnership, says Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter.
The RFU and Premiership Rugby are set to formally sign the long-awaited PGP next month, which will determine how English rugby will be run at the elite level for the next eight years. The deal will see the introduction of hybrid contracts for the top 25 players in England, with club deals supplemented by RFU funding.
The 25 players will be monitored by club and England staff for match numbers and training loads, but national team boss Steve Borthwick has just lost head fitness expert Aled Walter to Ireland and his assistant Tom Tombleson.
Baxter said, “Our strength and conditioning staff said, ‘This is great, but who’s going to do it?’ Those are the questions that will be answered in the future.
‘Steve and I have a great relationship, but the problem is that we now have different rules and regulations about who is in charge, who leads, and who directs. That’s the difference.
Rob Baxter has suggested England’s backroom shake-up could result in rugby stars being mismanaged.
England fitness coach Aled Walters is set to leave his role as England’s head of strength and conditioning.
‘The key is that strength and conditioning and medical decisions will be made by the England manager. Premier League and European Cup selections will be made by the clubs. ‘But if you control someone’s medical decisions, you don’t have to do a lot of exercise to know that it’s you who decides when they play?’
Baxter spoke to Borthwick by phone on Wednesday to elaborate on the intricacies of the PGP and exactly how it would work, but he admitted he would likely be tempted to start England stars such as Henry Slade and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso in games where England want to rest them.
‘That’s the scenario, but that’s something we have to work together to figure out,’ Baxter said.
The RFU are looking for a replacement for Walters.
However, it is unlikely that any new staff will be in place by the time the new Premiership season starts next month. That will not stop the PGP from coming into effect. The PGP is said to be worth more than £250 million to the 10 Premiership clubs. However, it is not yet known how it will work in detail.
“It’s up to us as a club to resolve this issue and maintain the relationship,” Baxter said.
‘We need to produce successful players in the Premier League, we need to produce successful English players in all areas because ultimately we need to grow the game itself.
‘We are now in the final stages of figuring out most of the facts about how PGP works.
Britain is currently looking for someone to fill the vacancy.
‘It could be good for everyone. I hope so. But the proof will come out later.’
Bristol’s hopes of going one better than last season’s fifth-place finish have been boosted by the news that former All Blacks forward Steven Ruatua could start the new season.
Luatua is about to start his eighth year with the Bears. His wrist is currently in a cast but there are no broken bones and he is expected to be involved in the game against Newcastle on September 20.
Bristol missed out on the play-offs last season by just two points.
