Player welfare is priority issue in any talks of expansion

Ethan Waller, the Worcester prop who, at 28, has just become chairman of the Rugby Players’ Association, tells NEALE HARVEY why he has taken on the role and offers his views on the state of the game at a crucial juncture.

- ETHAN WALLER

When and why did you become involved in the RPA initially?

When I was at Northampton, Christian Day was chairman of the RPA and he was always very passionate about his work. After I joined Worcester, he thought I’d make a good players’ rep and I jumped on his advice and got on the RPA board for the 2018/19 season. This is my third year on the board and being on it during the pandemic has been an eye-opening experience, which is one of the reasons I wanted to become chairman.

You couldn’t possibly have anticipated the year you’ve just had?

Absolutely not. Initially, I thought the RPA role at Worcester was a good chance to learn about how the game worked and, hopefully, have a positive impact on the player welfare side of things, but that’s never been as prevalent as it has been over the last 12 months. The game’s always had areas to improve upon, even pre-Covid, but player welfare is a huge priority at this point.

How was your experience of being thrust into flashpoint discussions over wage cuts and potential job losses?