Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots

THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.

- NICK CAIN

The reality is that the contracts do not deliver on the crucial element of players honing their game to world class standards by being in the same position for club and country. In addition, the annual contracts are very costly at £160,000 per player, potentially divisive within the England squad, and, with no details given by the RFU about break clauses, appear to be inflexible.

They make a nonsense of the claim by Conor O'Shea, the RFU's performance director, that they will help “to create world-leading English teams” through “a new collaborative approach”.

They are something and nothing - they hit the bulls-eye as something big in terms of expense, but are worth little or nothing in terms of benefiting the England team. The reality is the RFU is getting a raw deal by toadying to the Premiership clubs, on one hand shelling out a further £2.7m a year for access to 17 players, while on the other acquiescing to the ring-fenced league's block on some of England's best players playing for their country because they are earning a living in France.

A serious potential pitfall is the arrival of a two tier system of international selection, with England head coach Steve Borthwick almost duty-bound to back his own judgement by favouring the 17 players he awarded contracts. This was reflected in the games against New Zealand and Australia, when, in both instances, 12 of his starting 15 were contracted.

This inevitably fosters a them-and-us mentality within a squad, especially with the 36-man training squad selected for the Six Nations being almost split down the middle between contract haves, and the have-nots.