RFU ready to battle Bristol over Borthwick compensation

EXCLUSIVE
Dispute: The RFU are ready to go to court over Borthwick’s contract
Chris Jones16 December 2015

England rugby chiefs are ready to play hard-ball over their refusal to pay Bristol “millions” in compensation for Steve Borthwick, whose appointment as Eddie Jones’s new forwards coach was announced yesterday.

Standard Sport understands the Rugby Football Union are ready to go to court over Borthwick’s contract, with Bristol having made what Twickenham officials believe is an outrageously high demand for the former Saracens and England captain’s services.

While the RFU are being portrayed as having stumbled naively into this potentially damaging row, they claim they have been negotiating with Bristol “for weeks” in a bid to agree terms. The Union have been prepared to pay a substantial six-figure sum to secure Borthwick, whose recently-signed 18-month deal with the Championship club is worth less than £250,000, even offering a job-share solution until the end of the season.

The RFU are understood to have offered north of £600,000 in compensation, while Bristol have countered that the richest Union in the world should be offering “millions” in compensation in case they do not get promotion to the Aviva Premiership without Borthwick coaching the forwards.

Given that Bristol have failed to gain promotion in the last two seasons despite huge investment from billionaire owner Steve Lansdown, that appears to be putting an incredible value on the former England captain, who was new head coach Jones’s forwards coach with Japan in the recent World Cup.

RFU chief executive Ian Ritchie has been leading the negotiations but has found it impossible to broker an agreement. The RFU are still hopeful of reaching a deal but are prepared to go to court if needs be, confident the compensation offers already made would give them a strong case.

Borthwick is understood to have felt he was left with no alternative but to resign from his post yesterday, given Bristol’s stance on his departure. The 36-year-old is not the kind of character to go looking for controversy and will be uncomfortable at being the centre of this kind of attention.

Bristol made their stance clear yesterday, stating: “Bristol Rugby want to make it clear that we have not agreed that Steve Borthwick can leave our employment. Steve Borthwick is subject to a recently signed long term employment contract. Bristol Rugby did not give the RFU permission to speak with Steve Borthwick. Bristol Rugby will take all reasonable actions as necessary to protect the club’s position and will not be making any further statement at this stage.”

Borthwick and Saracens defence coach Paul Gustard will fill two of the roles vacated by Stuart Lancaster’s assistants Andy Farrell, Graham Rowntree and Mike Catt, who like the former head coach have each left with a year’s money as compensation.

Eddie Jones England Rugby Squad Potentials

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Northampton’s Alex King is being lined up as the new England backs coach and the club’s director of rugby Jim Mallinder insists they will not stand in his way if he is offered the national role. “We’ve had no official approach from the RFU but I am aware that Alex is going to have a conversation with Eddie Jones this week,” said Mallinder. “It’s not ideal but we’re all old enough to realise what happens nowadays. If a job becomes available for Alex then we wouldn’t stand in his way.”

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