Simmonds heading to France is no surprise
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Sam Simmonds of Exeter Chiefs looks on during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between London Irish and Exeter Chiefs at Brentford Community Stadium on May 18, 2021 in Brentford, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws allowing a limited number of fans inside venues. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
AM Ithe only one that thinks Rob Baxter is being more than just a little naive in his prediction that increasing the money for international players will keep them at home?
Baxter and others seem bothered by the fact that Sam Simmonds is still comparatively young at 27 to be moving abroad and missing the chance to play for England and what that pays. With players already being paid more than 12 times the amount that professional footballers get for representing their country and more than any other nations players receive, how much more does he think it would take to keep them at home?
The fact is that being an international not only gets you over a quarter of a million in a single season from the RFU while also increasing your basic club salary, plus the opportunity of sponsorship agreements.
With the average salary of a noninternational Premiership player around the £120,000 mark compared with the average internationals £400,000 plus, why should the RFU pay more? In fact it is now so much better for the professional players financial interest to be capped for England that it would make more sense for the RFU to charge players for the privilege.
If you are a player you know you have potentially a short playing career so the best way to make money is to be an international which currently means plying your trade in England. The only problem is that it is not up to you, or how good you are if you make international, as it is totally reliant on the whimsical nature of a current head coach, whoever that may be.
It seems that Rob has only come up with this idea because Sam Simmonds has decided to move to Montpellier which shouldn't be a surprise.
Even assuming that Simmonds may be one of the highest paid Exeter players he would still be earning far less at club level than he can get in France.
His decision to leave Exeter for France but not to move until after this season's World Cup is purely a financial one, as I am sure he would have gone earlier had the tournament been two or three years from now.
By staying here he is making himself available for international selection, as has been proven by his inclusion in Eddie Jones's squad for the autumn games. Jones, like Simmonds, will take the pragmatic view and pick the players he perceives as being able to bring him the wins he needs going into next year's Six Nations and World cup.
“For professional players, the goal is to become an international ”
Simmonds is also being pragmatic by staying around for a possible World cup selection and the large cash boost that will bring to all selected players. He knows that he has not been on Jones' list of favourite No. 8's after only being picked for 14 games since his first cap in 2017 and will probably seek to leave for Montpellier earlier if he doesn't make the World Cup squad.
Although Simmonds has made a name for himself here, the chance to play in France will either make or break his career, as the Top14 is a far more intense competition than the Premiership no matter how much PRL try to talk themselves up. er, is trying to do. Mercer has boosted his reputation as a player while in France and contacted Eddie Jones to see if Jones would consider him for his World Cup squad before leaving France for home in England.
For all professional players the goal is to become an international player, even if you just make it as an O.C.W. (one cap wonder) as it will increase your profile and could create interest from abroad while increasing your earning potential here.
It was just a few years ago that the Premiership sought to buy ‘the best foreign' players and some clubs still do, particularly from countries that have lower average player wages Simmonds, at just 27, could spend some time in Montpellier under Philippe Saint-Andre, become a better player and could still return to the England fold in a couple of years just as Zach Mercer, who Simmonds is replacing at Montpellithan England. Now, with the current financial troubles surrounding the Premiership and the fallen wage cap, ‘the boot is on the other foot'.
However, despite the financial woes that seem to be troubling the clubs there are plans to up the cap by around 30 per cent even though it appears obviously unaffordable.
It's not just clubs in other countries looking to make a cheap deal by buying players from' hard up' Premiership clubs, but also players who are seeking some security and longevity of contract which, given the position Worcester's players find themselves in, is no surprise.
The thing is that, unless the current national head coach considers you as one of his ‘indispensable' players and you are constantly picked season after season for the England team, you have to ask the question: why would you stay here?
Even so, you would be planning for your post international career by currently looking toward France, Japan or the USA to see out your career at a high paying club.
As with all professional sport, you get one chance to make the money and a club contract is a constant compared with the vagaries of international selection. So, no matter what the RFU pay, as long as you've got a cap and get the option, moving abroad and taking the money is the only way to go, and who can blame them?
