ON THE BLINDSIDE
BY NEIL FISSLER

England stars are poised to be offered guaranteed payments of between £100,000 to £150,000 by the RFU in an attempt to stop the player drain to France continuing next summer.
Steve Borthwick has seen Henry Arundell, Sam Simmonds, Jack Nowell, David Ribbans, Jack Willis, and Joe Marchant all sign contracts with French clubs, and more could follow them.
The proposed “hybrid” contracts will, for most of the England squad, replace the current system that sees them get a match fee of £23,000, every time they pull on the shirt.
That is made up of a taxable £15,0...