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Steve Borthwick -- RFU think they can Walk all over another Championship club.

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Bristol
Official Statement from Bristol Rugby club.

Tuesday, December 15th, 2015

Steve Borthwick has today indicated to the Club that he wishes to join the RFU coaching team.

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, therefore, will not be making any further statement at this stage.
 
Now let me make myself crystal clear. I as do a great many Bristol supporters are bitterly disappointed, Steve's arrival was expected to be a big boost to the club and help them gain the promotion which has eluded them for so long. But like most of us we realise we have to let him go he is ambitious and wants to coach at the very top, let's be honest somebody has to fix England's failure's and I like so many wish him all the very best.
Bristol RFC has maintained a dignified silence throughout all this but the RFU has repeatedly ignored the very rules it created to stop the tapping up and poaching of players and staff from clubs. These guys make the rules but then ignore them whenever they wish especially when a club is outside the elite. Rules are there for all to follow and No club, body or person should be exempt from them and those breaking the rules should be brought to book.
Repeated leaks to the press, talking to players, coaches or staff without a clubs expressive permission is not the correct way to do business. Why is it those in the tall ivory towers of English rugby believe Championship clubs and any club outside their chosen elite are irrelevant? We are not! Luckily Bristol have the financial clout to fight this, many have not. I Hope for all our sakes they win, Not because we want Steve back because hard though it is for us he has to go, but because our own governing body has yet again failed to follow its own rules and the farce of the salary cap, premiership expansion and several other examples of late begs the question as to where the RFU are heading..FIFA ????
 
Now let me make myself crystal clear. I as do a great many Bristol supporters are bitterly disappointed, Steve’s arrival was expected to be a big boost to the club and help them gain the promotion which has eluded them for so long. But like most of us we realise we have to let him go he is ambitious and wants to coach at the very top, let’s be honest somebody has to fix England’s failure’s and I like so many wish him all the very best.
Bristol RFC has maintained a dignified silence throughout all this but the RFU has repeatedly ignored the very rules it created to stop the tapping up and poaching of players and staff from clubs. These guys make the rules but then ignore them whenever they wish especially when a club is outside the elite. Rules are there for all to follow and No club, body or person should be exempt from them and those breaking the rules should be brought to book.
Repeated leaks to the press, talking to players, coaches or staff without a clubs expressive permission is not the correct way to do business. Why is it those in the tall ivory towers of English rugby believe Championship clubs and any club outside their chosen elite are irrelevant? We are not! Luckily Bristol have the financial clout to fight this, many have not. I Hope for all our sakes they win, Not because we want Steve back because hard though it is for us he has to go, but because our own governing body has yet again failed to follow its own rules and the farce of the salary cap, premiership expansion and several other examples of late begs the question as to where the RFU are heading..FIFA ????

Are you sure the coaches are covered by the players agreement?

And I must say from a legal point of view I doubt the rfu have done anything wrong. If a player or coach wants to leave they are fully entitled to. You can't legally stop anyone leaving a company or job, that would be unlawful.
 
What tossers

So if an employer wants to break the contract for any reason,the employee has no redress? Yeah right!!

A contract is between two parties and both should have an expectancy the other should honor it or have to recompense the other!!

I would agree the RFU have every right to ask the question but there would clearly be a case against them of enticing Borthwick to break the contract!
 
im assuming the RFU will pay bristol a huge amount in compensation should this happen. what has probably annoyed bristol more is that they have not been approached at all and have found out by reading the press. if that is the case then they have every right to be upset, yes you can approach players/coaches but really they should have gone to their employer
 
Didn't Borthwick have a blazing row and walk away before anything official was in the press? Wasn't that at the weekend, whilst the first announcement was yesterday lunchtime?

Anything before that, then they were reading speculation, not announcements. Whilst speculation is annoying, it's not something you can really hold anyone to task over.
 
I've seen it widely reported Bristol gave permission for England to talk to Borthwick. Has that now been refuted by Bristol?
 
I see it has so I wonder why earlier reports said otherwise....
 
All a bit unseemly, but if the RFU want Borthwick they'll get him. All that's happening now is arguing about the financials.

It's not been long, but what sort of impact has he had there?
 
I've seen it widely reported Bristol gave permission for England to talk to Borthwick. Has that now been refuted by Bristol?

I'd not seen that reported - but I'm unsure why they'd need permission. As far as I know, you only need permission if a Prem club wants a player from another Prem club, and wants to start negotiations before Jan 1 of the final year of the player's contract. Even then, it's largely laughed at and considered unenforecable (See Sarries talking to Manu, Borthers signing to Sarries etc etc)
 
Yeah the whole "permission" thing is a weird one, I think it's more that when clubs say they've given permission they're essentially saying they're going to release them from their contract if they get the job.
 
One question, being totally serious :
How much sense does it make to keep a coach that actually wants to leave for another job ?
RFU's behaviour put aside...
 
One question, being totally serious :
How much sense does it make to keep a coach that actually wants to leave for another job ?
RFU's behaviour put aside...

Absolutely no sense whatsoever!!

Bath should be compensated though especially where it is the organization of which Bristol are members that has poached one of their employees!!
 
I hope once this is sorted out they don't let him do any post match interviews. Bringing back too many bad memories of bloody nose scabs and bull****.
 
Official Statement from Bristol Rugby club.

Tuesday, December 15th, 2015

Steve Borthwick has today indicated to the Club that he wishes to join the RFU coaching team.

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, therefore, will not be making any further statement at this stage.

It would seem the RFU are competing with the WRU for the biggest tossers trophy. The popular name for the WRU outside of Cardiff is the WRUin.
I can only sympathise with Bristol RFC, but it's no more than we expect from the suits is it ?
 
I still haven't seen what the RFU have done wrong here. Can anyone explain?

They identified who they wanted, and offered him a contract. What's wrong with that? it wasn't wrong when they hired Eddie Jones, or if they do the same for Alex King; it wasn't wrong when they hired Farrell or Catt, or Ashton, or Wells and Ford etc etc etc. Why is it suddenly the crime of the century?
 
Ennit

I can see why Bristol fans would be annoyed, but the RFU aren't some big evil in this. If anything Borthwick is the bad guy was not wanting to see his contract out.
VC will take any opportunity he can to moan about the English so pay no mind to him.
 
One question, being totally serious :
How much sense does it make to keep a coach that actually wants to leave for another job ?
RFU's behaviour put aside...

About as much sense as it makes to make it clear to potential employees of the future that you are prepared to stand in the way of them bettering themselves in order to feather your own nest.
 

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