- Saracens and England lock has big offer from French club
- ‘We are opposed to it,’ says rival Premiership club owner
A controversial plan to allow England’s Maro Itoje to play in France next season while still being available for the national team has sparked a major row between England’s leading clubs and the Rugby Football Union. Itoje has been offered a seven-figure sum to join the top French side Racing 92 on loan rather than turn out for relegated Saracens in the Championship but the idea has been vetoed by other Premiership club owners.
The England head coach, Eddie Jones, and other senior Twickenham officials had hoped Itoje’s proposed switch would be approved and help ensure one of England’s key players would be suitably primed for international duty. The clubs, however, have blocked the loan proposal, insisting it does not fit the “exceptional circumstances” clause which might theoretically allow a player to represent his country while based abroad.
Written by Exclusive by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/13/premiership-clubs-block-maro-itojes-racing-92-loan-to-spark-row-with-rfu under the title “
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