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Rowe gets his way as just three Chiefs make Eddie's 'greedy' England squad

(Photo by James Crombie - Pool/Getty Images)

Exeter Chiefs Chairman Tony Rowe appears to have got his way after complaining over the weekend about England being ‘greedy’ when it came to selecting players for international Test windows.

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Just three Chiefs have been selected in Eddie Jones’ 36-man Autumn international squad: Henry Slade, Jonny Hill and Harry Williams. As rumoured hours beforehand, there was no place for either Sam or Joe Simmonds. The latter led Exeter to a European and domestic double as captain, while the former was named European Player of the Year.

While the squad selection was likely already made, Rowe’s comments won’t have helped his players’ cause: “All this stuff coming down about more international games – I am totally against that.

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“We employ the players, they are our players. Being forced to release them for so many international games is not good. We don’t get compensated enough.

“The reality is that we bred these guys for ourselves, we didn’t breed them for England.

“England can get too greedy. They are very quick to run the other way when we want money. At the moment we are desperate for money in the Premiership to stay alive.”

The decision has evoked memories of some of Jones’ more left-field omissions over the years, most notably Saracens fullback Alex Goode, who was snubbed despite also winning European Player of the Year and the avoidance of Danny Cipriani despite his Premiership form.

“Not sure what more the Simmonds brothers at Exeter Chiefs can or have to do to get picked for
England. #Eddieareyouok,” wrote former England flyhalf and RugbyPass columnist Andy Goode, summing up the feelings of many England supporters.

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https://twitter.com/AndyGoode10/status/1320691093202214914

There is also no room for Harlequins Alex Dombrandt, although Quins’ mediocre form may have cost the young back row a spot.

England squad: 

Backs: J Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby), O Farrell (Saracens), G Furbank (Northampton Saints), W Heinz (Gloucester Rugby), J Joseph (Bath Rugby), O Lawrence (Worcester Warriors), M Malins (Bristol Bears), J Marchant (Harlequins), J May (Gloucester Rugby), D Robson (Wasps), H Slade (Exeter Chiefs), O Thorley (Gloucester Rugby), J Umaga (Wasps), A Watson (Bath Rugby), B Youngs (Leicester Tigers).

Forwards: T Curry (Sale Sharks), T Dunn (Bath Rugby), B Earl (Bristol Bears), C Ewels (Bath Rugby), E Genge (Leicester Tigers), J George (Saracens), J Hill (Exeter Chiefs), T Hill (Worcester Warriors), M Itoje (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps), L Ludlam (Northampton Saints), B Obano (Bath Rugby), D Ribbans (Northampton Saints), J Singleton (Gloucester Rugby), K Sinckler (Bristol Bears), W Stuart (Bath Rugby), S Underhill (Bath Rugby), B Vunipola (Saracens), M Vunipola (Saracens), H Williams (Exeter Chiefs), J Willis (Wasps).

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J
JW 4 hours ago
How the four-team format will help the Wallabies defeat the Lions

Have to imagine it was a one off sorta thing were they were there (saying playing against the best private schools) because that is the level they could play at. I think I got carried away and misintrepted what you were saying, or maybe it was just that I thought it was something that should be brought in.


Of course now school is seen as so much more important, and sports as much more important to schooling, that those rural/public gets get these scholarships/free entry to play at private schools.


This might only be relevant in the tradition private rugby schools, so not worth implementing, but the same drain has been seen in NZ to the point where the public schools are not just impacted by the lost of their best talent to private schools, there is a whole flow on effect of losing players to other sports their school can' still compete at the highest levels in, and staff quality etc. So now and of that traditional sort of rivalry is near lost as I understand it.


The idea to force the top level competition into having equal public school participation would be someway to 'force' that neglect into reverse. The problem with such a simple idea is of course that if good rugby talent decides to stay put in order to get easier exposure, they suffer academically on principle. I wonder if a kid who say got selected for a school rep 1st/2nd team before being scouted by a private school, or even just say had two or three years there, could choose to rep their old school for some of their rugby still?


Like say a new Cup style comp throughout the season, kid's playing for the private school in their own local/private school grade comp or whatever, but when its Cup games they switch back? Better represent, areas, get more 2nd players switching back for top level 1st comp at their old school etc? Just even in order to have cool stories where Ella or Barrett brothers all switch back to show their old school is actually the best of the best?

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