"It is time to shake up the rugby scene and look after players" - Ellis Genge on new union plans
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England and Leicester Tigers prop Ellis Genge says it is time to "shake up the rugby scene" after confirming plans to set up a new union, designed to provide elite players with improved commercial and legal advice.
Speaking to Chris Jones at the BBC, Genge explained that he feels that players were "poorly advised" over measures taken by clubs, including pay cuts, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 25-year-old, says the new organisation would be independently funded to avoid conflicts of interest.
"We wouldn't have to answer to a governing body," he said.
Genge outlined his vision on the latest episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, but said he is not trying to replace the Rugby Players' Association (RPA), which was set up in 1998 and has represented England’s top-flight players since then.
However, Genge feels the RPA is compromised because of the funding it receives from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby (PRL), and as a result it "can't bite the hand that feeds".
He added: "We are not making a new RPA. I think they do really good stuff with welfare in rugby and they look after people really well.
"But I do feel that people were poorly advised [over the pay cuts]. People were advised from the off to sign the contracts without reading them, almost.
"Commercially, I didn’t think everyone was being represented very well."
He continued to say that negotiations with a host of interested parties over private funding, while he also hopes a number of players will be prepared to put money into the venture, with the prospect of a return on their investment.
"The boys would have to understand it is going to be independently run, and for that you would need a decent kitty," he said.
