England decision on full-time contracts pleases Michelle Claffey
By Daire Walsh
Irish international Michelle Claffey has described the reintroduction of full-time contracts for England players as “a positive step” for women’s rugby.
The RFU controversially opted against renewing the deals of their 15-a-side stars after the 2017 World Cup, focusing instead on the development of sevens rugby.
However, from January 2019, 28 permanent contracts will be made available — alongside seven elite player squad agreements.
“You have it in New Zealand, you have it in France. You have it in England now coming back. It was sad to see it taken away, but I’m glad that they’re brought back,” Claffey said at yesterday’s AIL launch in the Aviva Stadium.
“It’s great to see, it is a positive step. All you want are forward steps.”
“You don’t want anyone going back. If it ever comes [to Ireland]… I don’t think you’ll see it in my playing career, but it’d be great to see that kind of professional set-up. Rugby players getting paid as their full-time jobs.”
The Offaly native won four caps off the bench during this year’s Six Nations Championship. Despite acknowledging that Ireland’s amateur status will put them at a distinct disadvantage for future meetings against England, she doesn’t view it as an insurmountable obstacle for Adam Griggs’ squad.
“At the minute now, going into Six Nations, it will be Ireland versus England — who are full-time professionals. We’ll have to step our game up.
“I want to play. I will sacrifice whatever I need to sacrifice, in order to get to play and perform at a proper level,” Claffey added.