Mark McCall says Premiership bosses don't want England 'fight'
Wednesday 12 October 2016 22:58, UK
Mark McCall says elite clubs' directors of rugby want "co-operation" and not a fight with England and Premiership Rugby.
The Saracens boss and his Premiership counterparts will get together on Thursday for a meeting at which England coach Eddie Jones will be present.
The subject of England's recent training camp, which left Sam Jones, Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell injured and facing long lay-offs, will be up for discussion.
Wasps' Jones broke his leg in a judo exercise and is out for five months, ruling him out of the autumn internationals and, potentially, his club's entire Champions Cup campaign.
But Wasps director of rugby Dai Jones wants unity between clubs and country, and McCall said: "I agree - this shouldn't be a fight. It doesn't have to be a fight.
"The best thing for both parties is for it to be a real co-operative relationship and there is no reason why it won't be. We've had very good co-operation with England and Eddie so far and I don't see that changing.
"My point was people who make these decisions really don't understand performance needs. They could have asked a few directors of rugby whether they thought it was okay to have the camp 10 days before [European fixtures]."
Jones' absence leaves England short of openside flanker options, with James Haskell, Jack Clifford and Mike
Williams missing, raising the possibility Maro Itoje will be asked to play there.
"Maro is a very destructive player and I think he would do a great job," his Saracens boss McCall said. "For someone who is as tall as he is, Maro's outstanding over the ball. He gets as many turn-overs as anybody in the Premiership.
"When it's not there to get over the ball, Maro is very good at making a mess of opposition attacking breakdowns.
"He carries the ball well, he reads the game well and he's another line-out option in the back-row. It would make England's line-out pretty formidable to have a seven like that."
