Lee Blackett: Wasps coach says row between clubs and agents is affecting players' livelihoods
- Published
Lee Blackett was appointed on an interim basis in February 2020 and confirmed as head coach two months later
Rugby players' livelihoods are being affected by the ongoing row between Premiership clubs and agents, says Wasps boss Lee Blackett.
Following a change in HM Revenue and Customs regulations, the 13 top-flight clubs ruled payments to agents should come from players rather than them.
It has led to a stand-off, with agents reluctant to deal with the clubs and recruitment and retention put on hold.
"I don't think it's very good for the game at the moment," said Blackett.
The Wasps head coach told BBC Radio 5 live: "And when I say the game I mean the players as well - I just don't think it is good for them.
"It is players' lives at the end of the day - it is their income - so the sooner we sort it the better it will be for everyone."
Blackett hopes the situation can be resolved "in the next few weeks" amid fears the impasse could lead to an exodus from the Premiership by out-of-contract players.
The powerbrokers of English rugby - the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players' Association - are meeting the Agents' Association next week in a bid to break the deadlock.
The situation is a particular frustration to Blackett given the new-found stability at Wasps, with their state-of-the-art training centre now up and running in Henley-in-Arden after years of tortuous planning.
The club has also been boosted by the arrival of feted former All Blacks coach John Mitchell, who surprisingly left Eddie Jones' England set-up this autumn to join Wasps as attack coach, and "couldn't be a more perfect fit", according to Blackett.
John Mitchell was All Blacks head coach from 2001 to 2003 and also had a spell in charge of the US national team
"When we found out Mitch was available we moved straight away for him," he added.
"He's having a big say in a lot of things, and we are using him how you would expect to use John Mitchell - it would be crazy not to use his experience.
"I'm really happy with how the coaching set-up is off the field, the training facility, the stadium we play out of, it is set up for high performance.
"We feel really lucky to have probably what is perceived as one of the best, if not the best, training facilities in the Premiership. There is no excuse a player can have or a coach can have.
"If you're a player, it's a facility that you probably will want to come to. And for our current players, there is no reason to leave here.
"We've got to make sure we keep working, keep improving each week, and then delivering the results."
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