Iain Grieve: RPA must do far more for us in tier two

Former Plymouth Albion captain Iain Grieve believes it is imperative Championship players are properly represented by the Rugby Players Association.
He has called on Union boss Damian Hopley, the Championship clubs and the RFU to thrash out an agreement that affords vulnerable tier two players the same opportunities as their Premiership counterparts when their careers come under threat.
Plymouth came within hours of entering administration in January before survival was ensured. But Grieve claims the uncertainty it created amongst the players highlighted why the welfare needs of Championship players must urgently be addressed.
Grieve, who has since joined Ealing, told The Rugby Paper: “Players in the Championship are members of the RPA, but you get a lot less things as a Championship player and I don’t know why the RPA don’t look after players at that level more.
“The RPA came to Plymouth when we had our problems and were there with us, which is what was needed then. There were 19 and 20-year-olds in their first professional contracts who were really worried and just didn’t know what was going on.
“But what would have happened if the worst case scenario of administration had come to pass? I’ve know idea. I’m not sure how much the RPA could have helped us beyond giving a bit of advice, which highlights a major problem in the Championship.”
Grieve explained: “The RFU wanted 24 professional teams in the country, but only six or seven in the Championship can claim to be fully professional and the league is obviously underfunded. It’s a shame the league can’t get the push it really needs.
“There seems to be some sort of blockade or war between the RFU and the Championship which leads to the needs of players being ignored. Premiership players have access to RPA development officers and other services, but Championship guys have none.
“It boils down to funding, I guess, and we always seem to be having these conversations. The RFU seems to find plenty of money for the Premiership clubs in their various agreements, but when it comes to the Championship they’ve never got it.
“At the very least, Championship players should by now be properly represented by the RPA with access to a rugby development officer. Are our careers and welfare less important than the Premiership guys? That’s what it seems like to me.”
Grieve, meanwhile, is looking for a career boost at Ealing after enduring a bitterly disappointing two years, first with home-town club Bristol, who controversially released him in 2014, and then Plymouth, who were relegated last season.
The 27-year-old openside said: “I haven’t felt this excited about starting a pre-season since I was a 19 or 20-year-old in my early days at Bristol. It’s a completely new challenge and, no offence to Plymouth, I just felt restricted there in so many ways.
“I feel Ealing is a place where I can better myself as a rugby player and it’s a club with great ambitions over what it can achieve. When you look at the signings they’ve made you can see the ambition and it’s something I really want to be part of.”
Grieve, who is amongst 16 new signings at Vallis Way, including former Newcastle duo Chris York and Danny Barnes, added: “The first objective is to survive in the Championship, but beyond that we’ll be looking to fight for a mid-table position.
“To achieve high standards you’ve got to aim high and as soon as rugby director Ben Ward told me what the ambition was, that suggested they’d be competitive. Plus they’ve got a 4G pitch as well, which is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Of last season’s Plymouth experience, Grieve says: “It was just unfortunate because everyone had good ideas, but it just didn’t gel. James Shanahan and the coaches had clear ideas over what they wanted to do, but as players we just didn’t deliver.
“We wanted to play with ball in hand and made a lot of line-breaks, but we couldn’t finish things off and when you begin losing every week things begin to spiral.
“It was really disappointing but I’m just looking forward to making a fresh start at Ealing.”
NEALE HARVEY