The Springboks and Wallabies will be playing Test matches outside of the official World Rugby international window this weekend, but Australia’s fixture has proven far more controversial in the public’s eye.
This is because Joe Schmidt has been unable to select his two PREM-based stars, who were central to the team’s successes this year, Exeter’s Tom Hooper and Len Ikitau.
In stark contrast, every single one of the men selected in Steve Borthwick’s matchday 23 is contracted to PREM Rugby outfits, with the RFU paying off the clubs to have access to the players at an earlier date, despite the league
