 Although the England team is governed by the Rugby Football Union ( RFU ) , players have been contracted to their clubs since the advent of professionalism in late 1995 . Since then , players have often been caught in a " power struggle " between their clubs and the RFU ; this is commonly referred to as a " club versus country " conflict . The first major dispute between England 's top clubs ( who play in the English Premiership ) and the RFU occurred in 1998 , when some of the clubs refused to release players to tour Australia , New Zealand and South Africa . The tour became known as the " Tour from hell " after an England squad of second @-@ string players were defeated in all four Tests , including a 76 – 0 defeat by Australia . The clubs also withdrew from the 1998 / 99 European Cup . 
