"Will losing London Irish be the final wake-up call?"

THE WARNING signs have been flashing for decades. Covid may have brought things to a head, but a crisis in the Premiership was inevitable. The problems were baked in as PRL was never envisaged as a regulator and was not designed as such. From the outset it was compromised, with the executive answering to the clubs rather than acting in the interests of the league.

- MARK EVANS

It was easy for a small number of clubs – as few as three on major issues – to block reforms. Alliances of convenience became common. Very few owners were experienced in sports business. They tended to be successful entrepreneurs. Intuitively they distrusted regulation and believed the market forces that served them so well would work. Many were genuine fans with love of the club or town, whilst nearly all of them were busy elsewhere. Some were only interested in winning, which is fine if structures are in place to limit what individual clubs can do. They weren’t.

There were casualties – Orrell, London Scottish and Richmond fell away quickly. Later, Leeds and London Welsh. There were successful new entrants such as Exeter, but over the last 25 years the areas lost far outweigh the new markets.