The Rugby Football Union depends on the Premiership to provide its players. The rest of the game depends on those players to provide the funds to keep the game going. The Premiership is now down to 10 sides from 13. At 13 sides no club made a profit out of rugby, it must follow that they stand no chance with 10. It is not just that the Premiership depend on wealthy men to bail them out. If one of the owners goes bust, loses interest or dies the league would be unviable (if it isn’t already). The whole thing is mired in debt and the only way to get out of debt is to make a profit. The RFU have increased their payment to the Premiership for season 2024/25 but it goes nowhere near the £25 million loss the clubs made in 2023/24. If the basic needs of the Premiership are not addressed the whole union will suffer.
The main source of income for Premiership clubs is home games. People have talked about resurrecting the three clubs that have gone bust.
1. Worcester - it has been shown over the years that there is not enough support around Worcester to sustain a premiership side.
2. London Irish - a limited support plus no side has ever survived in the Premiership with a rented ground.
3. Wasps - no ground; people have talked about the name but Moseley, Coventry, Richmond and Blackheath all have wellknown names but it takes a lot more than that to survive in the Premiership.
We must look to existing teams with existing support and stadiums to give us what we want. We must also accept the premise “you must use all your assets to their full advantage”, that means stadiums and players. There is no point in having stadiums that cost many millions of pounds and only use them once every 14 days.
We also produce many talented players who have little chance of getting regular games, we must produce a league that gives them this chance.
The main points of my argument are:
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Sleightholme shows he has pace to burn
OLLIE Sleightholme recently clocked his fastest sprint time and is racing to cement his spot as an England starter.
McGoverne says playing for Chiefs is her priority
EXETER fly-half Olivia McGoverne has opted for club over country which will rule her out of contention for New Zealand’s World Cup bid in 2025.
Trinity aim to get the culture right
HIGH-FLYING Trinity have made a remarkable turnaround this season after narrowly avoiding relegation last term, heading into this weekend unbeaten and are now eyeing up promotion from Level 7.
YOUNG GUNS
Louie Gulley experienced the environment of England U20s’ World Championship triumph up close this summerand now has a burning desire to become an age-grade star. The 19-year-old Exeter Chiefs hooker was part of Mark Mapletoft’s squad but didn’t manage to make an appearance during the tournament.
The Cherry & Whites lay down marker over Lucs
CAMBORNE maintained their lead at the top of the table with a bonus-point win against their nearest challengers in a pulsating game.
A brace from Botterill is key to victory for Esher
A highly entertaining and enthralling contest between two sides fighting at the foot of the table was eventually won by Esher after the lead had changed no less than seven times throughout an absorbing afternoon.
Chiefs in hunt for new investment
TONY Rowe has confirmed the search for new investors into Exeter Chiefs has begun as he looks to safeguard the longterm future of the Premiership club.
McParland keen to shine for England A
NORTHAMPTON scrum-half Archie McParland feels he has returned a better player following a nasty injury that denied him a World Cup winners medal and is now ready to fly into a new opportunity with England A.
Undercard get chance to show their A-game
ENGLAND’S A team today get their first major work-out after being resurrected earlier this year when Australia’s undercard provide the opposition at The Stoop.
England look like a clueless rabble
I WATCHED with a growing sense of bewilderment as England yet again took to the field against Australia looking to all intents and purpose as if they had just been introduced to each other on the coach into Twickenham.
