As Nick Cain detailed in his damning column last week, Rugby Football Union CEO Bill Sweeney is clearly not up to the task of running English rugby.
In February 2020, Nottingham chairman Alistair Bow stated: “Bill Sweeney may go down as the man who ruined English rugby. The RFU have sold their soul to Premiership rugby and CVC.”
Sweeney’s crime then was to inexplicably ruthlessly cut the £534,000 budget for each of the 12 clubs in the Championship, the vital but dismissively treated all important feeder league for the Premiership, back to the 2015 level of £288,000 per club for the 2020-21 season.
Since this ill-conceived decision Sweeney has done his best to justify Bow’s doom-ridden prediction. As Cain details, his latest £296m Professional Game Partnership (PGP) proposal is yet again handing a huge funding deal to the debt-laden clubs in the Premiership, a cumbersome sporting concept overpaying players relying on millionaire owners, RFU money, and private equity money for survival.
On Sweeney’s watch, the Premiership has become ring-fenced ending promotion and relegation while three clubs, Worcester, Wasps and London Irish went bankrupt last winter. Then in September, Championship title holders Jersey Reds ceased trading through an abject lack of RFU support despite the fact England use the club’s facilities as a training base.
This story is from the November 19, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 19, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
England can find a little bit of cheer
SO HERE we are on the final day of England’s autumn international series with all of us hoping and expecting Steve Borthwick’s team to win today after three weeks of bitter disappointment.
Stop messing with Marcus - Campese
DAVID Campese believes England are going backwards under Steve Borthwick, who is ‘messing around’ with talisman Marcus Smith.
Being a Lion was the highlight of my career
I PLAYED 19 games and scored 219 points for the Lions, on the tours to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, but I never played in a Test and that was fair enough.
Cook's crew not fazed as they eye tilt at top half
THERE appear to be few signs of second season syndrome at Westcombe Park as captain Nick Cook reveals the group aren’t even contemplating the threat of relegation and are instead targeting a top-half finish.
Forwards pack a punch for the Reds
OLD Redcliffians produced a proud defensive effort to take a bonus-point win.
Tom 'Ailes' the achievements of inspirational skipper Riley
SEDGLEY Park No. 8 Tom Ailes says his team relish the competitive nature of National One and is confident the Tigers can rectify their rocky start to the season in weeks to come.
Strachan confident Ampthill will be firing again soon
FRASER Strachan is determined to put Ampthill’s leaky defensive showings behind them and gain some much needed confidence in the run up to Christmas.
It's a whole new ball game for Rigg
WILL Rigg’s ambition was to become a professional cricketer but it is the oval ball rather than The Oval that is his driver now.
Scarratt leads the way for Lightning
LOUGHBOROUGH won a wet and windy East Midlands Derby after having the bonus point in the bag by half-time.
Becconsall: We need to release pressure
WILL Becconsall says Exeter are not spooked by the threat of relegation as they look to turn around their Premiership campaign after starting with six straight defeats.
