Rugby Football Union: MPs call for independent review

Bumper executive pay coinciding with the demise of historic clubs and financial pressure on the grassroots game should prompt an independent review into the Rugby Football Union, according to a group of MPs.

Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour, whose father David Wrench played for England, Northampton and Harlequins in the 1960s, said the situation was a “travesty” and “financially unsustainable”.

“The governance of rugby union in this country is on shaky ground – it is clear there are serious structural issues at play,” she added.

“Change must come. For the good of the game, the governing body must adapt.”

“It is incredibly important that the Government step in and start looking at the governance of the game, otherwise there will not be a game to govern,” added Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset.

Premiership sides Wasps, London Irish and Worcester Warriors went out of business during the 2022-23 season, while the last set of accounts from the top-flight clubs showed collective losses of £30.5m and net debts of more than £300m.

Morello added that reports that that London Irish would seek to return to the game in the United Rugby Championship – a competition featuring Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Italian and South African sides – rather than the Premiership was “a damming indictment of the mismanagement” of the league.

The RFU revealed record losses of its own in November, with the same set of accounts also showing chief executive Bill Sweeney was paid a total of £1.1m, made up of a salary of £742,000 and a £358,000 bonus.

Sweeney faces a crunch vote on 27 March, with the RFU’s membership of grassroots clubs deciding whether to back his proposed reforms or demand he steps down.

An RFU spokesperson said the organisation’s own review, which is taking advice from outside the sport, should be allowed to report before any government intervention takes place.

“We agree that governance reform is a critical part of creating a better relationship between ourselves, our clubs and all of our stakeholders, with much stronger engagement and collaboration as to how the game is run,” they said.

“That’s why the RFU Council has already established a Governance and Representation Reform Review, with a view to introducing new structures with far greater flexibility and devolved decision making than is possible today. The review is ongoing and should report in the coming months.”

A Football Governance Bill, which would establish an independent regulator for the men’s professional game in England, is making its way through parliament.

MP Stephanie Peacock, Under Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said it was not yet planning anything of similar scale in rugby.

“But we keep everything under review,” she added.