'Asleep on the job' - English rugby chiefs torn to shreds by MPs
English rugby chiefs have been accused by MPs of overseeing “a failure on an epic scale” following the demise of Wasps and Worcester Warriors who have both entered administration with massive debts.
Bill Sweeney OBE, chief executive, Rugby Football Union and Simon Massie-Taylor, chief executive, Premiership Rugby Limited appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee today and faced stiff questioning about their parts in the “shambles” that has unfolded this season and reduced the Gallagher Premiership from 13 to 11 teams during the season.
Leading the widespread criticism was committee chair Julian Knight MP who told Massie-Taylor: “I have never come across anything as shambolic, lack of care and lack of thought towards people in your own game in my entire time as a select committee member.”
The committee chairman then accused Sweeney of being “asleep on the job” in checking the credentials of discredited Worcester owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham. Sweeney replied, “I don’t accept that.”
Knight said: “How much financial support has the RFU given to support players and staff (at Worcester and Wasps)?”
Sweeney: “We don’t have the funds of financial support in that situation.”
Knight: “So, diddly squat, basically.
“You frankly have failed in this instance and so has the RFU. Should you not be looking at your own positions?”
The sharp exchange continued with a clearly frustrated Knight addressing Sweeney stating: “It looks to be as if you are living in isolation in some ivory tower without any intonation about what was going on. You are allowing someone (Goldring) who you later discover to have been banned by a major institution (SRA) to retain ownership of a rugby club and then you are not even banning them after they have driven it into the ground.
“How did you allow a liar and asset stripper to destroy a community club?”
Sweeney replied that the owners had gone through a fit and proper test in 2018 and passed but accepted there was currently no ongoing monitoring system and that this was one of the recommendations from “this sorry episode”, adding: “They certainly wouldn’t get through a fit and proper test now.”
Knight hit back: “So you lived in isolation while watching other clubs in other sports go under due to similar circumstances as Worcester and you were asleep on the job and so was your board.
“You are paid to ensure your clubs survive. Why have you failed in that?”
Sweeney defended the RFU against accusations from former CEO Francis Baron that it had run up huge debts insisting the next set of accounts that would be revealed shortly showed the Union was debt free. Sweeney said: “We have £126m in reserve including £90m from the CVC money and we are currently debt free. We expected to make £8m profit this year but we are going to break even. Our utility bills have increased from £2.2m to £7.5m.”
Carol Hart, chief executive, Worcester Warriors Foundation, gave evidence at an earlier sitting and accused English rugby chiefs of failing in their duties to look after the sport, telling the committee, “The governing bodies were sleepwalking through this entire nightmare and still do.”
She also revealed that a loss of the “P” share which could be bought back from Worcester by Premiership Rugby after administration would remove £70,000 of central funding for the Foundation. She insisted that heads of department at the club had voiced concerns over the owners for two years before the crisis came to a head. She also told the committee a total of 400 people were directly involved in the ramifications of administration at the club. Sweeney denied the RFU had been warned and promised to investigate this matter.
Local MP Robin Walker highlighted that Worcester had not had a finance director in place for the last two years and that fact “told a story” about the attitude of the owners. He also agreed with the committee chairman, that there had been “a failure of governance” of the sport.
MPs also took the Rugby Players Association to task over their ability to help those affected at Wasps and Worcester as the players’ organisation “had not been fit for purpose” to handle the ramifications of two clubs entering administration.
Knight said in his view that Wasps and Worcester had been left to “twist in the wind” and that the demise of both clubs would be the subject of a special report by the committee as the situation would be “laughable” if it wasn’t so tragic. He said: “I’m going to write to the Serious Fraud Office concerning Mr Colin Goldrings activities” and finished the meeting stating: “It all adds up to a failure on an epic scale.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Tamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
1 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to comments