'Rich man's toy': Diamond takes swipe at previous Worcester regimes
Steve Diamond is convinced Worcester will complete the upcoming 2022/23 season after it was confirmed that the financially-stricken club will participate in the opening weekend of the Gallagher Premiership. HMRC have frozen the Warriors’ finances in their pursuit of unpaid tax and it was only confirmed late on Wednesday that they would be able to meet the August payroll due that same day.
As of Thursday evening, only a number of staff had received their wages because of a complication with the bank’s computer system. But for now the prospect of an exodus out of Sixways has receded as the club have up to 14 days to pay their wages even if a player indicates he wants to leave.
Diamond, the Worcester director of rugby, explained the delay on the grounds the money was being sent from another account due to the freeze implemented by HMRC. Premiership Rugby has cleared the Warriors to take part in their opener against London Irish on September 10, with a caveat from chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor that “they are not out of the woods yet, let’s be frank about that”.
Advanced talks are being held with two buyers for the club and despite the large debts that have been accrued in the wake of the pandemic, the prospect of gate receipts boosting the balance sheet has improved the financial outlook. Diamond believes that with players now receiving assurances they would be paid, Worcester will go on to finish the season.
“I’m 100 per cent confident that will happen,” Diamond said at the launch of the 2022/23 Premiership campaign at Twickenham. “I’m pretty sure that this short-term relief will now stay. If we do manage to get through this, then money does start coming in through the turnstiles. We will definitely play the game at London Irish – we will be going on our own coach. No one will be making their own way, we won’t be going by bike.”
Referencing the disrupted Worcester build-up which has seen the cancellation of their only friendly against Glasgow on Friday, Diamond said: “It might be revolutionary – you don’t play four pre-season games ahead of the season and we could upset the apple cart. I’m not trying to be joyous but the players have got a very good mentality about them. Are we as prepared as some of the other teams? Possibly not, but as we know it’s a 40-week season.”
Diamond took a swipe at previous Worcester regimes saying Sixways has been run “as a rich man’s toy” and rounding on “big name players and coaches who haven’t really delivered”, producing poor results while operating on “rock-star budgets”. “They have always had this sort of also-ran tag but paying superstar money. Since I’ve come in, that has radically changed.
“They are a hard-working group now, but they see how delicate it is and they see it is even more delicate when they speak to their agents because there aren’t many jobs around.”
Massie-Taylor believes it will take several years before clubs recover from the financial wounds inflicted by the pandemic and Diamond, a veteran coach who has spent time at Sale, Northampton and Saracens, admits the current situation is bleak.
“It’s precarious. Every club has, quite rightly, borrowed money from the Government to get themselves through,” he said. “I don’t know the finances of any other clubs, but there are other clubs who are in a precarious position.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to comments