Two more Gallagher Premiership clubs in financial peril - reports
England’s Gallagher Premiership woke up to damaging headlines on Wednesday morning, with separate reports claiming that Newcastle Falcons are considering voluntary relegation to the Championship while players and staff at London Irish are fearing not being paid their monthly salaries. The disturbing headlines come five months after both Worcester and Wasps were liquidated, resulting in the 13-team competition getting dramatically reduced to 11 for the 2022/23 season.
The sport has been delivering on the pitch, with numerous commentators describing the quality of on-pitch play this year as the best ever in the Premiership. There have also been some recent bumper attendances, with Harlequins attracting 54,669 to Twickenham earlier this month and Saracens getting 55,109 along to Tottenham last weekend.
However, the financial pinch has refused to go away and there have been regular anxieties about the financial viability of the Gallagher Premiership in the wake of the early-season demise of Worcester and Wasps.
With a 10-team league suggested for next season to balance out the fixture list, it has now been speculated that Newcastle might willingly exit the top flight for the Championship, while a delay in new investment is separately causing concern at London Irish despite last Saturday’s win over Northampton in front of a 13,543 attendance lifting them into the playoff positions.
City AM broke the story on Newcastle, reporting: “Newcastle Falcons have denied suggestions that the club’s recent cost-cutting is paving the way to voluntarily drop out of the Premiership next year. City AM has learned of a growing belief in English rugby that the Tyneside team could be looking to ease their financial situation by joining the Championship as part of a wider shake-up of the domestic game.
“Newcastle have initiated a major offloading of talent during the current season, with England international duo George McGuigan and Trevor Davison shipped out, to Gloucester and Northampton Saints respectively, as well as a number of talented youngsters… Furthermore, it is understood that a number of Newcastle players are out of contract at the end of the season with the club grappling, as many others are, with the need to cut costs and remain within Premiership Rugby’s current £5m salary cap.
“The club has made a dramatic cut in season ticket prices for the 2023-24 season from £294 to £180, which puts them in line with many Championship clubs and cheaper than some second-tier sides, such as Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights, this season.
“Newcastle chiefs told City AM that they had not had any discussions with Premiership Rugby about voluntarily dropping into the Championship in 2024 or otherwise. Premiership Rugby declined to comment.”
Meanwhile, Sportsmail reported the alleged salary uncertainty at London Irish. “London Irish players, coaches and staff are anxiously waiting to discover if they will be paid later this week amid growing fears of financial turmoil, as a buy-out of the club has been delayed.
“Sportsmail has learned that Exiles employees are worried about the threat of their monthly wages not being received. It is understood that coaches and players have been seeking assurances, after being made aware of potential trouble.
“On Tuesday night, Premiership Rugby and the RFU claimed that ‘a cash flow solution’ has been found, to alleviate the danger of the payroll deadline not being met. However, any solution is based on confirmation of new investment – believed to be from the United States – which has been held up for some time.
“Well-placed sources say this is not the first time this season that there have been doubts over wages, at a time when owner Mick Crossan has been trying to relinquish control of the club. It is thought that there were similar fears around Christmas, which proved to be unfounded. Employees have been told repeatedly that a buy-out is imminent – but that is yet to take place.
“The PRL hierarchy are convinced it will happen ‘soon’, with the spectre of Wasps and Worcester’s financial collapses still looming large over the sport. Crossan told Sportsmail last September that he was ready to give Irish away for free, having presided over a return to London from Reading, in a ground-share with Brentford.”
Comments on RugbyPass
1. Heard this so often over the yrs. One Warriors CEO even claimed future kids wouldnt know which came first, the ABs or the Warriors. Always keen to talk themselves up. 2. That fella Barakat who says he will drop HBHS sponsorship because HBHS quite rightly wants its players to focus on rugby is an odd fit as a sponsor in the first place. As a recruitment official for the Warriors he seems to regard his sponsorship as a paid licence to help to select players from HBHS for the league side. Maybe he should find a league school to fund.
1 Go to commentsNZ U20s are the team to beat this year for sure. And how nice after so long that NZRFU is actually taking this seriously. For far too long they have been sending woefully coached and woefully underprepared teams to the U20 WCs. That Wrampling boy is a star in the making.
2 Go to commentsI agree ..come on keyboard warriors and journalists looking for a cheap win ….. only 2 mins to go 12 points down …this DID NOT decide the game and beside JM was hit after the whistle and in response it was a pat on the back of the head …harmless ….watch soccer if this is your issue
4 Go to commentsRest is for namby pamby sissies, I see. True men should overcome their trifling injuries by playing week in, week out. Bidwell’s stance reminds me of a Jon Gadsby character from the 70s, a rugby captain giving an after-match speech: “It was a very physical contest. One of our players caught a boot on the back of his head in a ruck, and he died, actually. But to his credit, he played on.”
1 Go to commentsI still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
2 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
27 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
27 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
27 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
27 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
27 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
22 Go to commentsOkay last one. I promise. I think it’s despicable for Andy Goode to suggest that Eben can’t count to 12. To be fair he only had to count to 8 - the number of Irishmen who DIDN’T say that. Less the 3 kiwis of course. 23 - 12 - 3 = 8. See Joe. I can do maffs.
27 Go to commentsCheers, Nick! How do you see the Reds’ Jock Campbell’s play this year? Not as strong a carrier as Andrew Kellaway or Tom Wright, but does avoid errors. Do you see Joe Schmidt as wanting safety first at 15 or a try-assisting counterattacker?
91 Go to commentsI’m sure this was all just a big misunderstanding. Irishmen and Afrikaaners conversing in a noisey stadium. Not easy to get the right messages across. A minefield.
27 Go to comments