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Worcester officially have new owners after four months in limbo

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by PA)

Worcester finally have new owners after the administrators struck a deal with the Atlas group headed up James Sandford and Jim O’Toole. The Warriors fell into disrepair under the previous ownership of Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham, playing their final Gallagher Premiership match in September before RFU suspension was quickly followed by an insolvency court making all players and staff free agents.

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That led to a scattering of the playing squad that had been at Sixways under Steve Diamond, the director of rugby who later unveiled plans for a separate consortium that he would be involved in that was looking to rescue the club.

Begbies Traynor Group, who were the administrators appointed to find a buyer for Worcester, instead nominated Atlas as its preferred buyer. However, it took quite a while for the February 1 deal to finally be struck to save a club that is now likely to re-emerge next season at Championship level along with Wasps, the other Premiership outfit that financially collapsed at the start of the season.

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Atlas saw a bid rejected in December on the grounds of its refusal to meet conditions set by the RFU. Those conditions with English Rugby HQ are reportedly still unresolved, but contracts have now been exchanged between the administrators and the Atlas Worcester consortium for the takeover.

Posting on Twitter, Sandford said: “Feel honoured and privileged to be entrusted with a club that means so much to so many. We will be announcing a date soon for you all to come to Sixways to hear and see the plans for yourselves as we rebuild together. The real work starts now!”

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The story that a deal had finally been closed to take Worcester out of administration was broken by regional BBC journalist Felicity Kvesic, the wife of back-rower Matt who was one of the Worcester players left without a job. The ex-England international went on to sign a deal that took him to Zebre Parma, the Italian URC franchise, for the rest of the 2022/23 campaign.

Kvesic has secured an exclusive interview with Sanderson that will air on BBC Hereford and Worcester radio later on Wednesday. She tweeted: “SOLD! EXCLUSIVE – It’s been over four months since the collapse of Worcester Warriors and today I can reveal that administrators Begbies Traynor Group have exchanged contracts for the sale with Atlas Worcester Warriors.”

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Julie Palmer, a partner at Begbies Traynor, said: “Following a complex process, we are now able to progress the sale of Worcester Warriors and associated assets to Atlas Worcester Warriors Rugby Football Club Limited. We can confirm that contracts have been exchanged with Atlas.

“This is an exclusive contractual position and Atlas are committed to completing this transaction as early as possible and will share with both the rugby community and local community their plans for the club’s future. Due to the confidential nature of this transaction, we have been unable to provide this update any earlier but have appreciated the ongoing interest of supporters, staff and related organisations.

“We are delighted to see that there is a clear plan in place to deliver both rugby and many other exciting community-focused initiatives to Sixways, befitting the fabulous facilities and which will entertain the extensive support base.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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