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Worcester statement escalates concerns over Sunday's home game

By PA
(Photo by PA)

The sale of Worcester to a new buyer has yet to be completed, escalating concerns over the club’s ability to stage their first home Gallagher Premiership game of the season on Sunday. While an agreement has been reached between co-owners Colin Goldring and Jason Whittingham and the undisclosed investor, the Warriors confirmed in a statement that a contract has yet to be signed.

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“Worcester are still awaiting final sign-off of the heads of term on the agreement of the sale of the club to a buyer,” the statement read. “The agreement remains with the lawyers of the respective parties but the signing of the heads of terms is required before the sale can be concluded.

“We appreciate that the delay is frustrating for our loyal staff, sponsors and supporters and we thank them for their continued patience in these challenging circumstances.”

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Director of rugby Steve Diamond is confident Sunday’s Premiership clash with Exeter will go ahead while Worcester look to be rescued from debts of over £25million, including £6m in unpaid tax that could see them wound up.

However, the new buyer was supplying the finance to stage the Sixways match and the lack of progress made on Wednesday in signing the contract places it in serious doubt. “It seems that the two owners have managed to find an investor,” said Worcester boss Diamond ahead of the round two Premiership match.

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“We have got no real detail of who they are, it’s in strictest confidence. They have assured me that it is imminent. And they are rugby fans. As far as I’m concerned the game is on. I have been told nothing untoward. We are preparing as though the game is on. We’re on BT. All buttons are being pressed. All money is welcomed and the current owners are doing everything behind the scenes to ensure that the game goes on, which means staff being paid, suppliers being paid and casual workers coming in.”

Diamond is among those in the Worcester rugby department not to have been paid for August, while staff on the non-rugby side of the business have received only 65 per cent of their salary for last month. The veteran director of rugby has been kept in the dark over the discussions with the new owners, claiming to know no more details than those revealed in the most recent statement.

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“There is a lot of artillery been aimed at the owners, rightly or wrongly,” said Diamond. “They are genuinely trying to do the best for the situation and they know I have a lot of experience and I don’t need an arm around me in this situation.

“What I require and what the club, players, sponsors and supporters require, is for this to be done as quickly as possible. If people aren’t paid and suppliers aren’t paid then I don’t think logistically the game can go on.

“However, I’m pretty confident the game will go on from what information I’ve been given this morning [Wednesday]. So big things like stewarding, ambulances – all the sort of normal stuff which nobody sees – are in place. Catering is being put in place. I find it difficult to believe that statement would be made to the national press yesterday [Tuesday] if it can’t be fulfilled.”

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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

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