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Bumper executive pay coinciding with the demise of historic clubs and financial pressure on the grassroots game should prompt an independent review into the Rugby Football Union, according to a group of MPs.<\/b><\/p>\n
Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour, whose father David Wrench played for England, Northampton and Harlequins in the 1960s, said the situation was a “travesty” and “financially unsustainable”.<\/p>\n
“The governance of rugby union in this country is on shaky ground – it is clear there are serious structural issues at play,” she added.<\/p>\n
“Change must come. For the good of the game, the governing body must adapt.”<\/p>\n
“It is incredibly important that the Government step in and start looking at the governance of the game, otherwise there will not be a game to govern,” added Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset.<\/p>\n
Premiership sides Wasps, London Irish and Worcester Warriors went out of business during the 2022-23 season, while the last set of accounts from the top-flight clubs showed collective losses of \u00a330.5m and net debts of more than \u00a3300m.<\/p>\n
Morello added that reports that that London Irish would seek to return to the game in the United Rugby Championship<\/a> – a competition featuring Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Italian and South African sides – rather than the Premiership was “a damming indictment of the mismanagement” of the league.<\/p>\n The RFU revealed record losses of its own in November,<\/a> with the same set of accounts also showing chief executive Bill Sweeney was paid a total of \u00a31.1m, made up of a salary of \u00a3742,000 and a \u00a3358,000 bonus.<\/p>\n Sweeney faces a crunch vote on 27 March, with the RFU’s membership of grassroots clubs deciding whether to back his proposed reforms or demand he steps down.<\/p>\n An RFU spokesperson said the organisation’s own review, which is taking advice from outside the sport, should be allowed to report before any government intervention takes place. <\/p>\n “We agree that governance reform is a critical part of creating a better relationship between ourselves, our clubs and all of our stakeholders, with much stronger engagement and collaboration as to how the game is run,” they said. <\/p>\n “That’s why the RFU Council has already established a Governance and Representation Reform Review, with a view to introducing new structures with far greater flexibility and devolved decision making than is possible today. The review is ongoing and should report in the coming months.”<\/p>\n A Football Governance Bill, which would establish an independent regulator for the men’s professional game in England, is making its way through parliament.<\/a><\/p>\n MP Stephanie Peacock, Under Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said it was not yet planning anything of similar scale in rugby.<\/p>\n “But we keep everything under review,” she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n