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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Joshua Lees

James Haskell warns more clubs will follow Wasps and Worcester into administration

Former England star James Haskell has warned other Premiership clubs could follow both Wasps and Worcester Warriors into administration.

Earlier this week Wasps were confirmed to be the second Premiership setup in a month to enter administration, after Worcester three weeks prior.

It has been a dark few weeks for English rugby, with financial issues within the domestic game dominating headlines. Haskell - who enjoyed two successful spells at Wasps - has spoken up on his former club's crisis, and has warned the West Midlands-based side will not be the last.

Discussing Wasps' administration with Sky Sports , he said: "It's devastating. Your thoughts are with the players and staff, and it's not just the immediate people you think about, it's all the support staff.

"Some players are going to be lucky to move on to other clubs, but the nature of rugby at the moment with the salary cap is these players are going to go from earning good money - rightly so for their skills and the way they put their bodies on the line - to reduced salary and some people won't get a job.

"It's awful, but I think it's quite indicative of the way rugby is going. I don't think Worcester and Wasps are going to be the only clubs, I think some drastic change needs to happen and, unfortunately, I think rugby has been faffing around for too long and not dealing with this issue. I think it's a very dark day for rugby across the whole game."

Wasps entered administration on Monday (PA)

In the wake of rugby union's financial crisis, there have been calls for England internationals to be centrally contracted by the RFU, something Haskell would be in support of. The former Wasps man also believes the Premiership should opt for a franchise model, comparing it to how the NFL operates.

The 37-year-old went on: "There are so many different political situations going on and I think having everything centrally contracted, almost like an NFL model [is the way forward]. I think the traditions of rugby are great, but at the top level, to make it sustainable, we need to make it an entertainment business.

Do you think the Premiership should adopt a franchise format? Let us know in the comments section.

Wasps face a very precarious situation (Getty Images)

"We need to build up superstars, we need a franchise model, everything has got to be centrally managed and the right people in the right places. At the moment, all this intermeshed, who's in charge, who's making decisions is never going to work and I think the NFL model, or a franchise model is probably the way to with a central commissioner who makes a decision and sticks to it.

"Just look at the concussion stuff; we're trying to make rugby safer, we shouldn't be doing contact training in the week, but everybody is faffing around and that's the problem with rugby - there's a lot of faffing, a lot of talking and no hard-line decisions."

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