Lawrence Dallaglio has vowed that Wasps will fight their way back to the top of the English game, taking a swipe at the RFU in the process.
World Cup-winner Dallaglio, an all-time great at Wasps, claimed the RFU did “very little to help” as the club failed to meet criteria to re-form in next season’s second tier.
Wasps fell into administration in October amid debts spiralling beyond £95million.
Former director Chris Holland bought the club but failed to find the backing to relaunch in time for next season. The RFU last week confirmed Wasps’ removal from the league structure, leaving the club to start from the foot of the grassroots pyramid, if they can re-form at all.
Wasps have no investment, no coaching staff and no players, but Holland does own the Henley-in-Arden training ground.
“The RFU say they’ve been doing everything to help Wasps — they’ve been doing very little to help, actually,” Dallaglio, a club director, told the Evening Standard Rugby Podcast. “The phone’s been very quiet.
“The reality is that rugby is a busted flush [financially]. People obviously only want 10 teams in the league, because if they wanted something different, they would create it.
“If you want to let brands like Wasps and Worcester go, good luck to you. At the moment Wasps will drop down the leagues. If we have to get promoted 10 years on the trot, we’ll do that.”
Wasps are understood to have been left frustrated to lose the crucial P Share, the Premiership Rugby percentage of central revenue, traditionally held by 13 clubs.
Administrators sold the share back to Premiership Rugby to service the club’s debt, with creditors still likely to go unpaid.
Dallaglio claimed Wasps were unable to convince investors to come on board, with English club rugby’s structure in total flux.
Premiership Rugby had planned for a 10-team top-flight to take effect from 2024-25, but that could yet come into force next term if London Irish cannot complete their takeover.
Second-tier Championship clubs have been frustrated by delays in the RFU finalising the league’s structure for next season.
