London Irish have been thrown out of the English league system, with more than 100 players and staff losing their jobs.
The Exiles ought to be gearing up to celebrate their 125th anniversary, but are now preparing instead to go out of business.
Owner Mick Crossan failed to meet the RFU’s 4pm deadline on Tuesday of paying the remaining 50 per cent of club wages for May, having paid only half the Exiles’ payroll last week.
The Powerday founder has turned down the chance to commit to funding the Exiles for the full 2023/24 season – and Irish have been unable to complete the long-mooted takeover by a US consortium.
The group of former NFL and NBA stars that had been in talks to buy Irish for six months have failed all along to provide the RFU with any substantive information on the composition of their consortium and the source of funding.
So now despite repeated assurances that “institutional funding” would be forthcoming, the Exiles takeover discussions are at an end – and a third proud Premiership club will go bust in one solitary season.
The most ruinous campaign in the Premiership’s history has come to an end as abrupt as it is devastating for all the Exiles’ coaches, players and off-field staff.
“This is desperately sad news for everyone who is part of the London Irish community as well as all the players, fans, staff and volunteers for whom this club means so much,” said RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney.
“Working alongside Premiership Rugby, the RPA and London Irish over recent months, our collective first priority has been to do the utmost to secure the long-term viability of the club and the protection of its players and staff.
“To achieve this, it was imperative that transparent evidence of funding be presented to us. This would have been either by the proposed buyers undertaking to provide all required working capital to meet the club’s obligations for at least the 2023/24 season; or the club providing evidence that it would continue to fund its operations throughout the 2023/24 season.
“Despite requesting this evidence over the last six months and receiving assurances on multiple occasions that we would receive proof of ownership and funds; it has not materialised.
“In the event that it would ultimately not be possible to save London Irish, our second priority has always been to avoid the club entering an unplanned insolvency mid-season.
“This was to prevent the huge disruption to players, staff, and fans, as well as on the remainder of the league and sporting integrity of the Premiership and Championship, that we witnessed with the demise of Wasps and Worcester.
“In the absence of transparent proof of reliable long-term funding, and for the duty of care for all involved at the club, the sad decision has now been taken to suspend the club from RFU leagues.
“The RFU, working with Premiership Rugby and the RPA, has been in constant dialogue with players to inform them of the situation.
“Collectively we have established a hardship fund to support those players and staff most in need and we will be working closely with London Irish to confirm what the future of rugby at the club looks like. With regret, this will not be in any league next season.
“The RFU will ensure the London Irish Developing Player Pathway and Academy continues, taking over the running of these programmes if required.”
Irish’s players and staff can look for new jobs immediately, and a clutch of top talents will be snapped up with little delay.
But amid a crowded recruitment market still reeling from Worcester and Wasps going bust, many could face a battle to secure new deals.
The Premiership will operate as a 10-team division next season, accelerating existing plans to cut the top-flight to end club and country fixture clashes.
“We are extremely mindful of the impact this news has on players and staff at London Irish and that is exactly why we have set up the hardship fund to support players and staff most impacted,” said Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor.
“I thank the other Premiership Rugby clubs for supporting this and the RPA for helping implement the scheme.
“We fully appreciate that this does not compensate for the loss of jobs or the impact it has on fans, but we are committed to working with all stakeholders to create a professional rugby system that London Irish can re-enter at the right time.
“As a league we are making significant progress in recalibrating so that Premiership Rugby prospers in the seasons ahead.
“In the meantime, if an owner decides to withdraw financial support for a club, we have limited options to keep it going.”
Players’ boss Christian Day pledged to support those out of work and now seeking new employment.
“The loss of London Irish, a proud club with a rich playing history, is undoubtedly sad,” said RPA general secretary Day.
“The human impact of this failure will affect more than 100 players and staff who are now faced with uncertainty and will leave many thousands of fans without their beloved club.
“Learning from the experiences of Wasps and Worcester and working in partnership with Premiership Rugby and the RFU, we have been able to create a hardship fund to be administered by the RPA’s charity, Restart. This fund will be utilised to support both players and staff who are most in need of support.”
