London Irish have been suspended from the Gallagher Premiership in the latest sad news of a dark year for the English top flight.
The Brentford-based club follow Worcester Warriors and Wasps in being suspended from the Premiership in the last nine months.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) had given London Irish a final deadline of 4pm BST on Tuesday to show conclusive proof of a proposed takeover by an American-led consortium, or a commitment from Mick Crossan, the current owner, that he was willing and able to fund the club through next season.
But with neither requirement met, and players yet to receive the second half of their May salaries, the RFU has levied a suspension having been desperate to avoid another in-season loss of a club in the manner of Worcester and Wasps, whose twin departures from the league caused such upheaval and uncertainty last year.
London Irish will not be able to compete at any level in the RFU league structure next season.
“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,” Bill Sweeney, the RFU CEO, said in a statement.
“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 has confirmed that a hardship fund has been set up in partnership with Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) and the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) to support the players and staff most in need of financial support.
London Irish had appeared on the brink of suspension last week before securing a final, seven day extension after players and staff received 50% of their May salaries last Wednesday.
However, the club’s worries were further evidenced on Friday when they were given a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs in relation to unpaid tax.
With no team elevated from the Championship at the end of the 2022/23 season, next season’s Premiership is likely to contain only ten competing teams.
While this will free up much-needed space in the calendar, some clubs are understood to be concerned about the ramifications of having lost three home Premiership fixtures, given most are already struggling for financial sustainability. To further complicate matters, the future funding and structure of the second tier remain uncertain.
On Friday, the government announced that it was stepping in to aid the RFU and Premiership Rugby, appointing Ralph Rimmer and Chris Pilling as independent advisers to work on the sport’s future stability.
Part of the pair’s work will be involvement in the restructuring of the Professional Game Agreement (PGA), which is up for renegotiation ahead of the current deal’s expiry next summer.
