Support is growing for the proposal of a 10-team Premiership, with English rugby’s power brokers promising a review into the league’s structure amid the financial crisis gripping the domestic game.
Premiership Rugby Limited and the Rugby Football Union also reiterated their calls for clubs to open their books after Rob Andrew, who spent almost 10 years in senior positions at the RFU, blamed the current mess on a failure of governance.
Wasps are expected to follow Worcester into administration – with relegation to follow – on Monday and their suspension will be extended to the remainder of the season if they are forced to cancel more than two fixtures, having already scrapped Saturday’s match against Exeter. That scenario would leave 11 teams completing the remainder of this season’s Premiership and, with fears that at least one other club may follow, plans for a 10-team league are thought to be gaining support.
It is believed that senior officials are warming to the idea of a top tier of 10 teams, most likely with a professional second division also of 10 teams below it, with PRL and the RFU exercising a greater degree of control than they do over the Premiership. Convincing the clubs, who in effect govern themselves, to yield power would be a challenge but there is a determination to bring about change, with the Premiership two clubs down barely a month into the season. The Exeter director of rugby, Rob Baxter, and his Bristol counterpart, Pat Lam, have publicly backed the idea.
“Premiership Rugby and the RFU are working together to examine a range of options to provide stronger foundations for the game,” read a joint statement. “This process, involving close consultation with clubs and other stakeholders, includes consideration of issues including the structure of the league and visibility of financial information. Player welfare will remain a priority at all times.”
According to the current agreement, the Premiership is supposed to go to 14 teams next season provided the winners of the Championship meet the minimum standards criteria. But with Wasps and Worcester set for relegation at the end of the season, there is an understanding that change will also involve the Championship. Discussions over the new professional game agreement – the deal between the clubs and the RFU which determines key issues such as player release, league structures and central funding – are under way before its implementation in 2024. The current crisis has accelerated those talks, however.
“It is our responsibility to set a more sustainable path for English club rugby,” said PRL’s chief executive, Simon Massie-Taylor. “This was on the agenda already, but we need to now accelerate the work we are doing with our clubs, the RFU and other stakeholders across the game. Our shared goal must be to put in place stronger foundations that underpin the long-term prosperity for the sport in this country.”
The Wasps squad, meanwhile, are anxiously awaiting an update from the club hierarchy on Monday to learn whether they will need to find new clubs in what is already a crowded market of unemployed players. The RFU will decide in the coming weeks if players such as Joe Launchbury, Jack Willis and Alfie Barbeary will be able to make short-term moves abroad and still be eligible for England selection.
The RFU’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, added: “Two professional clubs facing financial difficulties is a clear barometer of the challenges being felt by the economy, sport and rugby union specifically. The economic environment has compounded these challenges and there is a clear need for more financial transparency from all clubs together with collective long-term investment and planning for the benefit of the professional game overall.”
