RFU warned – change or we could break away!
CAMBRIDGE president Stephen Bowller has advocated that National League clubs should consider a breakaway from the Rugby Football Union and selfgovern amid fears that the Championship will be ringfenced at the end of the 2019/20 season.
Bowller, like many around the country, has a number of other grievances over the way the game is being run from Twickenham, including the perceived bias being shown towards Yorkshire Carnegie, who have been allowed to continue as a Championship club, without any form of punishment, despite undergoing a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA).
“Quite frankly, if the RFU cut off relegation and promotion at the end of this season, I would campaign for Nat 1, 2 North and South and any other leagues to form their own union,” Bowller said.
“The support we get from the RFU is non-existent and travel costs derisory, about four to five grand. Funding support for capital projects is available from Sport England and Landfill tax grants so that takes care of anything the union offer, which is quite often loans for larger projects and not grants.
“We can’t carry on with an RFU which rewards failure in their financial management, penalises grass roots clubs because of it, and finally bends their own rules with regards to Leeds (Yorkshire Carnegie).
“Personally, I’ve had enough. I ask myself, what are the RFU all about?”
The National Clubs’ Association (NCA) currently represent the interests of clubs at levels 3-4, dealing with administrative and disciplinary issues and liaises with the RFU on matters affecting National One and Two clubs.
NCA chairman Norman Robertson is standing down at the end of this season having served a maximum nine years.
The new chairman will be appointed by ballot.
“At the moment we’re too RFU-centric rather than NCA-centric,” said Bowller.
“Whoever takes over has a huge opportunity to change things dramatically. Over my time being involved at committee level at Cambridge – and this is all clubs I’m talking about not just us – we have had things imposed on us, things we’d never wanted, without any real consultation and that has got to stop.
“If they put too many guns to our head, it (a breakaway) will happen.”
Bowller also feels the RFU has taken their eye off the ball with respect to funding cuts to the tune of 35 per cent for match officials at levels 3-5.
“I am a great fan of ploughing money into officials because the better standard of refereeing on the pitch makes such a difference to the quality of play.”
England’s World Cup squad is another bone of contention. Young English scrum-half Ben Spencer, once of Cambridge, has missed out because Eddie Jones opted for New Zealander Willi Heinz, below.
“I’m not happy about the England setup,” complained Bowller. “Nothing against Willi Heinz, but he’s an outand-out Kiwi and there are numerous good scrumhalves in this country. It sends a dreadful message to all those young men: that you might slog your guts out for ten years and find yourself almost there only for an overseas player to be brought in.”
As for matters Cambridge, Bowller is looking forward with optimism. Dan Richmond has been brought in as forwards/ defence coach to augment the coaching team, while the club’s academy, fully independent from the RFU and for players aged 16 to 18, starts in September.