Cancellation of the 2021 Six Nations would be ‘catastrophic’

Cancellation of 2020s November internationals and the 2021 Six Nations due to coronavirus restrictions would have a “catastrophic” effect on the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU’s) finances, CEO Bill Sweeney said on Tuesday.

Sweeney told members of a British parliamentary committee that the RFU’s finances were in

“pretty good shape” after extensive cost-cutting and temporarily laying off more than 60% of union staff, but it is being forced to plan for a worst-case scenario in terms of a return to play.

Sweeney said that 85% of union income came from hosting games at Twickenham, where every match generates more than £10m.

England are due to host New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Australia in November. Those games remain in the balance due to likely travel restrictions, with other games against northern hemisphere opposition, possibly even an autumn Six Nations, being discussed.

England are also at home to Scotland, Italy and France in the regular Six Nations next February and March, with some concern that restrictions on public attendance of sports events could still be affecting the potential to house 82,000 spectators.

“If this were to go into summer of next year, with no November internationals, and if the Six Nations was affected, it would have a catastrophic affect on the game in England,” Sweeney told a department for culture, media and sport committee teleconference.

Sweeney said the union, rugby’s biggest and richest, had been working out how they would deal with a series of scenarios for 2020.

“If the autumn internationals go ahead, and we are assuming certain declines in spectator numbers, we’ll still lose something like £32m in revenue through to the end of the next financial year,” he said.

“If they go ahead but are behind closed doors, that would be an affect of £85m, and if cancelled it would be £107m.”

Sweeney said that a major round of cost-cutting that “clawed back” £13m of the £15m projected loss and he was targeting £20m-£25m in savings by the end of 2021.

“If we are one of the last clubs off the rank because of the contact and characteristics of the sport, we would need extra help,” he said. “We have 60% of our staff furloughed. If Six Nations matches are off in 2021, then there would be a limit in what we could do and we would have to go to the government for extra support.

“It is not going to be a shortterm issue, we are looking at a four-, five-, six-year recovery plan.”

SWEENEY SAID 85% OF UNION INCOME COMES FROM GAMES AT TWICKENHAM, WHERE EVERY MATCH GENERATES MORE THAN £10M