SWEENEY JOINS THE RFU

BILL SWEENEY has quit as the head of the British Olympic Association to become the new chief executive of the Rugby Football Union. Staff at Twickenham and the BOA were only informed yesterday afternoon, with Sweeney making the move in the year of the Rugby World Cup and less than 18 months out from the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Sweeney (right), 61, a former rugby player who has been at the BOA since 2013, replaces Steve Brown, who resigned in November after only 15 months in the job amid concerns about the governing body’s finances. A start date for Sweeney has not yet been announced, with Nigel Melville continuing as interim CEO. Melville, a former England international, will return to his role as professional rugby director. ‘I leave behind a very strong British Olympic Association, both financially and in readiness for Tokyo 2020,’ said Sweeney, who has turned the job down in the past. ‘This is the only opportunity that I would have left the BOA for.’