Warriors facing up to biggest ever fight
WORCESTER FUTURE UP IN THE AIR AFTER UNION SUSPENSION
WORCESTER Warriors have been suspended from all rugby competitions with immediate effect and placed into administration.
The Gallagher Premiership club’s darkest day is also accompanied by the prospect of automatic relegation due to administration.
Under Rugby Football Union rules, a club that enters administration can expect to be demoted.
But Worcester could avoid playing Championship rugby next season in the event of them providing sufficient evidence of no-fault insolvency through an appeals process.
Unpaid
The Warriors failed to meet an RFU deadline requesting proof of insurance cover and funding for the club’s monthly payroll.
Worcester are burdened by debts totalling more than £25million, including at least £6m in unpaid tax, amid growing anger felt towards owners Colin
Goldring and Jason Whittingham, who have been accused of assetstripping the club.
Premiership Rugby confirmed that Worcester’s league game at Gloucester on Saturday will not take place.
Worcester are fighting for their future amid major financial uncertainty right across the Gallagher Premiership.
Here, we look at the Warriors’ plight, which has worsened after a Rugby Union suspension.
WHY ARE WORCESTER IN TROUBLE?
The Warriors are saddled with more than £25million of debt, with an HMRC winding-up order due in October.
Players and staff at the Sixways club have not received their full wages, with the lack of funds leading to major operational shortcomings. Owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring insisted that a deal was close to being completed with new buyers, but no evidence of that deal has yet been produced.
WHAT IS THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT?
Worcester have been suspended from all competitions with immediate effect after they failed to meet a Rugby Football Union deadline requesting proof of insurance cover and funding for the club’s monthly payroll. The RFU also wanted evidence of a “credible plan to take the club forward” by 5pm on Monday. But those requests were not met, with Worcester men’s and women’s teams now both suspended, while the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the club have been placed into administration.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE CLUB?
Worcester’s Sixways Stadium is now locked – staff were given until Monday afternoon to collect their belongings – and the immediate future is bleak.
Saturday’s game at Gloucester is off, and because there is no public liability insurance in place, Worcester’s players cannot train at the ground.
The players will be given some time off by rugby director Steve Diamond at least for a week, while administration means a likelihood of automatic relegation.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The DCMS will now apply to the court to appoint administrators and begin work to explore all possible options to protect creditors and preserve rugby in Worcester. In the meantime, players, coaches, staff and supporters can only wait and hope.
WHY ARE SO MANY PREMIERSHIP CLUBS STRUGGLING?
The pandemic’s impact cannot be ignored, but Worcester cannot hide behind Covid as a catch-all excuse. Rising wages for top players and coaches, despite salary-cap curbs, a constant contest to lure in punters and continued battles to boost match excitement are all major factors.
Sustainability will be a major watch-word for the coming weeks and months. The authorities will do everything to avoid Worcester going to the wall. But the wider argument over the Premiership’s best long-term plan will rage on.
JONNY Evans revealed he has learned to appreciate every opportunity to play for Northern Ireland even more later in his career as he looks forward to earning his 100th cap on Tuesday.
Evans will wore the captain’s armband against Greece in Athens on a landmark night as becomes only the fourth Northern Irishman to reach a century, following Pat Jennings, Aaron Hughes and Steven Davis.
It is a moment the 34-year-old hoped would have come sooner – injuries kept him out of a couple of squads last year – but experience has taught Evans to savour these moments.
“Sometimes when you are young you take things for granted,” he said. “I probably went through a spell in my career where I came to the realisation of how big the games were and how much they meant to me.
“Obviously going to the Euros, qualifying for that and the culture that was created around that was probably the best experience I’ve had in football. It probably made me realise just how much playing for your country means.”
It is 16 years since Evans, yet to make a senior appearance for Manchester United at the time, made his international debut playing out of position in the famous 3-2 win over Spain.
There were some difficult times to come as Northern Ireland went through some painful rebuilding years, but the rewards followed at Euro 2016.
“I probably look at my Northern Ireland career with some great highs and some lows,” the Leicester defender added. “I’ve made mistakes myself, had suspensions and I’ve been sent off.
“You can’t always look back with regret, but you do sort of think you’d do some things differently.
“But I am very proud of where I am today. It gives me even greater respect for Pat Jennings, Aaron Hughes and Steven Davis and for what they’ve achieved.
“I get accolades for reaching 100, but every cap Steven plays over 100 is even more impressive. He’s on 139 and will hit 140 – he’s a big inspiration for everyone.”
Promise
Evans laughed when he was told reaching the milestone might put him in the same position as Davis – facing questions about how much longer he’ll play on – but says his motivation is high as he believes a rebuild has left Northern Ireland capable of reaching Euro 2024.
“I think so,” he said. “It’s brilliant that the young players have had the experience and game time during the summer and what they will have learned from that – some of them have shown real promise.
“I takes me back to coming into the squad myself and how the older players received me. I want to receive the younger players in the same way. We all do.
“I thought Conor Bradley was superb the other night and Shea Charles came in during the summer and that’s what we want to see – young lads making an impression and hopefully bring the country forward.”