Give RFU a break, they have been hit hardest

AS a long-time public advocate for community rugby, I have often been critical of the RFU’s inability to lend greater support to grassroots clubs, but I have to say that the almost constant flow of current articles and tweets making often unreasonable demands of our governing body seems to me to be going much too far.

Twickenham can’t spend money it doesn’t have and the massive hit to their revenues from Covid-19 dwarfs that suffered to varying degrees by the clubs.

I confidently expect the huge sums paid to Premiership clubs under the Professional game Agreement to be substantially reduced under the provision for them to be reviewed this year in the light of the RFU’s finances and England’s players have now agreed to follow their coach’s example and accept a pay cut. Extremely welcome as such steps are, though, they merely serve to reduce the operating losses being incurred, until such time as international rugby can be properly restored as the goose that lays the golden eggs, on which the whole game in England ultimately depends.

In the meantime, nevertheless, pretty much all I read is demands for the governing body to bail clubs out. If it’s not for direct funding, it’s for league rugby to be restarted imminently, flying in the face of anti-Covid restrictions applying to society as a whole and the provisions hard-negotiated with the Government for the levels of activity currently allowed.

Where were all these voices demanding “fair treatment” on behalf of community clubs, when the RFU’s proposals to cut funding for Championship clubs were being shouted down by those clubs and their adherents? It was clear that Twickenham’s commitments to funding full-time professional rugby were unsustainable, but when Bill Sweeney came up with his well-reasoned proposal to reduce these, there was no groundswell of support from the potential grassroots beneficiaries.

I am optimistic that the vast majority of clubs properly embedded in their communities will come through this crisis and if all members, supporters and sponsors do their best to support their local club by giving whatever help they can, be it their time or a bit of extra money, we may actually come through this difficult experience in better shape than we went into it.

John Allanson