Reynolds: Don’t prop up failures like Wasps
WASPS’ presence in the Championship next season after going bust with debts of more than £100m will send out the wrong signal and encourage other clubs to take financial risks.
That is the view of Gary Reynolds, the chief executive of Rams who have been in the promotion hunt from National 1 all season.
“I have been a big supporter of Wasps over the years,” said Reynolds. “I used to watch them when they played at Sudbury and was in Dublin when they beat Munster in the Heineken Cup semi-final in 2004.
“I have followed them around and love the club but after going bust, they should be starting at the bottom again, like Richmond, London Scottish and London Welsh had to.
“The RFU got it right then but what is happening with Wasps is crazy. It is sad because you do not want to see clubs fail, but if they do they have to face the consequences.
“In economics, you are taught about moral hazard: rescue someone and it sends a signal to the market that if you take more risks and it does not work out someone will come to your aid.
“Failures should not be propped up. Let them go, and I do not say that happily. Old ones die to let new ones through, but despite having no players and no ground, a place is being held for Wasps in the Championship. You only get certainty when everyone knows where they stand.”
The uncertainty around Wasps means the future size of the Championship still has to be determined. One advantage for the club promoted from National 1 this season is that their players will operate under the old tackle law, not the variation being introduced to level 3 and below.
A dangerous tackle will include one above the base of an opponent’s sternum while a ball-carrier must not lower their height significantly before making contact with a defender in open play.
“It may be that this change makes it safer for players, but my concern is why it was rushed through so quickly,” said Reynolds. “It is not being introduced to the Premiership and the Championship for another year. Tackle height is a bigger issue at that level than in the community game, but why not bring this in all at once?
“To me, it has been rushed through without enough data being gathered, or enough guidance or detail. It is a knee-jerk reaction by people not up to the speed of the game and has to be one of the worst decisions ever.
“We have had three concussions this season, one down to poor tackle technique and the other two accidental. One is too many, of course, but we have to stop apologising for our game. It is physical, tough, combative and involves contact.
“You cannot make rugby safe any more than you can horse riding or Formula One. Safer, yes, although this change would seem to put tacklers at greater risk of getting kneed in the head, but you cannot eliminate risk. We should be talking up the benefits of playing rugby, such as making friends for life and learning about yourself in tough situations.”
Reynolds believes that way the tackle law has been handled shows there is need for a shake-up at the RFU.
“My experience of the executive is first-class,” he said. “It is the Council and the committees that are appalling and they are the ones who control the game. You only have to look at recent changes to the counties’ Under-20s and the Papa Johns Community Cup to appreciate how it is turning into a dog’s breakfast.
“The Council is not properly representative of the game. We have elected the wrong people for years and we have to tell the Council it needs to change because it is not fit for purpose.
“More and more clubs are pushing for change after the clumsy way the tackle law change was handled. A number fear losing players, and teams, because a lot of the older guard will struggle to change a technique they have used for years and so won’ t bother to try.
“It has come to a head because everyone can see democracy was chucked out of the window. The Council has forfeited our trust.”