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Wasps and Worcester relegated by RFU after failed bids

The Rugby Football Union have confirmed today that both Wasps and Worcester Warriors have had their ‘No Fault Insolvency’ applications rejected, therefore confirming their relegation from the Gallagher Premiership.

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Both clubs were suspended over a month ago after going into administration but appealed, citing the impact of the pandemic as the reason behind going into administration.

While it was acknowledged by the RFU’s Club Financial Viability Group that Covid did have an effect, it was concluded in Wasps’ case that “insufficient evidence has been provided to enable the RFU to conclude that there has been “No Fault” on the part of the club or the directors.”

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In Worcester’s case, it was said that “the RFU is of the view that the club has not established on the balance of probabilities that there has been “No Fault” on the part of the club (which includes its officers).”

The RFU statement reads: “The administrators for both Wasps Holdings Limited (WHL), the main operating entity of Wasps RFC, and of WRFC Trading Limited, the main operating entity of Worcester Warriors RFC have made ‘No Fault Insolvency’ applications under RFU Regulation 5 which would have the effect of avoiding the automatic relegation of a club’s most senior first XV team, therefore enabling that team to compete in the league in which it participated at the time the insolvency event occurred.

“Both applications cited the impact of the Covid pandemic as the primary reason for entering administration.

“The RFU’s Club Financial Viability Group, having considered both applications made a recommendation to the RFU Board that both applications are not accepted, and the Board has ratified that decision.

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“To allow the necessary time to plan for the season ahead and provide certainty to Wasps and Worcester as well as the other clubs in the Championship, the timeline to agree sales of both clubs is 12 December.  The administrators have been aware of the deadlines from early in the insolvency process.

“Should sales of the clubs take place within the timeline and rugby creditors paid, Wasps and Worcester will begin the 2023-24 season in the Championship.”

RFU CEO Bill Sweeney said: “We are all deeply concerned by the insolvency of Worcester Warriors and Wasps rugby clubs.  We appreciate this decision will be disappointing for the clubs and their fans but it’s clear from the Club Financial Viability Group’s investigation that there were factors beyond Covid that resulted in the clubs entering insolvency.  This has reinforced the need for greater financial transparency between clubs, Premiership Rugby and the RFU to enable both organisations to have better visibility of how these businesses are run.  We are already working on plans with Premiership Rugby to explore how to improve the structure, governance and business model of rugby union in England and support the clubs in becoming more sustainable.  We are pleased that both clubs’ women’s teams have been able to continue and that the academy pathway in the midlands continues to give opportunities to young players.”

Both clubs have a right of appeal to an independent panel.

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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