Who is Premiership rugby’s richest club owner?

BRISTOL BEARS owner Steve Lansdown has retained his place as the richest owner in the Premiership.

Lansdown and his wife, Catherine, own the Bears via their company, Pula Sport Limited. He is the 83rd richest person in the country with £1.72bn.

That makes him worth five times more than Saracens‘ boss Nigel Wray, right.

Finance king Lansdowne is clearly the wealthiest owner of a rugby club in this country.

Wray who made his £315m fortune through property and food is the majority shareholder in Sarries’ owners Premier Team Holdings.

Bath’s Bruce Craig, with £289m comes in third and is 448th in the latest UK rich list.

Sale Sharks‘ Simon Orange is believed to be worth £25m, Gloucester‘s Martin St Quinton £20.2m, Harlequins Duncan Saville £20m and Wasps Derek Richardson £67m.

Interestingly Premiership runners-up Exeter, the only club to operate at a profit, are owned by their 700 members with four shareholders acting as trustees.

And it is the same for East Midland rivals Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints with nobody having an overall controlling shareholding.

NEIL FISSLER / Photo: Getty Images