Catherine Spencer blasts RFU for ‘wasting’ World Cup win
Spencer says the Union have failed in their duty to develop English women’s club rugby in the way governing bodies in football, cricket and netball have done.
RFU officials have caused outrage by denying Premiership clubs the use of their 20 contracted players, who will instead concentrate on the 2016 Olympics Sevens.
Spencer says she struggles to see why Sevens is being prioritised over 15s and believes aligning clubs with men’s Premiership sides is now the right way to go.
She told The Rugby Paper: “A massive opportunity has been missed by the RFU. Myself and other players put so much in emotionally over 15-20 years to help England achieve the ultimate goal, and yet all that effort appears to have been wasted.
“We built up a good media profile and won a World Cup, but then they put out weakened teams in the Six Nations and we suffer our worst campaign ever.
“Just because Sevens is an Olympics sport, why should that mean we have to focus so much on it at the expense of 15s? I’m really struggling with that policy.
“We won the World Cup so what a great time it should be to promote the clubs and put good sponsorship in the game, yet it’s been completely wasted.
“Compared to cricket, netball and football that enjoy huge profiles and television coverage, we’re just not in the position rugby should be.
“It needs somebody with drive and leadership to develop the women’s club game, but that just doesn’t appear to be there within the RFU.”
Spencer believes Premiership Rugby and their clubs could help. “There are good infrastructures in place at Premiership clubs and we should affiliate to those clubs.
“Women’s club rugby needs more financial support and there are some good brands in the men’s game, with fan-bases who would support women’s sides.
“We have players from around the world coming to play in our Premiership and the standard is great, but it needs somebody to come in and back it.”
Spencer has criticised World Rugby for failing to raise the number of teams in the 2017 Women’s World Cup from 12 to 16.
She added: “The game is growing in places like Africa and Asia, but World Rugby has shown a huge lack of ambition. It’s yet another opportunity missed.”
NEALE HARVEY
