■By NEALE HARVEY
EXETER chairman Tony Rowe insists Premiership Rugby’s under-pressure owners deserve praise rather than vilification in the face of mounting debt.
A Rugby Paper survey reveals that despite the annual turnover of the 13 Premiership shareholders, including London Irish, hitting a record £211.7m in season 2017/18, soaring wage bills contributed to overall losses of £44.4m – up from the previous year’s high of £30m.
Wasps and Bristol recorded the largest deficits of £9.7m and £7.2m respectively, while Harlequins (£4.8m)...