Francis Baron, one of the most authoritative figures in Rugby Union administration, has called for a radical root-and-branch overhaul of the game in England.
The former RFU chief executive, who was credited with rejuvenating the RFU’s finances and introducing PLC standards at Twickenham when he retired in 2010, has also presented a blueprint of how this can be achieved in an exclusive interview in today’s edition of The Rugby Paper.
Baron says: “The game is at a crossroads with the RFU and Premiership Rugby facing multiple challenges which require urgent attention, and cooperation. The current status quo is no longer tenable for either party. I believe that a radical new approach is needed post-Covid to address the material issues and dangers facing both the professional and community games in England.”
Baron pinpoints poor financial management and the burden of paying far too much for international player release through the eight-year £200m Professional Game Agreement as the root causes of the RFU’s difficulties.
His plan to cut Premiership (PRL) funding tackles the issue headon, and ensures that the RFU will no longer be giving funds to venture capital firm CVC, which has a 27 percent share in PRL: “RFU funding to PRL/CVC in the new PGA agreement about to be negotiated should be phased out, releasing, over an eight-year period, at least £100m for investment in the community game, and restoring the RFU’s balance sheet and reserves.”
This proposal, which also includes an alternative funding formula for England central contracts, is likely to meet strong opposition from the Premiership clubs. However, Baron asserts that the current financial position of the RFU is unsustainable, and that reversing the decline of adult male players in the community game requires immediate action.
Baron says: “The RFU has to offset its financial difficulties and oversee a real switch of funding to the community game, or the game will wither away.”
Baron calls for a detailed strategic plan to fill a policy void that has left the RFU’s finances in a seriously depleted state, and Premiership clubs with a broken model,
Baron calls for a radical review to save game which has seen Worcester and Wasps relegated from the top league and plunged into administration. gest union in the world in 2011-12 to one of the weakest in 2019”.
He also suggests that the Worcester debacle could have been avoided. “Clearly there has been a major breakdown in RFU and PRL due diligence in this matter. How new
Baron says: “The RFU has gone from being financially the stronowners to a professional club did not have the financial resources – even following the receipt of 2022-23 season ticket revenues, CVC funding, and substantial government Covid support funding – to support tax bills and staff salaries needs investigation and possible legal action.”
Baron also exhorts the current RFU administration headed by Board chairman Tom Ilube and chief executive Bill Sweeney to rise to the challenge. He says: “The game is crying out for leadership that has, sadly, been very absent in recent years. The silence from the new chairman is deafening. The CEO setting up yet more task groups and working parties to tell him what to do is, to say the least, worrying”.
For access to Baron’s full report, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.
