THE anecdotal evidence from community clubs across the length and breadth of England is that the numbers of male adult rugby players has declined alarmingly, and yet the RFU seems more intent in massaging figures than in taking urgent action to arrest the decline. The RFU’s response to our questions about falling participation levels in last week’s edition was that overall they “have remained stable”.
This is because the decline is being masked by a substantial increase in the numbers of women and girls playing the game, which the RFU seem to believe provides a secur...