RFU offers to devolve power in bid to save Sweeney

As the Rugby Football Union (RFU) fights off a coup against chief executive Bill Sweeney, grass-roots clubs have been given more control over community rugby.

On March 27, Sweeney will have a crucial vote in the RFU’s most pressing accounts, which will put him under intense scrutiny.

The RFU’s board would approve his request “as soon as practicably possible” if 1, 200 clubs and other stakeholders cast a majority vote against him.

The governing body, however, has moved forward with a second motion that calls for a review of how the community game is run.

Bill Beaumont, interim RFU chair, who has been on a roadshow meeting club representatives, believes the chief executive’s critics “do not represent the wider views of our game.”

In an open letter to clubs urging them to vote for a review and against Sweeney’s removal, he added, “A vote of no confidence could lead to the Union becoming paralyzed and creating a costly leadership vacuum.”

The Whole Game Union, the collective that organized the fight against Sweeney, claimed it had strong support, noting that 152 clubs and members had signed a letter to trigger the vote, with a sizable number of other clubs also expressing their support.

Sir Bill and his Board belatedly discovered the necessity to travel out and meet clubs, the article continued, “It is only because the Whole Game Union’s ability to corral the dissatisfaction of English Rugby with its leadership.”

If our Union had been nothing more than a few dishonestymen’s pot, none of the suggestions in his letter would have been made. The water was already boiling.

Vote for change before it’s too late, if we are currently urging people to vote rather than letting them decide their fate. These individuals are not members of your team.

The board, with whom the chief executive’s fate ultimately rests, supports Sweeney’s continued support, repeated former England captain Beaumont.

The RFU Board has the authority to make any decisions regarding the CEO’s employment, and Bill Sweeney’s appointment remains his, he wrote.

The RFU’s first results from lowering the tackle height in the community game have also been revealed.

Another criticism of Sweeney’s policies against him has been the botched implementation of the law change in 2023, when the tackle height cap was initially set at the waist before being raised to the “base of the sternum” following outcry.

The change has increased the number of offloads, despite reducing both the length and number of tackles.

Ball carriers have started to lower their body height into contact, and the concussion rate in men’s soccer has stabilized after rising from the previous decade to a new high.