‘Rancour & disruption’- Beaumont warns against rebel vote

If a rebel motion to remove former Rugby Football Union executive Bill Sweeney is rejected on Thursday, interim chair Bill Beaumont warned that the organization would fall into months of “rancour and disruption.”

A group of clubs, led by those competing in the second-tier Championship, have forced a decision regarding Sweeney’s leadership.

They claim that the organization has lost touch with the grassroots game, citing Sweeney’s salary, which has significantly increased as a result of a pay raise and bonus program in the wake of the RFU’s record-setting losses.

A rival motion from the RFU promises to decentralize decision-making and rebuild club funding and support in the region.

Former England captain Beaumont accused those trying to remove Sweeney of running a campaign that had been, at times, “deeply regrettable, with demonstrably deceptive claims, especially around the game’s finances.”

“All of this playing out publicly has detracted from so many of the brilliant things happening in English rugby, including the strong men’s Six Nations performances, the focus on our Red Roses, who are building a home World Cup,” he continued.

However, RFU executives bear the brunt of the blame for the upheaval, according to Whole Game Union, who has organized the rebellion.

The game’s hostility and disruption was only brought on by their indolence and unwillingness to consider and address the issues that participants, club members, and referees’ organizations have raised over the course of several years, the statement said.

Additionally, it revealed that it has suggested structural changes to the RFU’s membership, which consists of 1,200 clubs and stakeholders, to give the organization’s wider membership more control over key decisions and leaders.

The changes would require a 66% majority to pass at the RFU’s annual general meeting in the summer.

If they were to be rejected, the RFU’s remodelled structure would conflict with the standards set by funding organizations Sport England and UK Sport, which support rugby union and the staging of major events.