Firstly my apologies in advance if there are issues with the formatting of this post; your correspondent is currently in rural Sweden visiting family and this missive will be composed on a smartphone rather than the usual desktop.
Much has been happening in the world of English rugby over the last few weeks but, as Warriors supporters, we are awaiting one piece of news only. With Christmas fast approaching and unfettered turmoil at Twickenham, it now seems unlikely that confirmation of a place in next season’s T2, the gift at the top of all our wish-lists, will arrive in time for the big day.
As discussed in a previous post, the timeline given by the RFU was that successful applicant clubs should be informed of such by the T2 Board before the end of this month. However, public confirmation of the composition of next year’s Tier 2 must also be rubber-stamped by the RFU board; their announcement is expected in January.
Although these two statements initially appear contrary, a possible explanation is that judgement on the Minimum Standards Criteria for the current Championship clubs might delay knowing how many places in T2 25/26 will be available. The “Essential MOS” criteria must be met “prior to the start of next season.” They are not overly irksome so the default position must be that all Championship clubs will meet these requirements; it does however remain unclear as to when the audit process will take place.
There is also the unpredictability of who will become National One Champions this season, and whether or not they will pass muster on the Championship MOS.
Our understanding remains that only one place will be available for tendering clubs.
It has been publicly reported by the financial online newspaper City AM that Worcester are favourites, possibly over two National One clubs, to be granted that final position. However the fat lady is still gargling and doing her vocal exercises; we must wait a little longer for her song to start.
RFU Mayhem
Another possible delay to any formal announcement is the ferment at the RFU. The extraordinary pay packets awarded to their CEO and other members of the Executive Board have garnered front and back page headlines. There is no need to further analyse these in this column. However, in short, the RFU Chairman Tom Ilube, resigned on Friday having been made aware that he would be subject to a vote of no confidence. Sir Bill Beaumont was immediately appointed as interim Chairman; a move that did nothing to pacify the community clubs who, needless to say, were not consulted.
Bill Sweeney’s position is also in peril according to the following motion tabled later the same day by more than 200 member clubs:
“It is resolved that the members have no confidence in the CEO (Mr Bill Sweeney) and call upon the RFU Board of Directors to terminate his employment at the RFU as soon as practicably possible.“
If Mr Sweeney chooses not to follow the lead of Mr Ilube and step down, it may be that we will need to wait until the end of February to discover his fate. Two more months of ongoing uncertainty is not likely to benefit the sport or provide any reassurance for those working (paid or unpaid) within it.
From the completely selfish perspective of a Worcester Warriors supporter it is unsettling to see such chaos in the administration at the top of the game. Whether Bill Sweeney is the right person to run the game or not, he has been clear in his support of the return of Warriors, Irish & Wasps. We hope that the current situation does nothing to jeopardise our chances of a revival.
Tier Two Board
For the present at least, the people making the decision on which shortlisted club will be offered the one definite remaining place in T2 25/26 are those sitting on the Tier 2 Board.
This comprises of:
Simon Gillham OBE (Chairman)
Nick Johnston (CEO Coventry Rugby)
Simon Beatham (Director Nottingham Rugby)
Simon Cohen (RFU Council Championship Clubs’ representative)
Stuart Ramsey (RFU Commercial Director)
Conor O’Shea (RFU Executive Director of Performance Rugby)
Terry Burwell (RFU Council Member for Hampshire clubs)
We know that the T2 Board met with representatives of the shortlisted clubs as part of the assessment process which started in late November and ran into early December. It is not an unreasonable assumption that their decision on which club makes the grade has already been made. It seems unlikely that any of the shenanigans at HQ will have any influence on that decision. The only member who may possibly be indirectly affected is Conor O’Shea who is on the RFU Executive and is believed to have been allocated a significant LTIP bonus payment. That said, he is not mentioned in the motion to call an SGM and it would seem unlikely that his position is at imminent risk.
Whether or not the T2 Board can block out the surrounding noise and adhere to their original deadline of December 31st will soon become apparent.
Supporter Event
Thank you to all of you who have already acquired your tickets for the AGM & Q&A with Dave Bradley, the WWST board, Chris Holland & Carol Hart. Look out for any further updates on the makeup of the night across our social media channels.
We have recently purchased pin- badges for all subscribers to WWST. These will be distributed free of charge to members at future events, including the AGM/Q&A.
It just remains for me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. This is particularly so for all the hard-working staff at Sixways Stadium. Here’s hoping that 2025 is the year that Warriors are resurrected and that Sixways becomes the asset to our community that launches sport in Worcestershire to the next level.
God Jul från Sverige 🇸🇪
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