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DANNY CIPRIANI: Rugby union is dysfunctional and full of egos... owners, coaches and players need to work together - the game must change for it to survive and thrive

    Rugby is in a shocking state because its culture isn’t moving with the times
    The way the game is portrayed, played and coached needs to change
    Everyone needs to start talking and be real about what is going on

By Danny Cipriani For The Daily Mail

Published: 22:30, 14 October 2022 | Updated: 22:30, 14 October 2022


Rugby is failing and it can’t keep hiding away from that. I’m shocked about what’s happening at Wasps — and at Worcester too — but I’m not shocked about the state that the game is in because its whole culture isn’t moving with the times.

It is time for change on so many levels, from the way rugby is run as a business, right down to how the game is coached. We need to drop our stiff-upper-lip mentality; our bravado which feels like we’ve just ignored the state of the game — which is masked by how successful our international game is and always has been.

There’s too much ego and fear in rugby. We need to be having more honest, truthful, vulnerable conversations which will hopefully move rugby into a new light and a new way of thinking; to accentuate the strength of our game and give it a brighter future.


I didn’t know the financial situation at Wasps was so bad. I’m sure all clubs are run with some debt, as they do in football — but their business is more sustainable. I’ve seen many people turn their noses up at football, but maybe there is a thing or two we can learn from the round-ball game.

The fact that Wasps and Worcester are going down in these circumstances is devastating. You don’t hear about this sort of thing in other sports, so something is wrong in our game — maybe it’s our mindset — that needs to be looked at.

This is a terrible situation but it also creates an opportunity to really face what’s going on. It is time to change how the sport is run because it just isn’t working.

What is this teaching us? How can we grow the game? Are we open to listening? How can we become more accessible, open and honest in everything we do?
Wasps moving to Coventry was a huge move, but it failed to grab the attention of local people

Everyone in rugby needs to start talking and be real about what is going on in the game

At the moment, it isn’t like that; from team selection to the way businesses are run, or even to the way coaches speak in the media. You need to have an open book and an accessible attitude, but we don’t have that in rugby. What’s everyone trying to hide? Why are we not being open?

The connection between club and country is a dysfunctional relationship. How is that the case? We are all in the same sport, but everyone puts self-interest at the forefront, whether it be coaches, owners and directors, or even the players to a certain degree. We’ve got to grow the game collectively.

It is such devastating news that two clubs will be in administration. It’s now time for people to come together for the betterment of the game.

Wasps moving to Coventry was a huge move. People in charge probably just thought that by moving to a bigger stadium, the brand itself would carry weight. But everyone in rugby has thought like that, from the RFU to Premiership clubs — rather than doing the work, moving with the times, constantly evolving the way the game is portrayed, played and coached.
Wasps are set to enter administration and face suspension from the Gallagher Premiership


We need to be getting out into the community and getting people excited about their local rugby club.

As much as it might feel like a drain when you’re playing or preparing, it’s our job as a collective to keep growing the game. We need to have more of an open, accessible mindset. That requires huge confidence in what you are doing, which isn’t something our game seems to have.

Northampton letting cameras film behind the scenes is a good step, for sure. Rugby needs to be more open, instead of hiding away, as if they’re protecting the next best thing. It needs more cognitive diversity, with leaders in the sport who are humble enough to allow free and open debate and sharing of ideas.


In rugby, we have created this situation now, with everything we have tried to hide and sweep under the carpet. It’s about how the game is often coached, as well as how the business is run. This is the wake-up call rugby needed.

Wasps have followed Worcester, who were the first Premiership club to enter administration

The only way I can handle grief like this is to learn from it. Even though it’s happened to two clubs, it affects us all — from supporters to staff to players.

There have to be players stepping up and demanding change. They need to be vocal about what is happening. If you’re playing for England, that doesn’t mean you should keep your head down and your mouth shut because you’re going to keep earning your buck and you’re going to be OK.

Everyone in our sport needs to start talking and be real about what is going on, because change needs to happen for our sport to survive and thrive. Only from these sorts of scenarios, with our backs against the wall, does greatness come out of it.

I believe that if players, coaches and directors come together and are honest about their experiences and how the game can take shape — from the business side to the community work, to how rugby is coached and played — then the game we know and love can prosper again.