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[Neils]

Wasps players 'bawling their eyes out' after being made redundant

RFU and Premiership executives summoned to Parliament after second club goes into administration
By Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer 18 October 2022 • 10:17am


Andrew Sheridan, one of Wasps’ joint administrators, has revealed the emotional toll of his decisive meeting with the club’s staff, saying it left players “bawling their eyes out”.

Employees gathered at 2pm at Wasps’ training centre in Henley-in-Arden, where it was confirmed that 167 people had lost their jobs. Speaking to the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly Podcast, Sheridan described a scene of tears and desolation and likened it to a bereavement.

“Telling people is always very tough but what really struck me was that it is such a tight-knit family and it was like losing a family member,” he said. “There were a lot of tears and a lot of men – international rugby players – bawling their eyes out. You could see the emotion. It was pretty tough.”

While he seemed to harbour faint hope that Wasps could feature in the Premiership later this season, and was “reasonably confident” of introducing a preferred party to the Rugby Football Union at some stage on Tuesday, Sheridan warned that the process of establishing new ownership could take time – especially given the plight of Worcester Warriors.

“Things can happen quickly and they need to happen quickly,” he added. “For Wasps to have any prospect of staying in the Gallagher Premiership this year, it would have to happen remarkably quickly. I just don’t think the people who run the competition would allow them to miss too many more fixtures.

“The other thing that makes this difficult is that there is a process to go through with both the Rugby Football Union and PRL [Premiership Rugby Limited], depending on which entity takes it forward. That isn’t a quick process.

“First of all, we have to find someone who wants to take the business forward and then when we have that preferred entity, we have to make sure they are introduced to the RFU to begin their fit and proper process. Given the scrutiny they’ve had recently over that process, I’m sure that’s going to be a more robust, longer process that will take time and, unfortunately, time is what we don’t have.”
RFU and Premiership executives summoned to Parliament

English rugby union executives have been summoned to face questions from MPs about the club game’s viability after Wasps followed Worcester Warriors into administration on Monday.


Shortly after that news broke, a statement from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed that representatives of both the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby would answer questions in Parliament next month.

“The session will examine issues around the financial structure and viability of the game,” read the statement. “It will also look at the role of the national governing body and top-flight organising body in supporting clubs and ensuring the health of the sport.”

“The fact that two of the country’s top clubs have now suffered the fate of falling into administration raises serious concerns about the future of the sport and its financial viability,” added Julian Knight MP, the chair of the DCMS committee.

“The RFU and Premiership Rugby have acknowledged the need to set a more sustainable path for club rugby. We will be pressing them to ensure they are putting the foundations in place to guarantee the health of the sport from the top level right down to the grassroots.”

It is understood that Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, will be present at the hearing in November at a date that is yet to be determined. Simon Massie-Taylor, Sweeney’s counterpart at Premiership Rugby, will also attend.

“Premiership Rugby is committed to working with our clubs, the RFU, and other stakeholders to address the challenges facing the professional game and put in place stronger foundations for the future,” said a Premiership Rugby spokesperson. “We look forward to updating the committee on the progress of this crucially important work."

[WonkyWasp]

It just gets worse

[COYW15]

Horrible.

[Shugs]

Not sure it’s an administrator’s role to pass on that sort of detail. Should have been left in the meeting.

[hookender]

My take on the administrators comments are that if a deal can be struck quickly,there is still enough loyalty amongst playing (and background) staff to get things operational again, before they move on.

 After all, that is part of his role to present as much as possible a viable business with what is there.

 And it’s not anything we haven’t heard from other quarters.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Not sure it’s an administrator’s role to pass on that sort of detail. Should have been left in the meeting.

Agree. The guys should be allowed some privacy and dignity. It would have been enough to say they were naturally upset etc.

A responsible press wouldn’t have made it a headline, but those days are long gone, if they ever existed.