I am reliably informed that at least one other club is having big problems financially right now.
This isn't finished yet.
It may be that one more is having 'big' financial problems, but a total of 5 are or have been having communication with insolvency and (re)financing specialists. In no particular order (from the current table):
Gloucester
Exeter
Leicester
London Irish
Newcastle
A league of 6 anyone?
The issues faced are:
HMRC and DCMS now insisting on full payment and cancelling all previously agreed plans, and they are (apparently) not willing to wait for the sale of non-liquid assets. They are no longer using the 'threat' of winding up orders, simply now stating that if payment in full is not received by a certain date, including any penalties, then the winding up petitions are already drawn up and ready to be filed the following day.
Fuel bills, which are now massive for these grounds, are falling due, with suppliers threatening to switch off the power at stadiums.
Falling gate receipts (season ticket money having already been spent) coupled with massive drop off of food and drinks revenues have left clubs projected to be unable to pay staff at the end of this month, let alone players.
Cancelled fixtures (Worcester and Wasps) have hit certain clubs very hard.
Clubs are projecting that they may also need to refund season ticket money as there will now be less games.
Each club that fails makes some of this even worse.
In my mind, a near total collapse is needed to make a full reset. The players will still be there after the dust has settled (mostly). The stadia will still be there. The fans will still be there. We can hope that the RFU will not be.
The true night of the long knives is yet to come. Sitting where I am right now, with Wasps looking like a very dead old bird, I don't care.
My two local clubs (Shipston and Stratford), are both doing OK.