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Are England Sevens facing the chop?
By Online Editors
The Rugby Football Union is considering whether to disband its England Sevens programme as part of cost cutting measures.
Twickenham must make savings of £20million in the areas of the professional and community games and overheads across the next four years. Of that sum, cuts of at least £5million need to be made for the 2019-20 financial year.
Under examination is the possibility of disbanding the England sevens team in favour of a dedicated Team GB outfit, which could be entered into World Series events instead.
"The sevens programme is one option we are looking at in the professional game and moving to a Team GB model makes sense given that sevens is an Olympic sport," an RFU spokeswoman said.
"We have been very clear for some time that we need to cut costs in 2019-2020 as our revenues have not risen in line with our original forecasts.
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"We have kept the game informed - and this is also outlined in our annual report. We are currently consulting with the game on how best to adjust costs.
"There are a broad range of options under discussion across the professional game, the community game, and our general overheads.
"Any budget cuts in 2019/2020 come after years of record investment in the professional and community game."
Team GB was effectively bankrolled by the RFU for the 2020 Olympics with no central funding received.
RFU accounts revealed at the end of November a £30.9million loss and 54 redundancies. It also reported that former chief executive Ian Ritchie was paid £238,000 in his final two months in the role.
The RFU last month appointed Bill Sweeney as its new chief executive. He joins from the British Olympic Association where he held the same role and replaces Steve Brown, who resigned in November 2018 after 14 months in the job as Ritchie's successor.
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Latest Comments
And Scott Robertson not going so well is he.
Not a bad effort but a correction. McKenzie was not born in NSW so is not a Tah. He was born in Victoria. Played for the Brumbies and coached Qld and also played and then later coached NSW, until the self entitled Tah players decided to stab him in the back. And who was the captain of the Tahs at the time leading the back stabbing. Well, well it was none other than Phil Waugh, current Rugby Australia CEO. Who recently tried to deny he had met Suallii at Hamish McLennan's house pre signing, until McLennan outed him recently as a bald faced liar as he was in fact there.
I doubt very much if McKenzie, who was also assistant coach to Eddie Jones in Jones first stint coaching Australia, would appreciate being labelled a Tah, given it was the Tahs Hooper and Beale and Cheika who stabbed him in the back again when he walked away thru lack of support from Hooper and Rugby Australia.
Schmidt might have theoretically better credentials, even tho he dumped Ireland in the brink but he had to start somewhere. You can't argue if you think he is great that Schmidt should never have been given an opportunity.
Schmidt lacks a crucial ingredient. He's not Australian. It does matter, which as a Bokke you would well know.
Go to commentsBecause the two guys primarily in charge of hiring a new coach for Rugby Australia Peter Horne and Phil Waugh, are Tahs. The Chairman of Rugby Australia Daaniel Herbert is from Qld but he's not that bright and weak.
Horne was good friends with Schmidt and they knew if they hired him on a million dollars a year they would own him and he would select Tah players who shouldn't be there . Like Jake Gordon (4th or 5th best halfback in Australia) and similarly for Donaldson). The Tahs are all about being able to brag how many Wallabies they have, even if the Wallabies keep losing because of it. Michael Hooper, the worst Wallaby captain in decades a prime example. He made Taine Randall look great.
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