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Premiership split? Owners threaten to start rebel competition - reports
By Online Editors
The RFU's Premiership ringfencing has clubs considering a future away from the influence of the national body, according to a stunning report by The Mail on Sunday.
The report suggests that Premiership Rugby have threatened to break away from the RFU and form their own rebel league if the promotion-relegation rules are not scrapped.
Premiership Rugby's board meeting minutes detail discussions by club chairmen exploring the idea of an 'unregulated competition'.
"If the RFU were to be unwilling to support change, we shall need to ensure access to match officials and player insurance cover (as this is a joint policy), as this would potentially become an unregulated competition," the Board minutes stated.
After private equity firm CVC purchasing a minority stake for £200m, clubs are set for a windfall injection of funds. With the financial disparity of Premiership versus Championship inclusion growing, the clubs are keen to protect their financial security. Relegation to the Championship is viewed as a financial 'disaster'.
If the clubs were to break away and form a rebel competition outside the jurisdiction of the RFU, it could prove catastrophic for the national team. The Professional Game Agreement that provides Premiership Rugby with £30million a year for access to players for the RFU could be put in jeopardy.
A spokesman for Premiership Rugby Limited has advised that an investigation will be undertaken in regards to the leaked minutes.
'As anyone would expect the Premiership Rugby Board will discuss a number of issues at each meeting, with only some of those ever coming off the drawing board and into reality.
'Our meetings are a forum for ideas to be discussed but until there is an agreed policy, these are just ideas.'
Claims that the RFU floated a period of 4-5 years without promotion and relegation were also denied, as was the notion that the RFU is aware of a potential breakaway league, with no proposal from PRL to look at ringfencing as yet.
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Nothing to stew son.
Go to commentsTupaea is a natural 12. What is it with you kiwis and playing players out of their positions. Is that some sort of national sport? Is that on purpose? You’ve got an utility back and a winger at 12 and 13 respectivelly. You played Savea at 8 for ages, wasting the potential of one of the world’s three best players in the last 4-5 years.
ALB is equally effective at 12 and 13, so why not have him or Tupaea at 12, and Proctor at 13? God forbid you’d have two midfielders playing at their natural positions! There must be a law in New Zealand, that prohibits that. Small sample size, but Proctor walked on water in his international debut at 13.
But the kiwi selectors seem to love Rieko’s speed, so as long as the horse is fast enough, they decided they’ll teach him to climb trees anyway.
You don’t have a better 10 than BB and Mo’unga. DMac is a more instinctive attacker (almost as good as Mo’unga … almost), but doesn’t have BB’s game-controlling skills. You have and will lose games due to his aimless kicking and spur-of-the-moment inventions none of his team mates are able to read at the international pace. Works okay at Super Rugby level, doesn’t mean it’s transferable to test matches. But hey, suit yourself.
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