. Simon Halliday, part of England’s 1992 Five Nations grand slam-winning side, has also called for a review into the “significant” failings of some RFU executive directors.
Halliday, who was chair of European Professional Club Rugby for seven years until 2021, has latterly been representing Championship clubs seeking greater funding and firm guarantees from the RFU over promotion and relegation. In an excoriating letter sent to the RFU’s chair, Tom Ilube, seen by the Observer, he alleges the existing tier 2 clubs “have been stalled, misled and misinformed” and warns recent poor governance “threatens the game” in England.
In particular, Halliday alleges RFU executives have reneged on assurances given at a council meeting in mid-June to talk further about softening the Premiership minimum standards criteria to make it more feasible for sides to be promoted to the top tier. “With the help of our own legal advisers … I made it quite clear that some matters were not agreed and needed further debate,” Halliday wrote. “This was signed off by the RFU executive and I have the written evidence, as well as that of our lawyer. Since then, we have been stalled, misled, misinformed and there is no sign of a more progressive approach to this fundamental part of the game.”
A two-leg playoff between the Championship’s top side and the Premiership’s bottom team had been hailed as a means of retaining promotion and relegation. But a crucial tweak to the small print now requires sides lacking an existing ground with a capacity exceeding 10,000 to have advance planning permission and financial assurances in place guaranteeing their stadium expansion work will happen within four …
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