Worcester Warriors have failed to meet the deadline set out by the RFU, resulting in full suspension from all future competitions. This will include, but not be limited to, the Gallagher Premiership for the men’s side, and the Allianz Premier 15’s for the women’s.
This comes after staff at Sixways were told to collect their items from the ground before gates were locked at 4.30pm today.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney had the following to say on the situation:
We have had to take this action to protect everyone's best interests,"
Sweeney pointed out that the news was "incredibly difficult for fans, staff and players" and thanked them for working "tirelessly over recent weeks to enable matches to continue".
This is not necessarily the end for Worcester Warriors, with the club yet to enter administration there is still the possibility of them finding a new buyer. Should a new buyer come in, then there will be the potential of the suspension being lifted and matches being able to resume.
Bill Sweeney made the point about lessons learned from this sad state of affairs:
"While it is the responsibility of each business owner to manage their individual finances, we will look at learnings from this situation to see what regulation can be put in place to provide all parties with more financial transparency.
"Rugby is a relatively young professional sport and it has been widely recognised that clubs have been facing financial challenges even before Covid.
"Successful professional leagues are vital for the wellbeing of the whole game. This is why it is so important that we continue to work with Premiership Rugby to improve the structure, governance and business model of rugby union in England."
The fallout from this news is likely to be huge.
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