Championship clubs in shock over RFU’s decision

The Championship has been poorly run for years.  The RFU is the main culprit with a lack of strategic vision and an inability and unwillingness to adequately fund what it did finally cobble together.  The farcical situation around sponsorship was a joke as is the almost non-existent media presence.  However I do not exonerate the Championship itself which has also been poorly organised and done little to help itself other than asking for more money instead of generating more itself.

It has always been my contention that Rugby Union, as a minority (even niche) sport has room for only a relatively small number of fully professional clubs and maybe that’s the existing Premiership.  The idea that the second tier ‘has’ to be fully professional too has always seemed difficult to justify given the finances of the game and the fact that hardly anyone goes to see it live or on the telly.  The effort to maintain professionalism recently saw LW go to the wall and probably should have seen Leedshire go the same way except for some inexplicable (and now clearly misplaced) generosity from the RFU. 

This proposed funding cut may well be down to a failure by the Championship to deliver on specific targets but the financial state of the RFU is certainly a big factor.  Yes it managed to make a profit last time out but it is likely to be making losses again and any excuse will be taken to reduce expenditure.  Perhaps, instead of angrily calling for moves to Pro14 or some sort of protest, the Championship ought to be looking to come under the umbrella of PRL.  Sort out a shared funding formula (including distributing the parachute payment amongst tier 2 clubs), bring the Championship under the Premiership media contracts, reformat the Premiership A-league to allow them into the Championship or create a sensible way for Premiership players to play in the Championship (avoiding a Hartpury type situation), reform the way the academies operate so that all the professional/semi-pro clubs can directly benefit and participate and maybe even have a cup competiton.  After all if the French can manage the top tiers of rugby under common control and make it work then we ought to be able to do something similar.