The RFU's continuing incompetence

Big Eddie wrote: Thunderbird wrote: Re the council, they will never all agree as they have different agendas. The RAF,Navy, Army , universities, referees and others, all have representives if I am not mistaken. They have no issue with funding cuts at level 3 and below. The only time they all agreed ,was when it was suggested they had their freebies reduced The RFU's archaic and disparate structure cedes total power to the Senior Management of the RFU.  Member clubs will only ever regain control if they organise themselves and communicate effectively between each other. Without unity of purpose between what is patronisingly called 'Community Clubs' the well organised and financially powerful Premier League clubs will continue to control the RFU. The only hope that the Community Clubs have is if Senior RFU Management decide to manage the organisation for the benefit of all and not just a very few.

Eddie but who out there has time to try and coordinate the amount of clubs necessary to force an EGM?

Big Eddie wrote: Clive,  that is almost certainly the problem. Who has the time and who has the inclination and the skill set to do it. Political organisations such as the RFU can easily be manipulated by a small ideological or otherwise self interested group. In Liverpool in the 80's Derek Hatton and a small group took over Liverpool Council. Apathy and a lack of appetite by anyone to oppose them made it easy. The Labour Party in the 90s was hijacked by 'New Labour' The Labour Party more recently has been hijacked by 'Momentum' The RFU's structure is so much easier to hijack by a small self interested group, because the Constituent Bodies who should be keeping RFU Senior Management in check are themselves generally run by self perpetuating coteries. My belief is that the principal activity of Senior Management in the RFU is probably managing the politics to keep themselves in power, rather than working for the good of its member clubs.  I have seen it all before in large organisations and without activist shareholders to keep them in check Senior Management always drift towards self interest. Such a culture becomes ingrained in organisations...............the RFU exhibits the worst of such symptoms

One For The Ditch wrote: Am I not right in saying that with the backing of 100 Clubs an EGM can be called???

Spot on ....

While I agree with many of the points made against the RFU here, I certainly wouldn't be making any political analogies by talking about Derek Hatton or the Labour Party.  If I'm not mistaken, bleeding organisations dry for short term profit made by a few - plus privatisation, selfishness and greed generally -  is much more in line with current Conservative ideology. In that light, perhaps we really shouldn't be too surprised by current events at Twickenham - the CVC takeover and the apparent focus on the top end making a profit.  When economic growth and that terrible word "profit" are a society's main driver - as has been the seen in the USA for decades and is also unfortunately now the case in Toryland - bad things happen. Quite often very bad things - and it's always the little people who pay the price. 

French Connection wrote: While I agree with many of the points made against the RFU here, I certainly wouldn't be making any political analogies by talking about Derek Hatton or the Labour Party.  If I'm not mistaken, bleeding organisations dry for short term profit made by a few - plus privatisation, selfishness and greed generally -  is much more in line with current Conservative ideology. In that light, perhaps we really shouldn't be too surprised by current events at Twickenham - the CVC takeover and the apparent focus on the top end making a profit.  When economic growth and that terrible word "profit" are a society's main driver - as has been the seen in the USA for decades and is also unfortunately now the case in Toryland - bad things happen. Quite often very bad things - and it's always the little people who pay the price.  Also, claiming that the Labour Party has been hijacked or taken over by Momentum is simply nonsense, and whatever one thinks of Jeremy Corbyn he was democratically elected by a massive majority of party members. Twice. There was nothing underhand or undemocratic about it. But this is not a political forum so we should all desist from any analogies here and stick to rugby.

John Steele has left his role as the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union. Here are the key dates in his time at Twickenham:

June 2010: Steele is announced as the successor to Francis Baron as the RFU chief executive. The appointment of the former Northampton and England A fly-half is hailed as a progressive move.

1 December 2010: Steele sends a letter to England squad members, warning them that they risk missing out on selection if they choose to play outside of the country. The news does not prevent the fly-half Jonny Wilkinson signing a new two-year deal with Toulon, later the same month.

6 January 2011: Steele announces a radical organisational restructuring of the RFU, which includes the establishment of a new rugby department split into three sections: performance, operations and development. Rob Andrew's role as elite rugby director will be scrapped, leading many to name the World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward as the favourite for the performance role.


25 March: Andrew, who was encouraged to apply for the operations role, is successful in his application. The RFU also reveals that Steve Grainger will become its rugby development officer. The naming of the performance director is delayed, as some candidates – believed to included major international coaches, with Eddie Jones and Nick Mallett among the names linked – are unable to attend interviews due to "rugby commitments".

10 May: The RFU reveals changes to the job specification for the performance director role, removing any involvement with the senior England side. The job now only extends as far as the England Saxons, with the major focus being to help nurture talent before the 2015 World Cup, which will be held in England. Many observers see the move as a means of ruling Woodward out of the running.


12 May: RFU performs a rapid u-turn as the board reconvenes to reverse the decision to alter the performance director job specification, which returns to its original form.

13 May: The RFU chairman, Martyn Thomas, and Steele hold a meeting at Twickenham. The pair send a joint note to RFU council members, reiterating support for Steele's planned reforms.

19 May: Woodward rules himself out of the running for the job and commits himself to his role at the British Olympic Association.

24 May: RFU board, without Steele, launches an investigation into the recruitment process.

10 June: Steele leaves his role with the RFU, following an emergency board meeting.

And I agree with you totally Big Eddie. Basically, it's all about what's called by psycholgists the Law of Minorities.  A small minority of motivated individuals have always been able to influence things way beyond what you'd expect. The indifference of the masses is one of the main causes. It's interesting stuff but again not really for here.  One thing I do know is that organising a large and diverse group of people, many with their own agendas, is a really, really tough and time consuming task. Good luck if you can manage it though!

Big Eddie wrote: French Connection wrote: And I agree with you totally Big Eddie. Basically, it's all about what's called by psycholgists the Law of Minorities.  A small minority of motivated individuals have always been able to influence things way beyond what you'd expect. The indifference of the masses is one of the main causes. It's interesting stuff but again not really for here.  One thing I do know is that organising a large and diverse group of people, many with their own agendas, is a really, really tough and time consuming task. Good luck if you can manage it though! It won't be me this year FC I am too busy with my business interests and being Welsh I may not be the ideal candidate to perform this feat. However when my business involvement subsides somewhat I would consider getting involved.

Eddie, you are hugely passionate about Caldy RFC and rugby in general below Level 2, you are an ideal candidate in my eyes ... like you too, business gets in the way for me .... and therein probably lies the knub of the problem, activists are often tied up on other projects ...

Right anyone out there, passionate about lower level rugby, doesn't need to work, agrees with Big Eddie and Clive Norling that the RFU are making a mess of running the game and has time to get 100 clubs coordinated to get their signatures and force an EGM, shouldn't be that difficult ...

touchlineexpert wrote: Eddie, What is it exactly you think the RFU should be doing to support grassroots clubs in your neck of the woods?

1) Not cutting back on travel expenses, in fact, paying a far greater percentage than they are now, to EVERY club who is in a league at whatever level
2) Not asking clubs to pay for match officials
3) Spending money on training match officials
4) Building the 100 x 4G pitches THEY PROMISED after RWC 2015
5) Reducing the cost of Test match tickets
6) Increasing the test match ticket allowance to clubs
7) Getting a website that works and doesn't need a degree in IT to use when you're a volunteer
8) Not playing all England games at Twickenham, make the game accessible to everyone, wherever they are in the country
9) Organising a proper 2nd team league, instead of leaving it up to the clubs
10) Re employ all those RDO's that they sacked, so as they can get back out in the field, spread the game and get more participation, instead again of leaving it to the clubs ...

That is off the top of my head without even thinking deeply about it, Big Eddie though might have totally different views ....   

Big Eddie wrote: It will be interesting to see what kind of CEO Bill Sweeney is. Is he a radical reformer or a 'Don't Rock the Boat' kind of guy.  I don't know him but I understand that he is coming to Caldy shortly so I may have the opportunity to find out.....................that is if the club let me in the clubhouse that weekend!

I bet he is a "yes" man ....