Bill Sweeney took his seat in the Allianz Suite of Twickenham and wished the room a Happy New Year, but the season of goodwill feels a long time ago for the RFU CEO.
He stated his intention to remain in his role until 2027 but that will be a difficult task, even if he does survive an SGM vote of no confidence signed by more than 150 clubs.
In a deflective, hour-long press conference, he defended his £1.1million pay-cheque, the ongoing churn of England coaches and the RFU’s financial performance.
There were repeated references to ‘misinformation’ and ‘hypotheticals’, none of which will do much to improve the mood in clubhouses around the country.
‘I’m certainly committed to go through to the end of this cycle, which is the end of 2027,’ said Sweeney. ‘I’ve never thought about stepping down.
‘From a personal perspective, what I’m hearing back is less about the incentive scheme and the bonus.
RFU CEO Bill Sweeney stated his intention to remain in his role until 2027 – a difficult task
Sweeney (left) defended his £1.1m pay-cheque, the coaching churn and the RFU’s finances
Last year, England lost seven out of 12 Tests with head coach Steve Borthwick in charge
‘When I go to a rugby club, there are a set of things that we’re dealing with which have nothing to do with the PGP or the Nations Cup or these grander projects. It’s about basic things like payment of players in the amateur game, the cost of running a club, taxes going up, utilities going up, loss of players, recruiting volunteers.
‘It’s an amalgamation of that have always been there. When the incentive scheme was announced, it was a bit of a lightning rod for that to surface out. That’s my personal take on it.’
Even if Sweeney does lose the vote on March 27, it remains unclear whether he will in fact leave. ‘When the vote comes in, it’s a board decision,’ he said.
Frustrations were bubbling long before his bonus payment, at the end of a financial year when the RFU suffered record losses of £37.9million and made 27 redundancies.
In Sweeney’s defence, he is operating in an outdated system, wrestling with responsibilities across the community, club and international game. Yet he has overseen a tenure where three Premiership clubs have gone bankrupt, participation numbers are down, TV rights have fallen and the national team has struggled through bungled succession planning between Eddie Jones and Steve Borthwick.
‘I think the governance structure of the RFU needs to change significantly,’ he admitted. However, that sentiment does not extend to removing anonymity of the review panels behind the hiring and firing of national coaches. Nor is he ready to introduce a director of rugby.
‘It wasn’t me saying “Eddie’s gone, I want Steve Borthwick”,’ said Sweeney. ‘It’s the panel, the experts in rugby come together they discuss it, they look at options. I can be part of the conversation but they’ll make a recommendation of who they think should be the next head coach. In this age of social media and the high-profile nature of it, some people do not want to come on the panel if it is not anonymous.’
Much of the failure has been hidden behind bureaucracy, NDAs and faceless meetings.
Bungled succession planning between Eddie Jones and Borthwick took place under Sweeney
In Sweeney’s (left) defence, he is operating in an outdated system but the discontent remains
Key coaches Aled Walters (pictured) and Felix Jones handed in their notices last year
Last year, England lost seven out of 12 Tests, with key coaches Aled Walters and Felix Jones both handing in their notice. The results of the annual performance review, he said, will remain anonymous.
‘I don’t think it was shambolic,’ he said of the unsettling coaching changes. ‘You can’t legislate someone’s personal freedom, personal choice in terms of what they want to do.
‘Did we think Aled Walters was going to go? No. Did we think Felix Jones was going to go? No.
‘We thought they were going to stay longer. I think the style of play that’s been brought in, the way we’re competing, I do believe that’s progress.’
A change in fortune for the national team in the Six Nations will certainly lighten the mood in English rugby, but the discontent towards Sweeney seems like it is going nowhere.
