Back puts blame on debt fears as he quits Carnegie

The repayment of a £2m debt may necessitate an appointment from within of a successor to the World Cup winner who yesterday called time on his three years as head coach of the Yorkshire club.

It is that perilous financial predicament that has hastened Back’s departure after his bid to claw Leeds back from an 11-point deficit came up agonisingly short.

Leeds may still be a top-flight club next season if Cornish Pirates shock Worcester in the Championship play-off final, but with debt repayments to begin on July 1, another year of battling the drop beckons even if they are reprieved from relegation.

Leeds had a rugby budget of £4.5m for this season, of which £3m was spent on players. That figure is dwarfed by the £4m the rest of the Premiership spend on players.

Back had become increasingly frustrated at the club’s inability to attract external investment and the knock-on effect that had on the resources at his disposal.

They came within a try of earning two points at Northampton last Saturday and overhauling Newcastle, but even had they done so, Back felt he had taken the club as far as he could and so activated a clause in the two-year contract he signed last year to resign.

“When I take a job I like to see it through but the current position of the club, the finances, don’t allow me to do that,” he said.

“Our total spend this year was £4.5m on absolutely everything. When you have rivals who are spending that on players alone, it makes it very hard to compete.

“Money doesn’t guarantee success but no club has been successful without consistently spending the salary cap.

“This is the third time Leeds have been relegated. Exeter (finished 8th) were backed this season and look at what a difference that makes.

“If that debt of £2m is paid off over the next two years then what would that leave for a playing budget?”

The Leeds board will meet today to begin the process of finding Back’s successor and planning for next season as a Championship club, regardless of the outcome of the Worcester-Pirates game.

Leeds pay price for Headingley gamble: Page 23.