RFU keen to ease funding concerns

Martyn Thomas was forced to resign as RFU chairman after a damning report into last month’s sacking of chief executive John Steele by chief disciplinary officer Judge Jeff Blackett, who is now thought to be considering his own position with the governing body.

Thomas warned he could take legal action if the Blackett Review panel’s report was published, which called on the chairman and eight of the RFU’s nine non-executive board members to stand down immediately.

While the legal action is believed to have been formally lifted, questions still remain over the RFU’s leadership and led Government agency Sport England to voice their concerns.

Sport England’s director of sport Phil Smith questioned whether the governing body’s changes would see the four-year funding plan to increase participation at all levels of the game stall.

The deal had been struck before Steele’s departure but the RFU last night issued a statement in which they said: “Government investment is very important to us and we are in talks with them about it. We will be seeking to reassure them that they will live up to the commitments that we have made.”