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Worcester to be relegated: 'Darkest day for English rugby'

REACTION: The RFU revealed that Worcester Warriors are likely to be relegated from the Premiership.

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The RFU explained it will wait a few days before making a definitive decision on whether Worcester will remain suspended for the remainder of the 2022/23 season or can resume playing.

However, as it stands, they will be relegated to the Championship for the 2023/24 season due to insolvency – unless convinced otherwise by the administrators.

The RFU released a statement following the decision on Wednesday at an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing to make an order winding up WRFC Players Ltd, the company that held player and some staff contracts at the club.

Because they had not been paid for September, all players were able to leave on October 14 but this midweek liquidation has now brought their departure forward by nine days.

An RFU statement read: “The court has confirmed that WRFC Players Limited is now placed in compulsory liquidation. Therefore the contracts of players and a large number of staff who were employed by WRFC Players Limited are terminated and they are able to join other clubs.

“In relation to the men’s team playing in the Premiership this season, while the RFU continues to work with the administrators and potential buyers, due to the complexity of the situation, this currently appears unlikely. We expect to be able to make a definitive statement on this in the coming days and will work with Premier Rugby Limited to reshape the fixtures for the Premiership if necessary.”

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“In the event a buyer can be secured for the club as a whole, because of the insolvency event suffered by the club, the men’s team suffer automatic relegation into the Championship. The administrators, on behalf of the club, have applied to have this relegation disapplied and this will be determined in due course.”

“The administrators, on behalf of the club, have applied to have this relegation disapplied and this will be determined in due course.”

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said: “This is a very sad day for rugby in England.

“Our thoughts are with all of the Worcester Warriors players, staff and supporters.

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“The RFU will continue to speak to the administrators, and potential buyers, during the course of the next 24 hours to understand the possibility of a buyer taking over the club in time for the men’s team to participate in the Premiership during season 2022/23.”

“This is the darkest day for English rugby,” Worcester’s director of rugby Steve Diamond wrote on Twitter.

“We thought we could turn the tanker around but it’s ended up like the Titanic, sadly. The ship has sunk, the captains are nowhere to be seen.”

Hill tweeted: “What an unbelievably sad day for everyone in Worcester.

“A club that meant so much to everyone has gone the direction none of us wanted it to. A place where I played my rugby from 14 years of age and met so many people who mean so much to me and my family.”

Meanwhile, the Rugby Players Association called for “lessons to be learned”.

“The RPA is extremely saddened to hear of the liquidation of WRFC Players Limited,” a statement read.

“We stand with all Worcester employees. Our immediate thoughts are with all the players and staff who have lost their jobs today due to this terrible situation.

“We will continue to support our members in all ways that we can throughout this hugely challenging and difficult time, as we have done since it became clear that the club was in financial trouble.”

There are fears that other English Premiership clubs could also face a bleak future – the collective debts of all 13 Premiership clubs are estimated at more than £500 million.

Wasps, twice European champions, have announced their intention to appoint administrators after failing to meet a May deadline to repay £35 million in bonds, which helped finance their relocation to Midlands city Coventry from London in 2014.

Source: AFP & Rugbypass

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