We look at why RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney is facing calls to be removed from his post after 141 member clubs signed a letter calling for an extraordinary general meeting…

What exactly happened to start?

A letter sent to the RFU on Thursday had 141 signatories, easily exceeding the 100 member clubs required to trigger the SGM under the governing body’s rules.

A statement from the Rugby Referees Union (RFRU), which is leading the grassroots uprising, revealed that preliminary resolutions to be debated at the extraordinary general meeting will include calling on the board to terminate Sweeney’s employment “as soon as practicable”.

RFU president Tom Ilube had been a key target of the rebellion but resigned last month in response to an outcry over the Twickenham executive pay and bonus scandal.

What is the RFU’s response?

Upon receipt of the letter, the RFU claimed it contained “a number of inaccuracies” and “does not meet the relevant requirements and is therefore invalid as a request for an EGM”.

It also said the nine professional referees it employed had distanced themselves from the RFRU, with officials declaring “we do not endorse any statements or meetings made by them”.

Spokespersons for the 141 clubs seeking a vote of no confidence in Sweeney hit back, insisting the RFU were using technicalities to avoid being held accountable.

The spokesman said: “The RFU can buy as much time as they like but this is a mass movement led by a stronger, more united team.”

“Having hair-splitting over the rules of what is and is not a valid complaint form will only delay the inevitable.”

Bill Beaumont, who has been approved as interim chairman of the RFU board, has written an open letter to clubs (full text below), which the RFU confirmed in a statement on Friday. A special meeting will be held within a certain period of time. Six Kingdoms.

Its statement read: “The RFU is in the process of verifying the additional information that has now been provided in order to request a Special General Meeting (SGM).”

“The notice calling for an EGM contained numerous inaccuracies, however, the RFU respects the right of its members to call for an EGM and have their views heard.

“The date for the SGM will be announced within the next two weeks and will take place after the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.”

Why is Sweeney so unpopular?

The issues are wide-ranging and some can be traced to financial cuts during the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest revolt was triggered by the RFU’s decision to award Sweeney a bonus of £358,000 this year despite announcing a record operating loss of nearly £40m. Meanwhile, the RFU made 42 staff redundant in September.

Accounts published by the RFU in November showed Sweeney was paid £1.1m in 2023-24, including a £742,000 increase in salary and a £358,000 bonus.

Although the RFU reported a record operating loss of £37.9m for the 2023/24 financial year, bonuses totaling nearly £1m were paid out to five other executives.

Additionally, the England men’s team have won just five of their 12 games in 2024 and grassroots participation is declining.

Other areas of controversy cited in the letter to the RFU include excessive bureaucracy and poor governance, cuts to development officers, the “failure” to introduce new tackle heights in community competitions and the cost of sacking former England head coach Eddie Jones.

Chichester RFC chairman Paddy McAlpine said: “What you are seeing is the culmination of many years of frustration that has affected every aspect of our game.”

“Now this has exploded because clubs are angry when bonuses are handed out to executives. Every club I know wants to see change at the top.”

At the same time, several professional clubs in the country were folded due to financial problems, including Wasps, London Irish, Worcester Warriors and Jersey Reds.

Who is calling for his firing?

The group is made up of 10 Championship clubs from English second tier rugby, the various refereeing bodies and clubs from lower leagues and community competitions.

Their total number stood at 152 on Thursday night, but they said the number had now increased to more than 250 by the same time on Friday. They called for a special general meeting (SGM) and a vote of no confidence in Sweeney.

In addition to executive bonuses handed out late last year, they cited the following governance failures:

• Excessive bureaucracy and a flawed GMS computer system have created huge extra workload for the thousands of volunteers who keep rugby going in towns and villages across England
• Poor financial performance, including losses of £130m over the past two World Cup cycles, and staff cuts to Twickenham and England Rugby’s lower-level development officer ranks
• ‘Failure’ to introduce new tackle height in community game
• Mismanagement of the game from the highest levels of the RFU
• Sacking England coaching staff is a waste of money

What are the rules for forcing change? Why now?

The threshold for convening an SGM is 100 clubs, so the Rebels are confident they can successfully force a vote.

Nottingham RFC chairman Alistair Bow has maintained they do have the necessary signatories.

This has been building for some time. It was triggered by the latest executive bonuses but goes back much further.

Championship clubs are unhappy with multiple funding cuts, including those during the coronavirus pandemic that have never been restored.

They also believe the Premier League has effectively been ring-fenced, with rules in place to prevent promotion from the second tier.

At a community level, the consequences of the law being decided on to lower tackle heights in 2023, without consultation with grassroots clubs, were terrible and remain the source of a lot of bad feeling.

Bow called for an overhaul of the governance structure, including halving the RFU council from 66 to 33 members.

Are these bonuses and salaries normal at other sports organizations?

Performance-related bonuses are common, but the problem for many is that the bonus does not reflect the performance of the RFU.

They reported record operating losses of nearly £40m, while the England men’s team have a win rate of less than 42% in 2024 Test matches.

What did Sweeney say?

Nothing – he has not spoken publicly since the release of the RFU’s annual accounts at the end of November.

He was also absent from the emergency committee meeting held on December 18, where it was decided that Chairman Ilube should step down over the issue of executive bonuses.

What happens next?

The rebels hope to gain more support and secure an extraordinary congress in early 2025.

Failing that, they hope the unnecessary publicity will force Sweeney himself, or indeed the RFU committee, to make a decision about his future.

Beaumont, meanwhile, was approved as interim president at a council meeting on Friday, where Sweeney is likely to face some tough questions.

Full text of Bill Beaumont’s open letter to clubs:

Today, the RFU Council approved my appointment as Interim Chair of the RFU Board; I am honored to serve in this role and grateful to the Council for its support.

I have had a busy few weeks, engaging with the RFU Board and Council and hearing from players, volunteers, match officials and fans. It’s clear from these conversations that the game wants and needs to be unified, and my first priority is to help bring the game together.

Unity does not mean the absence of challenge or debate. I hear and understand some of the concerns about long-term incentive plan payments. I want to understand how decisions are made and it is right to commission an independent review of the process. The review should take its course and I look forward to its outcome.

This is a serious moment for English rugby. There are calls for change, but no real reasons are identified, and no alternative vision is suggested. We are calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM) and we will respect members’ right to express their views.

Our sport has a long history of infighting and we sometimes lose sight of what is best for rugby as a whole. Whatever we do next has to be for the benefit of the English game.

We need to listen and support each other. That’s why I’ll be embarking on a nationwide tour of rugby clubs in January and February so we can debate and agree a unified way forward.

We also need to reflect on the hardships of the past few years. I can provide a wider background from my most recent role as World Rugby Chairman. The impact of COVID-19, inflation and the cost of living crisis on global football has been huge in terms of participation, confidence and finances at all levels.

Objectively, we should ask whether English rugby was managed effectively in the aftermath. Seeing that all countries are grappling with the same issues, I can confidently say that the RFU has weathered this period well compared to many other countries.

The RFU does not receive any government or World Rugby loans. It did, however, successfully negotiate support on behalf of community clubs and facilitate professional clubs’ access to government loans, which ensured rugby received more financial support than any other sport in England.

It’s a lot of work to reset and consolidate into a unified game, and I’m committed to supporting that. In the short time I have been back in the role, I also see a lot of positives for English rugby to continue to develop.

The RFU is committed to a community sport investment plan that will provide clubs with more coaches, more resources and introduce accessible forms of rugby into thousands of schools.

We will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup – a generational opportunity to get more women and girls involved in rugby. Participation in the men’s game has also rebounded to near pre-COVID levels.

I’ll be listening to your feedback and opinions while I’m on the road, so please sign up for one of the sessions that will be announced in next week’s Community Game Update.

We all want the England men’s and women’s teams to win, and without a thriving community competition this wouldn’t be possible. I hope we can come together and maintain the stability we need to achieve this goal. If we work together, we will succeed. English rugby will not be a winner if we play against each other, on and off the field.