Bill Beaumont, the interim chairman of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), has urged clubs to vote against a no-confidence motion in embattled chief executive Bill Sweeney or risk sending English rugby into a state of “paralysis”.
“I urge member clubs to vote in favour of this resolution which can bring about meaningful governance change, and against the motion that members have no confidence in the chief executive officer,” Beaumont wrote in a letter sent to clubs.
The Whole Game Union — a group led the Championship clubs and the Rugby Football Referees Union — have meanwhile been trying to rally support to oust the chief executive.
But Beaumont, who served as chair of World Rugby until last November, has urged clubs to vote against the motion, tabling their own to bring about governance reform after a damning review was released earlier in February.
A special general meeting (SGM) has been called for 27 March after a formal letter including the signatories of 141 RFU member clubs and referee societies issued a vote of no confidence.
.jpeg?auto=webp&width=800)
