Sweeney backs 10-team Premiership to help solve financial and calendar issues

Bill Sweeney has thrown the Rugby Football Union’s support behind a 10-team Premiership to help solve the sport’s financial crisis.

RFU chief executive Sweeney has insisted the governing body is still committed to the long-mooted global calendar, signalling the “major priority” of resolving fixture clashes between club and country. Sweeney has predicted any changes on a slimmed-down English top flight would not come into force until the 2024-25 season.

The RFU and Premiership Rugby are already in talks over the Professional Game Agreement (PGA), even though the existing terms do not expire until June 2024.

Sweeney admitted the RFU has precious few short-term fixes for either stricken clubs Worcester or Wasps but insisted the financial crisis must spark a major overhaul of the English game.

Asked if a reduced, 10-team Premiership could be an answer, Sweeney said: “I do see it as viable for a number of reasons, and we’ve been saying for quite some time now that less is more. I don’t know if 10 is the absolute number but that’s the one being used now, but in that and the central distribution around broadcast and commercial revenues, clearly there’s a financial benefit for less teams in that league.

“Clearly one of the major issues we’ve got to grapple with is the calendar. And one of the things that’s held us back in England is the overlap between the international game and the club game. So a reduction in the size of PRL (Premiership Rugby Limited) will help us with that.

“There is no plan to expand international matches, the conversations around the global season will not increase the number of international Tests played. Solving the club and Test match clashes is a major priority; the degree of overlap at the moment