URC confident union-owned clubs on solid ground

URC boss Martin Anayi is confident that the tournament's clubs will not run into any financial difficulties that might cause them to pull out mid-season.

In England, Wasps and Gloucester both went into administration at the start of the season and were relegated.

Last week there were concerns around the payment of salaries at London Irish before the issue was resolved.

Three years ago the then Pro14 lost South African franchise Southern Kings to liquidation.

The BKT United Rugby Championship spans five countries: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa, and crosses the two hemispheres.

Welsh regional rugby has recently been affected by major financial issues and national team players even spoke of strike action in the middle of the Guinness Six Nations.

Asked how confident he was that the URC would not see clubs pulling out in the course of the season, Anayi told RTÉ Sport: "I'm passionate about this being a sustainable business, at club and international level.

"We had well-documented discussions and negotiations in Wales, and I'm glad they came to a positive conclusion.

"We, as a league, are union-owned and the unions of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Italy and South Africa effectively, the technical word is 'procure', but they govern the entry of clubs and should they get into financial difficulties, the union is there to step in and make sure they are funded so that's a protection that the URC have.

"It doesn’t mean they don't have financial concerns and issues, the financial impact of Covid is still with us and they are trying to build back.

"With 18 rounds, every game has meant something but the flip side means it's taking a little bit longer for them to get back to financial [stability] as that they have less games to