Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney is vowing to fight on amid intensifying calls for his resignation over a contentious bonus payment scandal that has rocked English rugby’s governing body. Despite mounting pressure from furious rugby clubs who are demanding his ouster at a special general meeting, a defiant Sweeney insists he is the right man to lead the RFU forward.
“I have definitely got the energy to carry on,” Sweeney declared in an interview on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast. “The easiest thing to do now would be to walk away… I can’t do that. It’s just unbearable to think I would just take that easy option out.”
Bonus Backlash
The firestorm erupted when the RFU’s annual accounts revealed that Sweeney pocketed pay of £1.1m for the 2023-24 financial year, including a base salary of £742,000 and a controversial bonus of £358,000. This hefty payday for the chief exec, along with nearly £1m in additional bonuses paid out to other top RFU execs, came despite the organisation reporting:
- A record operating loss of £37.9m
- Slashing 42 staff jobs
Sweeney acknowledged he knew the bonuses would spark outrage but said contractual obligations tied the RFU’s hands on the payments. “I wanted to defer it… The problem is, once you’ve declared an incentive programme like this, it’s stated in your annual reports, and it was done previously, you accrue for it year after year,” he explained.
Existential Threat?
The bonus debacle has unleashed a revolt among grassroots rugby clubs, with 141 member clubs signing on to a letter demanding a special general meeting to vote on ousting Sweeney and overhauling RFU governance. Only 100 clubs are needed to force the special meeting under RFU rules, easily exceeding that threshold and underscoring the gravity of the threat to Sweeney’s reign.
“I suppose the question would be is the RFU fit for purpose or is rugby fit for purpose?”
– Bill Sweeney questioning rugby governance structures
For his part, the embattled exec conceded that the RFU needs reforms to modernize a governance model that hasn’t substantially changed since the sport went professional in 1995. But he hinted the problems run even deeper, questioning whether the entire structure of rugby is still fit for purpose in the professional era.
Fight to the Finish
As the National Rugby Clubs Association rallies support for Sweeney’s dismissal, the CEO is digging in for a bare-knuckle boardroom brawl to save his job. “I am not just going to walk away from those characters,” Sweeney vowed defiantly. “I’m going to stick it out. If the board tells me to go, that’s fine. If they don’t tell me to go and they believe I’m doing a good job – and I do believe I’m doing a good job – then I’ll stay.”
The RFU has agreed to hold the special meeting to decide Sweeney’s fate after the Six Nations concludes, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown that could reshape the future of English rugby. As pressure mounts with every signature added to the petition for his ouster, Sweeney is betting his legacy on an against-the-odds battle to prove he’s still the right skipper to steer the RFU through turbulent waters. The whole rugby world will be watching to see if he sinks or swims.
As the National Rugby Clubs Association rallies support for Sweeney’s dismissal, the CEO is digging in for a bare-knuckle boardroom brawl to save his job. “I am not just going to walk away from those characters,” Sweeney vowed defiantly. “I’m going to stick it out. If the board tells me to go, that’s fine. If they don’t tell me to go and they believe I’m doing a good job – and I do believe I’m doing a good job – then I’ll stay.”
The RFU has agreed to hold the special meeting to decide Sweeney’s fate after the Six Nations concludes, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown that could reshape the future of English rugby. As pressure mounts with every signature added to the petition for his ouster, Sweeney is betting his legacy on an against-the-odds battle to prove he’s still the right skipper to steer the RFU through turbulent waters. The whole rugby world will be watching to see if he sinks or swims.
