RFU refuses to face questions over £38MILLION operating loss and chief executive Bill Sweeney’s staggering earnings despite turmoil on the pitch – as Sir Clive Woodward accuses rugby body of ‘hiding’

The under-fire Rugby Football Union are refusing to justify their controversial financial actions, despite widespread outrage within the English game about the bonuses revealed in the union’s annual report.

While the RFU incurred an operating loss of nearly £40million, chief executive Bill Sweeney was rewarded with a ‘long-term incentive plan’ bonus of £358,000, to take his overall earnings for the year to a staggering £1.1m. Five other executives at Twickenham were awarded a combined bonus sum of close to £1m, soon after 42 union staff were made redundant.

Mail Sport columnist Sir Clive Woodward expressed his shock at the enhanced pay received by Sweeney and Co, following a period of turmoil in the sport in this country – and at a time when the men’s national team have lost seven of 12 Tests in the calendar year. ‘I am sure I am not the only one who thinks it is an insult to the wider English rugby public,’ he said.

Now, the former England head coach is infuriated by the refusal of Sweeney and the rest of the secretive RFU hierarchy to face the music. ‘This is a time when champions really front up, if they have done nothing wrong,’ he said. ‘They should never hide.’

Yet, hiding is the preferred policy, it seems. The RFU have received and so far rebuffed requests to stage a Press conference and answer for their financial conduct and what is being viewed as shameless greed in an era of budget cuts and hardship in English rugby. The union have scaled back access to their executives in recent years and current chairman Tom Ilube has been an elusive, low-profile figure.

There has been a reluctance to accept responsibility and accountability, despite MPs accusing Sweeney two years ago of being ‘asleep at the wheel’ and operating ‘in some ivory tower’ after the collapse of Wasps and Worcester – before London Irish also went out of business. Woodward is adamant that there must accountability now.

He added: ‘I have always believed in a saying about the window and the mirror. When things are going really well, look through the window and always credit other people, not yourself. When things are going wrong, look in the mirror, take responsibility and front up.

‘These guys have to look in the mirror, take responsibility and front up to the Press. Warren Gatland did it after losing big games in the last month. He came in, on his own, faced all the questions and fronted up, which you have to do.

‘You have to take responsibility, say “It’s my fault” and talk, for as long as you have to. Then the story will go away. You can’t hide. The rugby public want to hear about this. They want to know what the governing body have to say about this.’

England’s Autumn Nations Series campaign yielded just one win, over Japan, in four Tests, but the latest official review of the national team – by an anonymous panel – won’t take place until the New Year. Until then, the RFU will not publicly discuss the myriad concerns of England supporters about the latest sequence of disappointing results.