Cardiff Rugby confirmed his intention to participate in the administration and will be taken over by the Welsh Rugby Union in another dramatic development of the Wales National Match.
As Mail Sport revealed, the players and staff of the capital club were called to an emergency meeting in Cardiff Arms Park on Tuesday afternoon to be informed of the news that his employer had noted a notice of intention to appoint an administrator.
The WRU should spend in the coming days to ensure that Cardiff does not fall into existence while the English Première teams Worcester, Wasps and London Irish did it in the 2022-23 season.
A Cardiff press release read: “Cardiff Rugby can confirm a notice of intention to appoint administrators has been filed. Please rest assured that everything is possible to protect our employees and the future of the club. We have a plan in place and we will update you as soon as possible.
The official transition from Cardiff to the administration, then the ownership of the leader organization should be officially confirmed later this week.
The WRU said: “We know that Cardiff Rugby has confirmed the notice of intention to appoint administrators and we work in close collaboration with the board of directors of Cardiff and the administrators to protect the future of professional rugby in Cardiff.”
Cardiff Rugby confirmed his intention to participate in the administration in a statement on Tuesday
Capital Club will be taken control by the WRU to prevent it from falling from existence
Mail Sport understands that Cardiff’s WRU takeover means that all existing and future players contracts will be honored. The Director organ – managed by CEO Abi Tierney – also hopes to protect all employees currently on the payroll of Cardiff.
Cardiff’s financial problems once again reflect the fact that club rugby in Britain continues to fight monetary. For too long, the capital’s capital club of Wales was supported by former president and benefactor Peter Thomas who unfortunately lost his battle against cancer in 2023.
Later the same year, Helford Capital Limited – directed by Phil Kempe and Neal Griffith – took the participation of Thomas in the club and obtained an participation of 84.55% in the club.
Helford’s takeover was approved by a majority of 99.99%.
At the time, Cardiff Rugby’s president Alun Jones said the takeover “would be a huge moment in the history of Cardiff Rugby and would give us a brilliant, secure and exciting future”.
It just didn’t happen.
At a time of financial conflicts in the whole of Welsh rugby, the support of Helford for Cardiff – to which they were committed within the framework of the takeover – would have been next to minimals. Helford’s takeover was approved by the Cardiff board of directors, senior WRU figures and an independent London -based company that has undertaken a reasonable diligence test.
No potential problem or concern has been found.
However, Cardiff’s subsequent disappearance under the property of Helford raises serious questions not only on their role, but also on the way in which the club was directed under Jones and the long -standing managing director Richard Hollard. Holland has informed the players and Cardiff staff of the administration plan.
His position and that of Jones must surely be untenable.
Cardiff who is the owner of Wru would not have been part of Tierney’s long -term plan at a time when his game is full of burst.
However, doing it is better than the club that ceases to exist.
There are, however, who believe that the Welsh Rugby cannot afford to financially support four regions as it has currently.
The WRU seems ready to appoint Dave Reddin as a new rugby director in the coming weeks and is also looking for a new male permanent coach to succeed Warren Gatland.
Tierny also wants to finalize the hiring of a new growth director whose work will be to generate commercial income outside the field.
The male team in Wales is currently on a round of 17 tests.
Cardiff’s transfer of ownership will not prevent the club from continuing business as usual with four games to play the season of the regular United Rugby Championships.
All the players of the coach Matt Sherratt are likely to stay in a position at least in the short term, although their long -term future can be questioned.
The WRU previously owned another Welsh side in Dragons before returning to the private property and the likely plan of Tierney will be to do the same.
Meanwhile, England and the back of Northampton George Furbank are approaching a return of injury and could still appear for the saints in their quarter -finals of the Champions Cup with Castres on Saturday evening.
Furbank missed the Six Nations England campaign with a broken arm suffered in European service in South Africa in December.
“He is trained this week”, director of Rugby of Northampton, Phil Dowson of Furbank.
“ He finished a few on (head coach of saints) Sam Vesty, so I hope that towards the end of the week, he will tackle appropriate athletes and he will be ready to leave. It is a large part of the club and it was extremely frustrated because it wants to be able to contribute more.
“It was obviously super behind the scenes, but it is someone who wants to be in the center. We can’t wait to find him.
Furbank will not start against Castres but could be considered for a bench point. Northampton is the only English club to have done the last eight of the Champions Cup.
