Bill Beaumont appointed interim RFU chairman as civil war breaks out
Sir Bill Beaumont has been appointed as the interim chairman of the Rugby Football Union after Tom Ilube stepped down, sparking a civil war within the organisation amid accusations of “bullying, entitlement and elitism” between RFU council factions.On another dramatic day at the RFU, Ilube’s departure comes after an extraordinary emergency council meeting on Wednesday with some members accusing others of behaving like “a mob”.The announcement of Ilube’s departure came with a statement that he would “stay on to ensure a smooth transition to a new chair as soon as one is in place” but that was met with anger by the council rebels who questioned why he was not leaving immediately.It is understood there will be a brief handover period to Beaumont.On Friday a group of council members sent a furious letter to their colleagues.
It read: “We are writing to express our anger and distress at how the events of the past month have unfolded, leading to the resignation this morning of Tom Ilube.We are particularly concerned by comments and behaviours of fellow council members today and throughout the process.“This has felt, in no small way, like a mob out to make a point and assert authority, regardless of the outcome or consequences to the game or individuals.There was a lot of talk on Wednesday evening around the culture of the game and council, well the prominent cultures we have felt coming out of this process are of bullying, entitlement and elitism.”Ilube confirmed he was departing because “recent events have become a distraction from the game”, amid the widespread fury after it emerged Bill Sweeney, the chief executive, was paid £1.
1m, including a £358,000 long-term incentive plan bonus, while five other executive directors shared close to £1m amid 42 redundancies and the RFU’s record loss to reserves of £42m,His fate was effectively sealed after Wednesday’s council meeting, after which an immediate independent review into the salaries and bonuses was commissioned,The RFU finally acknowledged the “reputational damage done to the sport” and recognised “the importance of visible and proactive leadership”,That meeting lasted for more than four hours and was described by one council member as “the night of the long knives” before Ilube and Sweeney were summoned to a meeting with the RFU president, Rob Udwin, on Thursday,Sweeney, meanwhile, is under increasing pressure with a grassroots rebellion still determined to press ahead and call for a special general meeting (SGM) as well as a vote on his dismissal despite Ilube’s decision to stand down.
Requiring the backing of 100 clubs to trigger a SGM, the rebels – led by the Rugby Football Referees’ Union (RFRU) and the Championship clubs – are convinced they have the numbers.As of Friday night, the motion had not been lodged with the RFU but in a joint statement, Championship clubs and the RFRU said: “The problems in English rugby’s administration and governance go much deeper than the chairmanship and they are much more acute and urgent than the conduct of the chair and the rest of the RFU would imply.We will continue to back the motion or motions put forward at a special general meeting by the referees’ union, towards the aim of reform.We urge all other clubs and RFU members not to be satisfied with one resignation and not to lose this opportunity to have your say in the future of our beloved game.”Wednesday’s council meeting had been called by Udwin in effort to stave off council members triggering a vote of no confidence in Ilube and the former chairman Andy Cosslett was invited to attend to provide context on the bonus payment scheme.
It is understood, however, that the council had already formally requested an emergency meeting – at which a vote of no confidence could theoretically be held – to review the RFU’s governance on 10 January.That meeting may still go ahead, or it could be called forward to ratify Beaumont’s appointment.Sign up to The BreakdownThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewedafter newsletter promotionThe council members’ letter continues: “In Tom’s departure, our faith in council to be a proactively inclusive environment, open to leaders for our game who bring different experiences and expertise to help our sport evolve and attract new participants, is severely diminished.We ask you how you will manage this, deliver on the promises that we were made and improve the culture in council that has led to this deeply troubling episode?”Beaumont stepped down as the World Rugby chairman in November after eight years at the helm and is a member of the RFU council.Given his standing around the game and his experience, he would be considered a safe pair of hands in some quarters.
“I am honoured to be taking on the role on an interim basis and would like to pay tribute to the great work and passion of Tom Ilube,” said Beaumont.“We now must look forward and I hope I can help to unite the game and drive forward the game of rugby in England at both an international level and in the community game.”
From delays to refunds: how Australia’s air passenger charter could affect your travel rights
The Albanese government has bowed to pressure from Qantas and other airlines to not pay cash compensation to passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled.The omission of a compensation scheme in the government’s draft aviation customer rights charter follows claims from airlines such as Qantas that compensation rules – which exist in the European Union – would force them to preempt costs and increase air fares. The charter was released on Sunday.When the government announced it would introduce an airline passenger charter of rights – to fall under a forthcoming industry ombuds scheme – it left open the door for the interim ombudsperson, Pauline Sullivan, to determine if a compensation scheme should be in the charter she was tasked with drafting.However, such a scheme is not included in the draft charter, which is now open for public consultation until the end of February
Party City shutters after nearly 40 years, firing workers without severance pay
The party is over at Party City, once the largest supplier of balloons and other fun-time supplies in the US, as the company announced Friday it was closing down all of its stores, ending nearly 40 years in business.Barry Litwin, the Party City CEO, told employees that the chain was “winding down” operations immediately and that today would be their last day of employment.Staff were told they would not receive severance pay, and they were told their benefits would end as the company goes out of business, CNN reported.Litwin said the company’s “very best efforts have not been enough to overcome” its financial challenges that had included inflation that had contributed to higher costs and dragged on consumer spending.The abrupt end comes just four months after Litwin was appointed CEO of the New Jersey-based company
Can I survive for 24 hours without GPS navigation?
Taxi and ambulance drivers are less likely than other workers to die of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a Harvard study published in the British Medical Journal.On the one hand, it makes total sense, navigation and spatial memory belonging in the hippocampus, which is the first region of the brain the disease atrophies. On the other hand, life expectancy is significantly lower than average in both jobs – 68 and 64 respectively – and Alzheimer’s typically afflicts those over 65.Nevertheless, there is a good argument to ditch the GPS simply because memory, particularly spatial, is use-it-or-lose-it, as a study in Scientific Reports demonstrated in 2020. We have become more and more reliant on Google Maps, even using it for journeys we know well
US judge finds Pegasus spyware maker liable over WhatsApp hack
WhatsApp claimed legal victory over the maker of Pegasus spyware late on Friday.The Israeli company, NSO Group Technologies, was accused in a lawsuit by Meta’s messaging app of infecting and surveilling the phones of 1,400 people over a two-week period in May 2019 via its notorious Pegasus software.The judge in the case, Phyllis Hamilton, found the company had violated state and federal US hacking laws as well as WhatsApp’s own terms of service.NSO Group will face a separate jury trial in March 2025 to determine the damages it owes WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging service.WhatsApp said in a statement: “After five years of litigation, we’re grateful for today’s decision
Sale Sharks defy the deluge to extend Exeter’s winless Premiership run
This may not be a performance or a victory which will take up too much time on Sale Sharks’ end-of-season highlights reel but in the grand scheme of their season, it is a night which could rank as one of the more important for Alex Sanderson and his men.It is no secret that the Sharks’ home form has been the bedrock to their success under Sanderson in recent years and that remarkable run in the north continued again here. This was their 25th win in 27 Premiership home games and it breathes fresh life into their pursuit of the playoffs.Sale stuttered in the early weeks of the season but as the campaign has settled into a groove, so too have the Sharks. There is work to be done on the road, preferably in time for their trip to Bristol after Christmas given how the Bears dismantled Leicester on Saturday
American BMX star Hannah Roberts wins fifth straight freestyle world title
American Hannah Roberts roared back from her Paris Olympic heartbreak on Saturday by claiming her fifth consecutive BMX freestyle world title at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Abu Dhabi.Roberts, 22, set the bar with a 95.70-point first run, a score no competitor could beat. Her second run scored 94.58, a mark that would have been high enough to win the event
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