Grassroots coup could topple RFU chiefs by February

Rugby Football Union bosses Bill Sweeney and Tom Ilube could face a seismic vote of no confidence early next year, with a motion calling for their dismissal gathering support among grassroots clubs.

If the motion reaches the threshold of 100 signatories from clubs throughout England, a special general meeting must be held within 45 days – a timeline that would decide Sweeney and Ilube's future by the end of February.

A two-thirds majority would then be required to oust Ilube and press RFU directors to remove Sweeney from his post, in the wake of outcry over his compensation package.

Sweeney was paid a basic salary of £742,000 in the year up to June 2024, up from the £430,000 he was paid when he was first appointed in 2019.

However his pay was also supplemented by a bonus of £358,000, as part of a scheme signed off by Ilube and intended to recognise the salary sacrificed by senior leaders during the Covid pandemic - and linked to various parts of the organisation's performance.

The RFU announced record £37.9m operating losses last month, only a few weeks after announcing plans to lay off more than 40 staff in the latest round of redundancies.

The RFU also shed jobs in 2018 and 2020.

BBC Sport has spoken to a number of RFU employees who have described staff anger at the level of pay awarded to senior staff, while two former bosses - Graeme Cattermole and Francis Baron - have called on Sweeney and Ilube to resign, external over the issue.

The motion cites several other motivations behind its attempt to force out Ilube and Sweeney - with the financial losses incurred by the RFU, its handling of the second-tier Championship and a bungled change in the laws around tackle height in 2023 mentioned alongside the controversial bonuses.

It claims that "the thousands of volunteers who keep the game alive and running have now lost confidence and trust in the leadership of our game".

"The RFU has received a large amount of sustained negative reaction across stakeholders throughout the game," it added in relation to senior executives' pay.

The referees' union, Championship and National League 1 clubs joined the call for change at the top in the run-up to Wednesday's emergency meeting of the RFU Council.

The 62-member body, that includes representatives from the county game, universities, the military, lower leagues and players, could make its own move against the leadership.

Oxfordshire RFU, which has one representative on the council, said it had, external "listened to our clubs and have decided to add our voice to call for a special general meeting of the RFU".

"We will respond to any potential meeting requisition if and when it is received in the appropriate format," an RFU spokesperson said.