London Irish evade Premiership suspension FOR NOW as the RFU offers the club a one-week extension

London Irish have been granted a one-week extension to complete their proposed American takeover – as Mail Sport revealed – in what is a last olive branch offered by the RFU.

It means the capital club have, for now, avoided being suspended from the Gallagher Premiership and becoming the third team to fall out of English rugby’s top-flight this season.

English rugby’s governing body have given Irish every opportunity to complete a sale to the US consortium interested in the club because they don’t want them to follow the disastrous path out of existence taken by both Worcester and Wasps earlier in the 2022-23 campaign.

But in a statement released on Wednesday night, the RFU said the final deadline for the takeover to be completed will be 4pm on June 6 and that will not be extended.

Paula Carter, RFU board member and chair of its club financial viability working group said: ‘It is deeply frustrating for all the staff, players and fans that there have been months of multiple missed deadlines. 

A US consortium is in the process of buying the club and the RFU chose to give them more time

‘We are extremely disappointed that the club has so far only funded 50 per cent of the staff and player wages. 

‘However, we have to respect the wishes of those most affected.

‘The 4pm deadline on June 6 is final and we have added the stipulation that the club must also fulfil its contractual obligations to its employees by paying the May salaries in full.’

Current Irish owner Mick Crossan had agreed to fund the salaries of the players and staff while the wait for the US consortium to complete the club’s purchase was continuing.

As things stand, only half of the salaries owed to club employees have been paid.

Mick Crossan has agreed to fund the player and staff salaries until the consortium takes over

Irish backtracked on an initial commitment to pay players and staff in full, after offering on Tuesday night to cover half of their wages with a promise to pay them in full at a later point

But the extension has still been granted by the RFU to ensure that they are paid something rather than nothing at all.

The RFU confirmed: ‘The extension, until Tuesday, June 6, has been given following consultation with staff and players who asked for the deadline to be extended to allow them to be paid 50 per cent of their salaries.’

That this is the current predicament is a sad state of affairs not only everyone at Irish but also for English rugby as a whole.

The race is now on for the American consortium hopeful of buying Irish – which is made up of a number of high-profile former US sports stars – to meet the next deadline.

Plenty of London Irish players still  face the prospect of needing to find a new club next season

By June 6 they must prove:

• A takeover of the club has been completed and approved by the RFU, with the buyers undertaking to provide all required working capital to meet the club’s obligations as they fall due for at least season 2023/24; or
• The club evidences it will continue to be funded to operate throughout the 2023/24 season

If that does not happen, Irish will be suspended from the Premiership and other RFU competitions in order to avoid a scenario where the club enters insolvency mid-season.

Suspension would mean Irish’s players – chief among them Henry Arundell – being targets for other clubs. There is also the very real danger of many losing their jobs in rugby altogether.