Thomas: RFU excess must end now

In a statement "Former chairman Martyn Thomas
has attacked the Rugby Football Union for failing to implement
recommended reforms and end "justifiable costs" within the organisation.

http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/story/172463.html

This time the controversial Thomas "told the Rugby Paper: "Turkey's don't vote for Christmas, and the
RFU Council will not vote themselves out. This has to be reformed now.
For instance, the annual £1.6m spend on the Council would enable
floodlights, which cost c.£45,000, to be installed at 35 clubs a season."

In effect a direct attack on the Hooray Henry, G&T-swilling old farts
who self-prescribe freebies, junkets and privileges which they treat as
god-given.

Meanwhile (as an example) Bedford Blues' Goldstone Road, home ground
cannot be a Jeff venue due to the slope of the pitch.

The RFU could offer advantageous loans to maintain a literally level playing field for aspirants to the top level.

And I'm sure that that is not the only way in which Funds For Freeloaders could be better allocated.

Any think that harpoons those oold farts is welcome in my eyes.

The good work done at the lower levels is often ignored due to the sw1 Blazers and their attitude.

The good work performed by the blazer boys is not beyond doubt in any sporting organisation.
But if you read the article Thomas ("Chairman of Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire
RFU between 1996 and 2005 and Midland Counties from 1999 to 2005, he
was elected to the RFU Council in July 2001. In 2005, he beat Jack
Rowell to the position of chairman of the RFU board and two years later
he became one of the RFU's two representatives on the International
Rugby Board Council and Six Nations Committee" http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/player/101867.html ) is exactly the image of the ilk of the man that he's saying is being over-indulged.

As he says :

"The purpose of the RFU Council in the amateur era was to assist the RFU
Executive in managing the game, but we now have a professional staff of
over 500 at the RFU to do that. The skill set does not exist within the
RFU Council to assist in running the international or professional club
game, and therefore costs it incurs cannot possibly be justified."

Effectively what he's saying to these guys is you can't have your cake and eat it.

£1.6m shared equally between a nominal 57 old farts is £28000 apiece.

And the RFU has just announced a £6.3m loss http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/story/172773.html