The Rugby Football Union president blocked the secretary of its own referees union from attending a roadshow event in a fiery exchange in central London on Tuesday night.
Next week RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney faces a vote on his future after more than 100 clubs voted for an SGM following a series of controversies with the governing body. Adam White, the secretary of the Rugby Football Referees’ Union and a co-chair of the Whole Game Union which is demanding Sweeney’s removal, was barred from attending the final roadshow event in central London.
The nationwide roadshow event was launched by Sir Bill Beaumont, the interim chair after the resignation of Tom Ilube following the LTIP scandal, in order to listen to the concerns of the grass-roots game. In an open letter on January 10, Beaumont wrote: “Unity does not mean no challenge or debate.”
‘You are not welcome’
However, White was not allowed to attend the event at the Royal Institute of British Architects by Rob Udwin, the RFU president, on the basis that he had already attended two previous roadshows, one of which was online. Talking to Telegraph Sport, White said: “Upon arrival I was greeted by Rob Udwin who said: ‘You are not welcome tonight, you have to leave.’ I was a bit shocked by this and he followed that up with: ‘You’ve already attended events and you are a co-chair at the Whole Game Union and you are not welcome.
“I felt there was no point in having an argument in front of everybody which would have been undignified for everyone involved. I said: ‘If that’s your decision and you are happy to defend that.’ And then he got very aggressive very quickly and told me: ‘Don’t you threaten me’, which he repeated. So I calmly said: ‘It is not a threat, it is called accountability’ and left.”
RFU privately defends Udwin
The RFU insiders have privately defended Udwin, pointing out that White had attended previous events and that the presence of Whole Game Union representatives have acted as a distracting presence for the other member clubs. White, though, claims that he was granted permission from the host union, Middlesex Rugby Union, to attend and accused the RFU of bullying behaviour.
“Their behaviour throughout all of this has not been one of listening, calm and composure,” White said. “It has been aggressive and attacking. There have been multiple digs at the Whole Game Union for calling for a SGM which is ultimately a legitimate right of member clubs without hostility or any feeling of guilt. The whole modus operandi of the RFU is to try to bully and intimidate and unfortunately it makes a lot of people unwilling to speak up.
“This is not a position I want to be in. It is a lot of work, stress and pressure but if everyone felt like that then our game would be sold down the river. It is our role and responsibility as referees to stand up and speak up when we see something that is wrong.”
A vote on Sweeney’s future will be held by member clubs at the SGM on Thursday, although it is only the RFU board who can formally remove him from his position. “The RFU has travelled the length and breadth of the country to meet and hear from clubs and other stakeholders in recent months,” an RFU spokesperson said. “These have been vital forums of discussions to explore challenges in the community game and to hear from as many people as possible, and we are committed to taking action in priority areas.
“With over 450 organisations and 700 people taking part in these events, we are comfortable that our members have had good opportunities to have their say, including the Rugby Football Referees Union who have attended several roadshows already and who are in regular contact with us.”
