RFU's cost cutting measures results in ending £50M artificial pitch plan. GETTY IMAGES
Grassroots rugby in England is "braced for another major blow" as part of the Rugby Football Union’s "brutal" cost-cutting with the £50M ($66.2M) investment in artificial grass pitches, one of the "landmark legacies" of hosting the 2015 World Cup, to be "shelved" as part of the review of its capital spending, according to Gavin Mairs of the London TELEGRAPH. The news comes as the governing body is in the process of "making up to 75 employees redundant in a cost-cutting exercise with the majority of job losses -- 40 -- to come in the rugby department," which includes development officers and grassroots coaching staff. It is understood there are "mounting tensions" at Twickenham that the grassroots game will be "hit hardest by the cuts," while the £30M ($39.7M)-per-year budget for the senior England side is being "ring-fenced despite the losing streak that has stretched to five Tests." At the time, the RFU's artificial grass pitch program was "heralded" as a centerpiece investment after the governing body was "boosted" by a record £27M ($35.7M) "windfall" from hosting the World Cup. However, the "massive overspend" on the redevelopment of the East Stand at Twickenham, which stands at more than twice the original budget of £40M ($53M), as well as "tough market conditions" and the expansion of RFU staff in the buildup to the 2015 World Cup, have forced the governing body to "dramatically" reduce its cost base (TELEGRAPH, 6/17).
