The Rugby Football Union was warned that its "cost-cutting plan to make community coaches redundant will have a wide-ranging and damaging impact on the grassroots game" and the future of the England team, according to Alex Lowe of the LONDON TIMES. The RFU "is expected to make 66 staff members redundant." In an open letter to the governing body, Stuart Murrow, the president & chair of the Dorset & Wiltshire Rugby Football Union -- which is "under threat from the measures" -- expressed "grave fears" and detailed 27 negative consequences, "including a sharp decline in players progressing to top-flight rugby, an increase in player injuries and a heightened risk of clubs being forced to close." There have reportedly been "rumblings" of a grassroots revolt against the RFU leadership, with one source describing the situation as "a tinder box." Many in the grassroots game "feel disenfranchised from Twickenham" and the letter from the Dorset & Wiltshire RFU "underlined the level of discontent." The letter said, "We feel that this review should also include local representation, because the RFU is controlled by the clubs and not the other way around" (LONDON TIMES, 7/30).
