The Welsh government’s decision to
ban fans from sporting events was
described as “devastating” for profes-
sional rugby by the Dragons chairman
David Buttress— and there are fears of
a similar doomsday scenario unfolding
in England.
Bristol Bears and Newcastle Falcons
have both expressed fears for the
financial stability and viability of the
Gallagher Premiership if the country
goes into another lockdown.
Pat Lam, the Bristol Bears director of
rugby, warned last week that the
Omicron outbreak was already having
a big impact on club finances across the
league because of games being called
off. Bristol lost £300,000 in projected
revenue after Scarlets forfeited their
Heineken Champions Cup game
earlier this month. The club also stand
to lose the £50,000 they spent on a
charter flight to Paris for last weekend’s
game against Racing 92, which was
postponed when France shut its border.
English clubs came close to bank-
ruptcy last year when the 2020-21
season was initially halted by Covid and
then played almost entirely behind
closed doors. They were assisted by
government loans and the cash injec-
tion from CVC’s investment, which
would not be available again.
Lam fears for Premiership clubs if a
lockdown returns. Asked whether they
could survive, he said: “I don’t think so.
Professional rugby is a great game, but
the reality is there are a lot of wealthy
people who are losing money.
“I don’t mean to be all doom and
gloom, but this is not as cosy as people
think. People look and think, ‘They
have got Steve Lansdown, a billionaire
[as their owner],’ but what people forget
is we don’t have what Steve is worth.”
“Steve has put in close to £80 million
of his own money into Bristol rugby.
You have to be asking questions as you
go through. What do we get for winning
the Champions Cup? What do you get
for winning the Premiership? The last
few years, as a team we have brought in
a lot of revenue. But as far as central
funding, TV deals, everything, that is
having an effect.
“I am pretty sure PRL will be talking
to the government. The decision by the
Premier League to keep going was an
important one for rugby as well.”
The Premier League and EFL voted
to continue with its fixture schedule
where possible. The football authorities
sit on a cross-sport group with PRL and
other governing bodies that meets
weekly with the government to exam-
ine Covid rules and regulations.
Lam’s fears in Bristol were echoed by
Dean Richards, the Newcastle director
of rugby. “I am fearful because I worry
about the financial stability within the
game,” he said. “If there is a lockdown
over a period of time then you have got
to worry for clubs that have struggled
over the last two years and should the
government provide support or not?”The Welsh government has ordered
that all sporting events be held behind
closed doors from Boxing Day.
Vaughan Gething, the Welsh economy
minister, said a £3 million fund would
be in place to support clubs and venues.
However, Cardiff were expecting a
capacity crowd at Cardiff Arms Park
for their Boxing Day derby with
Scarlets.
URC officials rejected a request from
Cardiff to postpone the fixture untilLeicester Tigers’ Eli
Snyman, was struck
down by malaria and
Covid-19 at the same
time before he started
his career with the
unbeaten Gallagher
Premiership leaders
(writes Chris Jones).Snyman joined
Tigers this season from
Benetton but spent 19
days isolating before
getting the all-clear.
Unsurprisingly, the
25-year-old, who is
6ft 7in, 17st 7lb and goes
by the nickname “Sexy
Camel” took time to
make an impact.
“It was terrible
luck,” he said. “I lost
weight with malaria
which I had before in
Zimbabwe and had toSport
Lam: Another
lockdown could
finish off clubs
Rugby union
Alex Lowe Rugby Correspondent
crowds could return, which will mean a
significant loss of income for the club.
The Dragons’ game against Cardiff on
New Year’s Day will also be affected and
Buttress expressed his frustration.
“Nobody should underestimate this.
It is devastating for professional rugby
and sport,” he wrote. “The support in
place is inadequate. Politicians need to
recognise their decisions have huge im-
plications and need to support them
with accessible financial aid.”Craig steps
back after
Bath slump
Alex LoweBruce Craig will end his 11-year tenure
as chairman of Bath on January 1 and be
replaced by the former Saracens chief
executive Ed Griffiths.
Craig insisted that he would continue
to support Bath “emotionally and
financially” but his departure from a
hands-on role forms part of an over-
haul of the club’s leadership structure.
A giant of English rugby in the Eight-
ies and Nineties, Bath have performed
below the sum of their parts since Craig
bought the club in 2010 and bankrolled
an impressive training facility at Far-
leigh House.
The closest they have come to
success is reaching the 2013-14 Euro-
pean Challenge Cup final and 2014-15
Premiership final. Bath have a core of
exciting young players, such as Orlan-
do Bailey and Max Ojomoh, and a
number of experienced internationals,
but they are bottom of the Gallagher
Premiership without a win all season.
Griffiths was brought in as a consult-
ant to conduct an operational review
and the changes have been rapid. He
recommended the appointment of a
specialist defence coach and Brent
Janse van Rensburg was recruited until
the end of the season. Johann van
Graan will leave Munster in the sum-
mer to take over as head coach, which
will have repercussions for the coach-
ing staff and potentially for Stuart
Hooper, the director of rugby.
Now Griffiths, a man never short of
an opinion or a creative idea, has been
confirmed as the new chairman of the
club. “Ed has played a leadership role
with World Cup and Premiership-
winning teams and brings a wealth of
knowledge,” Craig said.
Bath are also trying to secure permis-
sion to redevelop their stadium. The club
won an important victory in the Court of
Appeal yesterday that will allow them to
resume work on design proposals in the
new year. “We will continue to invest in
the resources required to achieve
success,” Tarquin McDonald, the Bath
chief executive, said.put that back on when
I started training.”
And that nickname?
“I was playing in South
Africa and made a line
break. I was described
as a camel at full flight
and they threw in ‘Sexy’
for some reason. The
guys at Leicester are
starting to call me the
Camel,” said Snyman,
who helped Tigers to
stretch their unbeaten
run to 13 by beating
Connacht on Sunday.Covid and
malaria hit
‘sexy’ Tiger
MANJIT NAROTRA/PROSPORTS/SHUTTERSTOCKBoxing Day fixtures
Kick-off 3.0 unless stated
Gallagher Premiership Bath v
Gloucester (4.30); Bristol v Leicester
(2.0); Newcastle v Sale; Saracens v
Worcester; Wasps v London Irish.
Greene King IPA Championship
Bedford v Jersey Reds; Cornish
Pirates v Hartpury (5.0); Coventry v
Ampthill (1.45); London Scottish v
Doncaster; Nottingham v Richmond.
United Rugby Championship Cardiff
v Scarlets; Munster v Leinster (7.35);
Ospreys v Dragons (5.15); Ulster v
Connacht (5.15).60 Wednesday December 22 2021 | the times