Worcester Warriors and Wasps' futures to be discussed in RFU meeting

It comes a day after suggestions that the RFU were supposedly ready to approve Wasps' place in the Championship for the 2023/24 season, but not Warriors.

That was their official response to me and they won’t comment further until that meeting has taken place. But digestion is that the RFU remain ‘unsatisfied’ with info provided by the consortium & that they may ask the administrators to consider other bids. #COYW

— Marcello Cossali-Francis (@Mcossalifrancis) December 15, 2022

That seems to be down to a fall-out between the governing body and the American consortium fronted by Jim O'Toole and James Sandford, who are the preferred bidders to buy the club out of administration.

READ | Worcester Warriors: RFU taking 'over onerous' stance on club

READ | Steve Diamond tweet suggests he still has hope to buy rugby club

The group, Atlas Worcester Warriors Rugby Club Limited, released a statement on Thursday, claiming the RFU were "refusing to accept our reasonable and sustainable position and the RFU are instead seeking, in our view, to apply stringent oversights and conditions on us which are disproportionate, and contain onerous terms."

The deadline for competing in the Championship next season was on Monday (December 12), but the RFU had said at the time they would be flexible on that deadline.

The meeting today, one would assume, is to discuss these matters and maybe there will finally be some clarity on the situation.

If the RFU do not approve of the takeover from Atlas, there is a real possibility rugby at Sixways will not return.

The Atlas statement continued: "Should the RFU not find the flexibility to remove the over onerous terms they are seeking to impose on Atlas, we will have no alternative but to conclude the deal with Begbies Traynor without the approval of the RFU and without returning elite level rugby to Worcester."