THURROCK T-BIRDS director of rugby Dean White has hit out at the RFU’s running of the women’s game after losing all four of the club’s England stars.
Rachael Burford, Kay Wilson, Heather Fisher and Emily Scott have all been forced to leave Oakfield in order to remain in the international set-up.
And White has also been left furious by news T-Birds may not be able to secure promotion into the Premiership this season.
“We have lost all four of our England players just a few months after the RFU sat down with us and said they wouldn’t tell our players to move club,” said White, whose side are unbeaten in Championship South One so this term.
“Our contracted England players were told that they must be playing Premiership rugby in order to challenge for a World cup space next year.
“But this theory doesn’t stand up because England won the last World Cup and we had three players in the squad so why is it different now?”
And the timing of the decision has also angered White.
“We have been given no time to replace these players and we are now short on numbers,” fumed White.
“Our plans had these players being part of our squad this season and now we need to try and replace four international standard players which isn’t going to be easy.
“This has already seen a major sponsor pull out and this could lead to the slow decline in our women’s rugby in Essex
“It’s devastating news.”
T-Birds were beaten in the promotion play-off final two seasons ago and remain determined to reach the Premiership.
However, that may not be possible under the RFU’s new guidelines.
“They are trying to shut off the Premiership for this season and their reason is because the World Cup takes place in August 2017,” said White.
“But this is absolutely ridiculous as the World Cup doesn’t affect the current season in anyway.
“They are just trying to stop promotion on elitist grounds in our opinion.
“We are now three games into the season and no one still knows if they are going to get this through the RFU council.”
But if it does get agreed then Thurrock are willing to launch a legal challenge.
“We have already told the RFU that we will legally challenge this if we have to,” said White.
“In the past we have been told by the RFU that any change in regulations means that we will be given one season’s notice but we have not been given that.
“The season has already started too so surely they can’t now turn round and tell us that promotion is off the table.
“It’s a joke. It could all have a massive effect on us and we could end losing more players and sponsorship.”
But Thurrock could already have been in the Premiership had they not been without three of their top players last season.
Fisher, Wilson and Scott were all barred from playing 15-a-side rugby in order to concentrate on their Olympic campaign with Team GB’s sevens squad.
However, White also disagrees with that decision.
“We lost three players last season and that was a massive mistake,” said White.
“Team GB didn’t win a medal and the gamble didn’t pay off because the players just didn’t play enough rugby during the season.
“The women’s game in this country has been mismanaged for the last few years and it’s going to catch up on them very soon.
“They do not work with clubs, they enforce change when they have opposition against it and only care about England, not the clubs that supply those players to them.”
