Former Wales centre Sonny Parker has blasted the RFU over their decision to kick London Welsh out of the English Championship.
Parker, the ex-Ospreys star who went on to become a player and then team manager at the Exiles, is furious at the governing body over the timing of their announcement which came on Tuesday afternoon.
Welsh were ordered to cease as a professional entity with immediate effect by being denied a permanent licence by the RFU. Since going into liquidation at the start of December, they had been able to meet their remaining playing commitments in the league with a temporary licence.
But Parker said in a statement: “I cannot explain how upset I am that the RFU made public their decision before we had time to communicate to players and staff.”
The 39-year-old – who made his name at Pontypridd and went on to be capped 31 times by Wales – added: “Rugby, for me, has always been about respect and dignity. Yesterday, I witnessed an unaccountable governing body execute a decision with no regard to those impacted and purely done through self-interest.
“I can live with the no licence but not allowing us time to speak to players and staff is unforgivable.”
In a statement, the club said they were “extremely disappointed” by the decision. They added: “We have worked very closely with the RFU for a number of months to meet the criteria for a permanent licence, and the new company [Rugby 1885 Limited] believes that it did satisfy all of the conditions required in RFU Regulation 5 and the Insolvency Protocol.
“We will begin dealing with the ramifications of yesterday’s announcement, before deciding whether to respond further.”
London Welsh will be able to continue as an amateur side going forward but it is not clear where the future lies for a club set up in London’s Fleet Street in 1885.
The Rugby Players’ Association have been in close contact with the professional playing staff since the club first went into voluntary liquidation towards the beginning of last month.
A spokesman for the RPA said that “such discussions were still ongoing”. He added: “We have been in contact and offered legal support since before Christmas.
“We’re now trying to establish what this news means for the players. We’re trying to help around the legal implications wherever we can.”
As a result of London Welsh’s immediate expulsion from the Championship, there will be no relegation this season.
London Welsh’s inability to prove to the RFU that they had a sound financial future effectively brings the curtain down on a rich history at various locations around the capital.
Their heyday was undoubtedly in the 1960s and 1970s, when they had their own brand of rugby Galacticos, with Wales and British and Irish Lions internationals John Dawes, JPR Williams, Gerald Davies and John Taylor.
