The new owner’s plans for London Irish may have already hit a snag after their proposal to leave the English rugby pyramid was met with scepticism.
It was announced on Wednesday that Strangford Ellis Ltd, which is managed by Jordan Associates, had bought the club.
They had been in administration since June 2023 after being axed from the Premiership due their financial issues.
URC application
Reports then surfaced that the Exiles intended to apply to join the United Rugby Championship, which contains teams from Italy, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales.
The statement from Strangford Ellis Ltd upon the purchase of London Irish duly gave credence to those claims.
“The primary goal of the new ownership is to return London Irish Rugby Club to the pinnacle of international professional club rugby, aiming for a swift return to top-flight competition,” the statement read, indicating their desire to be back at the highest level as soon as possible.
It may not be quite so simple for the Eddie Jordan-led Irish, however, with the Guardian reporting that the Rugby Football Union plan to “block” any attempt to leave the English pyramid and join the URC.
According to that outlet, any move would have to be approved by the RFU and that the governing body are unlikely to allow that to happen.
Another potential pitfall would be the Irish academy operating in the English Premiership system while their senior side is playing in the URC.
State of other Premiership clubs
The Exiles were one of three Premiership teams who went bust during the 2022/23 season, alongside Wasps and Worcester Warriors.
Worcester have already applied to join the Championship – England’s second-tier – but that process continues to drag on.
Championship clubs are understood to be against those former Premiership outfits joining their league, instead preferring that they start off lower down the pyramid.
Wasps, like Irish, have previously expressed an interest in moving to the URC, but they would face the same stumbling block as their counterparts.
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/ex-formula-1-boss-receives-early-setback-after-london-irish-takeover-as-original-plan-set-to-be-blocked-by-rfu
