RFU says Jersey Reds could start Championship season if new funding is found

Jersey won the Championship title last season for the first time in their history

Jersey Reds would be allowed to begin the Championship season if they can find suitable funding, according to the Rugby Football Union's Conor O'Shea.

Reds announced on Thursday that they were to cease trading after investors pulled out of a funding deal.

But if a rescue package can be put in place they could still begin their title defence next month.

"In the short term if something can happen that gets Jersey into the league season we're all in," said O'Shea.

"I'm sure there'll be a lot of meetings and a lot of work going on behind the scenes in the coming days," added former Italy and Harlequins coach O'Shea - now the RFU's executive director of performance rugby.

• Jersey Reds to cease trading

• Players could be left 'stranded' after Reds fold

• Players' union wants changes after Jersey collapse

But Simon Halliday, the chairman of the Championship clubs, says it could be a more complicated process - as Premiership trio Wasps, Worcester and London Irish have all found after collapsing financially.

"There are rules and regulations about going into liquidation, going into receivership, whatever state that is," he told BBC Sport.

"It triggers all sorts of sanctions, penalty points, automatic relegation. There's a viability group that has sat for the previous three bankruptcies that will sit again.

"They will look at all of this and will have a number of questions to ask the club.

"I think my intuition is that you've got to start again."

Reds' Premiership Rugby Cup game at Cornish Pirates on Friday was called off after the announcement, which was made to players at an emergency meeting shortly before they were due to board their flight to the English mainland for the match.

Jersey Reds' final game was last week against Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby Cup

The RFU has come in for criticism over a perceived lack of clarity on the future of the professional game in England, especially over the format of a proposed new second-tier competition.

One of the reasons cited by Jersey chairman Mark Morgan for the planned investor's decision to step back from funding the Reds was uncertainty of how the league would operate.

But O'Shea refuted those claims, saying clubs had been fully involved in plans for the future.

"It's been very clear from the word go that everyone knew the funding for 2023-24, and in terms of bridge funding for 2024-25, before the new league would take off in 2025-26.

"It was clearly stated that would be outlined at the end of this calendar year, and everyone said 'that's fine'."

He added: "I'm not trying to be defensive, I know people are coming out and saying 'we don't know' but they know what the plan is, and the timelines, and they've known for a long time.

"But it's not a time to point score, this is a time to think about Jersey Reds and think about the players and staff.

"Does that mean everyone is 100% happy with it? No. Have you ever known 100% of people to be happy?

"It's always the 1% that will raise their voice and get heard, but there are a lot of people who are not happy but content with the process being run.

"Everyone wants to know today, like we all do, but we have to do this right."

But Halliday says while talks have gone on, Championship clubs feel they have not been given enough clarity of the funding they will have as part of a new Professional Game Agreement, which is due to start in July next year.

"The very clear dispute and issue that we have is the reticence of the RFU to make a statement of commitment which is backed up by financial investment that others could see as an expression of confidence in this new league," said Halliday.

"They're not prepared to do it, that is really where the nub of this is, at the same time as they're doing a £200m-plus deal with the Premiership."

Fund set up to help Reds players

Jersey director of rugby Harvey Biljon struggled to contain his emotions when being interviewed about the club's demise on Thursday

Meanwhile, a fund has been set up to help Jersey Reds players and staff affected financially by the club's problems.

There were concerns that some players could be "stranded" as they will not get their September wages, due on Friday, and may not have the means to fund travel off the island and get back home.

The fund will be overseen by director of rugby Harvey Biljon and Jersey Reds welfare manager Nicola Dando.

"There has been an incredible reaction from people in Jersey and further afield, showing how much Jersey Reds meant to so many people, and we have been really heartened to see this," Biljon said in a statement.

"We hope that this fund will provide a channel for these offers - there are players and coaches who have been left in a dire financial position, unable to meet accommodation expenses or finance travel away from the island, so the money raised will make a real difference."