Debutants deliver as rugby league’s new campaign recognises its roots, writes JAMES NALTON
Government urged to get tough over Covid loan repayments from sports clubs
London Irish's Chunya Munga wins a line out ball during the Premiership match at the Brentford Community Stadium, London, March 27, 2021
THE government must take a tough approach to clawing back taxpayers’ money loaned to rugby union teams and other sports clubs during the Covid-19 pandemic, a select committee report has said.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) loaned £474 million in total to 120 organisations in the sport and culture sectors to help them survive the impact of the pandemic, with £123.8m of that loaned to Premiership Rugby clubs.
DCMS admitted in a National Audit Office report issued last December that it did not expect to recover up to £29m of the £41.6m it had loaned to three Premiership clubs – London Irish, Wasps and Worcester – after they became insolvent.
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