Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, James Haskell, Raphaël Ibanez, Serge Betsen… These names resonate well with the late 1990s-2000s of English rugby.
They were also the lungs of the Wasps, when it was still based in London, until 2014. Today, the Coventry club will be relegated, after the holding company holding the club announced, on Monday, its placement in receivership.
Two administrators have been appointed and "unfortunately, (they) have been forced to immediately dismiss 167 employees, including all members of the workforce and staff," the Premiership said in a separate statement.
"It's a dark day for English rugby and we know it will be catastrophic news for all Wasps players, staff, former players, sponsors and the thousands of supporters around the world," said Andrew. Sheridan, one of the directors, quoted in the Premiership statement.
Still a
hope
to continue
“We remain in discussion with interested parties and we are confident that an agreement can be reached to allow Wasps to continue,” he said, however.
On Wednesday, the Coventry-based club were suspended from all competition by the RFU after announcing they had withdrawn from their scheduled match on Saturday against Exeter.
According to the English press, the club had notably defaulted on the repayment of a loan of 40 million euros scheduled for last May.
The Wasps, double European champions, should suffer the same sporting fate - that is to say a relegation - as the Worcester Warriors, another club of the elite of English rugby which had been suspended at the beginning of the month after the liquidation of the holding company which controlled it.
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Rugby
England
Sport
Legal redress
Relegation