Varndell fears for future generation

TOM Varndell says that allowing three Premiership teams to go under this season is ‘completely unforgivable’ and urges a major restructure of the sport

- BEN JAYCOCK

Despite there being no relegation from the top flight, Worcester, Wasps and London Irish have gone into administration and have been expelled from the Premiership in what has been the darkest season English rugby has ever endured.

Varndell, who made 180 Premiership appearances and scored 92 tries across his time at Wasps, Leicester and Bristol, is devastated that his beloved Wasps have been forced to start over again at the bottom of the pyramid but says it reflects the current torrid times.

He said: “I’m absolutely gutted. Gutted because I was a Wasps player and I spent a lot of happy years at Wasps. It’s sad for players past and present but also for the game because Wasps added a huge amount to English rugby over the last 30 years. It’s a big part of the English game so for them to start from level zero is so upsetting but just shows the big problem in the English game with Worcester and London Irish following suit.”

Former winger Varndell is bemused at how the unthinkable has happened three times this season. With the sport seemingly shrinking, he worries about where the next generation of rugby fans and players will come from.

He said: “There’s got to be some massive restructuring as this can’t happen again. We can’t go into another season with any more teams going because it doesn’t look good for English rugby.