Premiership clubs would struggle to survive if another lockdown was introduced in England, says Bristol Bears' director of rugby Pat Lam.
The possibility of sport being once again restricted in England has come to the surface as restrictions on crowds at games have been announced in Scotland and Wales.
Matches in Wales will go behind closed doors from Boxing Day while crowds in Scotland will be capped at just 500 people for three weeks from the same day.
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The lockdown in 2020 drove a number of England's top division clubs to the brink of bankruptcy, with no matches able to be played between March and August and then the season completed in front of virtually empty stadiums.
Central funding from the Rugby Football Union also took a cut with some clubs losing around £1 million a month before full crowds returned this season.
Lam addressed the problem on Tuesday (December 21), saying that he could see some clubs not making it through a repeat of the sport shutdown that was experienced last year.
When asked if the Premiership could survive in the event of another lockdown, Lam, who revealed last week that Bristol’s cancelled match against the Scarlets cost the club £300,000, said the situation is "not as cosy as people think" and that there are "a lot of wealthy people who are losing money".
He told The Guardian : "I don’t think [clubs could survive]. People look at us and think, ‘They have got [owner] Steve Lansdown, a billionaire,’ but what people tend to forget is we don’t have what Steve is worth.
"Steve has put in his time here close to £80m of his own money into Bristol rugby, and that is a lot of money.
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"We have a fantastic product. Professional rugby is a great game, but the reality is there are a lot of wealthy people who are losing money. I don’t mean to be all doom and gloom, but this is not as cosy as people think.
"I am pretty sure PRL [Premiership Rugby Limited] will be talking to the government. The decision by the Premier League to keep going was an important one for rugby as well."
The potential for further restrictions on sport would not only affect Premiership clubs into 2022 but would also have potential ramifications for the upcoming Six Nations.
The lack of end date for the restrictions in Wales is already leaving them facing empty stadiums for at least some of the tournament, while Scotland will host England on February 5 in front of a potential meagre crowd.
