Ian Ritchie has announced his surprise retirement as the chief executive of the Rugby Football Union, leaving the governing body in a far healthier shape than when he arrived and with his reputation enhanced as the man who delivered Eddie Jones.
A popular employer at the RFU, the 63-year-old Ritchie, who assumed the role in February 2012, informed the board of directors and staff members of his decision at lunchtime. He will stay in the role until after England’s tour to Argentina.
Taking charge amid chaos after the 2011 World Cup debacle in New Zealand – the extent of which was laid bare in a series of leaked reports – Ritchie restored stability to the RFU after the internal strife that had led to the departure of his predecessor, John Steele, the previous June.
Despite England’s shambolic performance on the pitch, Ritchie was also instrumental in delivering the 2015 Rugby World Cup which generated the RFU £228.1m in revenue, and earned a £100,000 bonus, taking his salary that year to £700,000. His greatest accomplishment was securing Jones as England’s coach in November 2015 after flying to Cape Town to convince the Australian to leave a role he had recently started with the Stormers.
Where Ritchie earns praise for getting his man in Jones – under whom England have won 18 of their 19 matches – Stuart Lancaster’s appointment to the role in 2012 is a blot on his copybook. Lancaster restored credibility to the England side but his limitations as an international coach were exposed when they became the first host nation of a World Cup to be eliminated in the pool stages. The RFU’s decision not to keep Lancaster on in some capacity did not sit well either.
Nonetheless, the appointment of Jones has been a shrewd one and Ritchie leaves with England as consecutive Six Nations champions. The England women’s and under-20s teams are also the reigning Six Nations and world champions, while the Professional Game Agreement with PRL this year, worth more £200m to Premiership clubs over the next eight years, can also be considered a Ritchie success.
As the head of the richest union in world rugby, Ritchie has been accused of some commercially-driven exercises – he has steadfastly refused to take England matches away from Twickenham because of the revenue that would be lost – but he has shown admirable commitment to increase participation through the country and he has been a key driver of the RFU’s £50m investment in 100 artificial pitches. The RFU intends to announce Ritchie’s successor by the end of the summer.
Jimmy Gopperth named Premiership player of the season
Jimmy Gopperth has swept the board in English rugby’s top awards by being named the Aviva Premiership player of the season. The Kiwi added the crown to his awards for player of the season from both Wasps and the Rugby Players’ Association.
The 33-year-old also collected two more trophies at the Premiership’s annual awards ceremony in London on Wednesday, claiming the silverware for the golden boot and also the try of the season. He helped Wasps finish top of the Premiership’s regular-season table for the first time, and is preparing to face Leicester in the semi-final at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday.
“It’s difficult to put into words just how valuable Jimmy has been for our squad, both on and off the pitch,” the Wasps rugby director, Dai Young, said. “We all know he is a quality fly-half but his ability to play 10, 12, 13 and even a couple of games at full-back for us this season has really helped the side. Jimmy always puts the team before himself and he’s always played at a very high standard in every position he’s played. He’s a real club man and a quality player who deserves all the accolades he’s got this season.”
Gopperth’s 221 points off the tee secured the former Leinster star the Gilbert Golden Boot Award, while he was also honoured for his try in Wasps’ 20-15 win at Northampton in September. He capped a field-length break launched by Joe Simpson passing blind from a five-metre scrum and Danny Cipriani recovering a grubber to sneak Wasps out of their own 22.
Young was presented with the award for director of rugby of the season, with Christian Wade named the leading try-scorer trophy for his season tally of 17. PA
