England Rugby to lay off 139 of its staff

The England Rugby Union will lay off about 139 of its staff because it expects to lose NZ $203 million in revenue in the short term.

Chief Executive Bill Sweeney says the Rugby Football Union will begin consulting with staff before announcing the redundancies at the end of August.

In a letter to the rugby community, Sweeney says to ensure they have a sustainable Union, they have announced to colleagues that it is proposed that the total number of roles across the organisation will be reduce by 139.

Sweeney says they are projecting a four to five-year recovery with cumulative revenue reductions of around 20 percent.

The RFU has also made some short-term cost-cutting measures, such as implementing temporary pay cuts and laying off of 60% of their staff.