RFU CEO survives vote of no confidence

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney has survived a vote of no confidence at a special general meeting.

The motion, which called for the RFU board to terminate Sweeney's employment, was voted against by 65%.

Those supporting the motion, such as the referees' union and Championship clubs, had cited various perceived governance failures on Sweeney's watch.

"I am pleased to see such a decisive outcome," said interim chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.

"I trust that those who supported this motion will honour and accept the result on this tonight and lets work forward to make changes.

"Let's stand together, and focus on what we can achieve together, and work to ensure that the Rugby Football Union continues to thrive, evolve, and lead the way in rugby.

"The time for division is behind us. The time for collaboration is now."

Sweeney, 67, had been widely criticised for taking home £1.1m last year at a time of record RFU losses.

The RFU declared £37.9m operating losses last year, only a few weeks after announcing plans to lay off more than 40 staff in the latest round of redundancies.

A second motion, to expedite governance reform in the English game, was overwhelmingly supported at the meeting.