"Very little" - Lawrence Dallaglio slams RFU as he breaks his silence on Wasps demise

It was widely anticipated that the beleaguered Gallagher Premiership club would resurface in the second tier for the 2023/24 season, but last week's turn of events shattered that possibility.

Wasps remain without a ground but have a training base in Henley-in-Arden.

Before going into administration, the six-times English champions had been based in Coventry. 

Should they still be considered to be in the Midlands, that would mean they enter either Counties 4 Midlands West (North) or Counties 4 Midlands West (South) - both of which are in the 10th tier.

Speaking on his latest Evening Standard Rugby Podcast, Dallaglio said: “When you get statements released and the RFU saying, ‘We have been doing everything to help Wasps’, they have been doing very little to help Wasps actually.

“When you say, ‘We have done everything to help Wasps and help Worcester’, I’m not sure who has written that because it’s just pulled out of thin air.

"Actually, the phone has been very quiet for quite some time and the reality is that rugby is a busted flush as it has been financially for quite some time.

“People obviously want only want 10 teams in the league because if they wanted something different, they would create something different. That is the reality. If you want to let brands like Wasps and Worcester go… good luck to you.

“Wasps couldn’t go to investors to get money to come into the club if they don’t know what the structure is for the Championship and they don’t know what the structure is for the Premiership and the RFU and PRL couldn’t give them that. If your funding for the Premiership is £4.5million/£5m per club and your funding for the Championship is only £50,000, that is quite a difficult thing to bridge.”

Dallaglio added: “Things will move on. At the moment, Wasps are back in the lowest league and if we have to play and get promoted 10 years on the trot, we will do that because it is a strong group of people.

"There are a lot of very influential people within Wasps and they will come back. I’d watch this space, it’s not quite all over just yet.”

In every season since then, Premiership Rugby honours additional inductees, with the ceremony taking place the night before the Premiership Rugby Final. The awards night takes place at Twickenham Stadium, in what is a fitting venue for the legends of the English top flight.

For a player to be inducted they need to have retired for one full season and have played more than 150 Premiership Rugby matches. Here are the latest three inductees, that make up the 'Class of 2023', in the Premiership Rugby Hall of Fame.

An icon of West Country rugby, Matt Banahan made over 250 Premiership appearances for Bath, and a subsequent 44 for Gloucester Rugby throughout his legendary career. The powerhouse winger was a revered threat, during his days as a Premiership Rugby player, and would get his supporting fans out their seats, be it at the Rec or Kingsholm Stadium.

With 71 Premiership tries to his name, Banahan is the eighth highest try-scoring Premiership player of all time. Banahan finished his career two tries ahead of Harlequins England Sevens star Paul Sackey, and four behind Sale Sharks legend Steve Hanley. The giant winger toward over his opponents, and better resembled a lock at 6ft 7".

The Jersey-born star gained international recognition with England, and made 16 appearances for his country. Banahan made his full England test debut against Argentina in 2009, marking the occasion with a try and a Man of the Match Award. Despite leaving his on-field rugby career behind, Banahan continued his career within the sport as a citing commissioner for the RFU.

The second of the trio of Hall of Fame inductees, is Saracens legend Brad Barritt. The South African-born star joined Saracens from the Sharks in 2009, and remained with the Londoners for a monumental 12 years. Barritt collected numerous winners medals during his time in the iconic black kit, before his retirement at the end of the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership season.

Barritt marked his debut against Gloucester Rugby, in what began a decorated career with Sarries. Barritt's enigmatic influence within the centre, helped Saracens secure five Premiership titles in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Impressively, Barritt featured in every Premiership final which saw Saracens bring the trophy home to the StoneX Stadium. Barritt also thrived on the European stage with Saracens, as the side reached the pinnacle of the Champions Cup in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Barritt made 191 appearances for Saracens, and he also gained international recognition with England. Barritt's Grandparents were born in England, and he had not been capped by the Springboks, which left the door open for the England senior team. Barritt earned 26 caps for England, making his full debut in the 2012 Six Nations against Scotland. Barritt also earnt a call-up into the 2013 British and Irish Lions squad, for the tour of Australia.

The final player to be named in the 2023 Hall of Fame is Leicester Tigers legend Tom Youngs. The hooker made 215 appearances for Leicester Tigers, with over 150 of them being in the Premiership. Youngs embodied what it meant to be a true 'one-club man', remaining under contract with Leicester Tigers for his entire playing career.

Youngs spent his playing career alongside his brother Ben, with the siblings sharing the pitch at Welford Road for 15 years. Tom Youngs won his first Premiership title in 2013, in the iconic East Midlands Derby battle with Northampton Saints. Just weeks later, Youngs was called up into the British and Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia, and joined his fellow 2023 Premiership Hall of Fame inductee Brad Barritt in the 2-1 test series victory.

Tom Youngs made 28 caps for England, and made his debut in the 2012 Summer Tour to South Africa. During the 2021/22 Premiership season , Youngs ended his on-field career to support his wife and family. However, Young's contributions as long-serving Club Captain were recognised, when Leicester Tigers lifted the Premiership trophy in that year's Twickenham final. Ellis Genge and Tom Youngs lifted the the trophy, after Freddie Burns' drop goal heroics won the match against Saracens.

“The 2023 inductees to the Premiership Rugby Hall of Fame have been outstanding rugby players who made a monumental contribution to the success of their Clubs and England.

“Beyond their brilliance on the pitch, all three are also great people and have been terrific ambassadors for the Premiership and our sport over many years.

“We will be honoured to welcome Matt, Brad and Tom, and their families, to the Gallagher Premiership Final this Saturday, and we look forward to witnessing the Twickenham crowd show its appreciation for three of the league’s true greats at half-time.” 

Will Greenwood, Trevor Woodman and Tom Varndell.

Steve Thompson, Christian Day, Paul Grayson and Andy Goode

Matt Dawson (Northampton Saints and Wasps), Nick Evans (Harlequins) and Jason Leonard (Harlequins and Saracens)

Nick Easter (Harlequins), Ben Kay (Leicester Tigers), Kyran Bracken (Bristol Rugby and Saracens), Steve Borthwick (Saracens) and Jason Robinson (Sale Sharks)

Mike Tindall (Bath Rugby and Gloucester Rugby), Neil Back (Leicester Tigers), Richard Hill (Saracens), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks) and Hugh Vyvyan (Saracens)

Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons, above), Lawrence Dallaglio (Wasps), Josh Lewsey (Bristol Rugby and Wasps), Phil Vickery (Gloucester Rugby and Wasps), James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester Rugby),Peter Wheeler (Leicester Tigers) and Simon Shaw (Bristol Rugby and Wasps)

Lewis Moody (Leicester Tiger and Bath Rugby), Martin Johnson (Leicester Tigers), Ed  Morrison (Match Official) and the late Tom Walkinshaw (Gloucester Rugby).

Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers), George Chuter (Saracens and Leicester Tigers) and Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks and Saracens)

Chris Robshaw (2008-09 and 2011-12), Chris Ashton (2009-10), Tom Wood (2010-11), Dean Ryan (2007-08), Richard Cockerill (2008-09), Andy Key (2009-10), Jim Mallinder (2010-11) and Rob Baxter (2011-12)

Martin Corry (2004-05), Mike Catt (2005-06), Martin Castrogiovanni (2006-07), John Connolly (2003-04), John Wells (2004-05), Philippe Saint-Andre (2005-06), Pat Howard (2006-07)

Andy Robinson (1999-2000), Dean Richards (2000-01), Conor O’Shea/Brendan Venter (2001-02), Warren Gatland (2002-03), Pat Lam (97-98), Austin Healey (1999-2000), Iain Balshaw (2000-01), Jake Boer (2002-03)