Blackett considers RFU future

Published: Tuesday, 12. July, 2011 in category Northern Hemishere
RFU: Blackett could be next to leave

Former RFU chairman Martyn Thomas has warned he could take legal action if the Blackett Review panel's report into the saga of John Steele's stint as chief executive is published.

High Court judge Blackett chaired the five-man panel which was charged with looking into how the RFU was governed during Steele's nine-month reign.

Blackett's findings came down strongly on Thomas, and his 52-page report called on the chairman and eight of the RFU's nine non-executive board members to stand down immediately.

Thomas quit as chairman on Sunday but remains acting chief executive of the RFU and intervened to prevent the document being made public, believing Blackett's report defamed him.

The report is believed to have made 11 recommendations, which are understood to order a freeze on any changes to Steele's management structure until a new chief executive is appointed, an overhaul in governance processes and board composition, as well as a clampdown on board leaks.

Speaking on Sunday, Thomas said: "The criticisms are fine. Some I have no problem with; others there need to be a discussion about. I would want to put my point of view to the panel at some stage."