REDUNDANCIES have been announced by the Rugby Football Union in wake of the Covid lockdown.

The Union has announced it will make 139 positions redundant as part of cost-cutting measures.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney announced the job losses due to the Union standing to lose £107 million in revenue in the short term.

It will begin a consultation process with staff before announcing decisions at the end of next month.

Mr Sweeney said: “We are having to make difficult decisions on what we can continue to invest in as well as what is the right size and shape of our business for the future.

“To ensure we have a sustainable RFU we have announced to colleagues that it is proposed that the total number of roles across the organisation will reduce by 139.

“This will be a difficult process, but we will be consulting with colleagues in a fair way to completely remodel our business.

“Unfortunately, this is not enough to run a sustainable operation and safeguard our future.

“We need to maintain our organisation.”

The RFU was projecting a recovery period which could last up to five years, with a cumulative 20 per cent loss of revenue over that time.

The RFU has also suffered from not being able to host England matches at Twickenham this year. Furthermore, no certainty has been given for when supporters may be allowed to return.

The RFU has affirmed it continues to support its clubs.