Premier 15s is progressing into shiny new era, but let's not forget those who did the polishing

When Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks were given the green light to become part of the Premier 15s at the expense of two of the country’s oldest women’s rugby clubs this week, Richmond and Firwood Waterloo, the narrative was all too familiar.

Their admission into England’s top-flight women’s rugby union competition bore all the hallmarks of when the Football Association restructured the Women’s Super League in 2013. Doncaster Rovers Belles, the only club to have been continuously in the top flight since a national league system was formed in 1991, were abruptly replaced by Manchester City.

When the Rugby Football Union announced the Premier 15s reshuffle in its press release, it failed to even mention Richmond and Firwood Waterloo, who have contributed significantly to the evolution of the women’s game since forming in the 1980s.

Founded in 1986, Richmond remain one of the most decorated women’s rugby clubs not just in the country, but the world, with 25 league and cup successes, six National Sevens wins and four European Championships. In 2000 they won the Rugby World National Cup in the first-ever women’s rugby union match staged at Twickenham, while Firwood Waterloo, founded by former England great Gill Burns in 1989, were a mainstay in the old women’s rugby premiership.

Past and present players were quick to point out the RFU’s glaring omission of these powerhouses, among them the former England captain, Catherine Spencer: “In the absence of a mention in the official press release from England Rugby regarding the two teams leaving the Premiership I think it is important to make a note of the work of Richmond at all levels of the game,” Spencer diligently punched into Twitter. “Phenomenal. Also to Waterloo Ladies. Thank you.”

Current England flanker Sarah Beckett, who followed in the footsteps of her dad, grandad and uncle in playing for Firwood Waterloo, was compelled to post her own lengthy tribute. "If it hadn't been for this club, I and other younger players probably would have struggled for opportunities elsewhere and not be where we are today," she wrote.

Having recently announced it faces losses of up to £50 million over the next 18 months in light of the coronavirus outbreak, these are precarious times for the RFU. The body has furloughed around 60 per cent of its staff, including those working in its women’s programme. But even when the chips are down, gratitude costs nothing and this was a crass, embarrassingly bad error.

Yet these are not the first old women’s rugby gems to be brushed under the carpet - Lichfield were controversially denied Premier 15s status when the league launched in 2017. The Midlands club has produced a glittering array of England internationals, notably World Player of the Year Emily Scarratt, whose appreciation for the club is so strong it remains the first word in her Twitter bio.

And so the Premier 15s advances into a shiny new era, where tradition and history will hereon in bow to money and power. Exeter are set to invest up to £1.5m over the next three years in their women’s side while Sale Sharks are also thought to back their women’s team with a six-figure sum over the coming seasons.

It is big money for a sport which is still fully amateur, not so much in playing standards, but in its drastically underfunded infrastructure. There has never been any prize money in the competition while the sponsorship from crisp manufacturer Tyrrells has been spectacularly mediocre.

The RFU told Telegraph Sport this week there would be “no expectation” from the potato crisp brand - which is believed to be currently worth £50.3m - to provide any financial support to the competition in light of the coronavirus (not even a mention of a free crisp packet giveaway).

Take a sideways glance at rugby union’s sister and the comparison is startling. Like the Premier 15s, elite women’s rugby league remains amateur in this country, but that didn’t stop Betfred from extending its sponsorship deal with the Rugby Football League to include the women’s game last year, recognising the value in growing the profile for women’s rugby league ahead of the sport’s home World Cup next year.

So hats off to the men’s Premiership big boys who are willing to pump money into a league which is still experiencing teething problems. Cashing in on such resources, however minute, is fast becoming the only viable route towards semi-professionalism for Premier 15s clubs, many of whom are already echoing the ‘one club’ ethos the likes of Manchester City have successfully fostered in the fully professional WSL.

But at a time when broadcasters are delving into the archives to fill their empty airtime with vintage women’s sporting action, let us not forget those who have paved the way in participation and profile.

As former England legend Maggie Alphonsi aptly summarised in her own tweet: “It will be sad to see Waterloo and Richmond leave the league as both have contributed significantly to the development of the women’s game. Next season will be an interesting one.”