Townsend, Glasgow's Dave Rennie and Edinburgh's Richard Cockerill all agree 25 per cent deferrals; "We have a huge challenge ahead of us," says SRU board chairman
Tuesday 31 March 2020 13:44, UK
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend and Murrayfield chief Mark Dodson have agreed to defer some of their salaries in response to the coronavirus shutdown, the Scottish Rugby Union has announced.
Townsend, along with his counterparts at Glasgow and Edinburgh Dave Rennie and Richard Cockerill, has agreed to a 25 per cent cut, as has SRU performance director Jim Mallinder.
SRU chief executive Dodson - who was paid a total of £933,000 in wages and bonuses last year - will defer 30 per cent of the payments he is due from April 1 through to September 1.
The decision was taken during a conference call last Friday, when the SRU's executive and non-executive directors also agreed to a 25 per cent deferral.
Chairman of the Scottish Rugby Board, Colin Grassie, said: "We are working extremely hard to navigate the sport of rugby in Scotland through these extremely challenging times. We would like to thank all our staff, sponsors, stakeholders for their support and collaboration.
"We have a huge challenge ahead of us, but we will get there together and we will leave no stone left unturned to ensure the long term sustainability of Scottish Rugby and the sport in Scotland."
Last week, England head coach Eddie Jones joined RFU executives in taking a pay cut of more than 25 per cent because of the coronavirus crisis.
On Tuesday, Rugby Australia confirmed it is to stand down three-quarters of its workforce for three months as part of cost-cutting measures introduced because of a lack of revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Remaining staff are being offered reduced salaries.
The Super Rugby competition, involving teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, has been suspended since round seven, while Rugby Australia has also shelved plans to launch a five-team domestic competition.
