England Rugby players competing in the World Cup were more focused on money and debauchery than winning games, according to leaked reports carried out by Rob Andrew of the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Players’ Association, and professional clubs.
One of the surveys, to which 90% of players responded, uncovered a particularly damning charge: that an England competitor’s main concern after losing a quarter-final game versus France in last month’s World Cup was the £35,000 the team had figuratively flushed “down the toilet.” Other claims of player irresponsibility included refusals to attend a team dinner without promises of a pay raise and discouraging teammates from practicing in favor of drinking.
The allegations come after a disastrous Rugby World Cup championship drive in New Zealand, which generated headlines of off-field lewdness. England centre Mike Tindall was fined £25,000 and booted from the team following a drunken night out at a “dwarf-throwing” event held at Queenstown’s Altitude Bar. Manu Tuilgali received scorn for making a spectacle of himself by taking a dive off a ferry, one day after his team was eliminated from the tournament.
England’s disappointing showing both on and off the pitch led to a routing of the team’s leadership. Coach Martin Johnson resigned, and Captain Lewis Moody retired from the sport altogether.