Wray affirms his commitment to Sarries
October 16, 2000

Nigel Wray, Sarries' millionaire owner who has spent an estimated £10 million backing the league leaders, has confirmed he will be under-writing the club for as long as it takes to bring peace to English rugby.

The Rugby Football Union management board meets on Wednesday to try and find a formula to end the row over promotion and relegation to the Zurich Premiership and until this is sorted the top clubs will not receive funding of £750,000 owed to each outfit this season.

That should have been paid in £150,000-a-month instalments but cannot be handed over until every aspect of the Rob Andrew blueprint for the game's future is signed by both sides. Many top clubs are struggling financially and Wray told the Evening Standard, "With the possible exception of Leicester, everyone is making a big loss.

"We could cut outgoings by ending the Academy and the community programmes but what would we achieving then - nothing.

"I am having to fund the club in the present situation and it's hardly ideal.

"It has been assessed that the 'greedy' owners had put in around £150m to fund the game at the top and that is a very strange definition of being 'greedy'. Greed is normally about taking money out, not putting it in."

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