Joe Marler aims dig at RFU ‘dinosaurs’ in the wake of pay scandal

Former England prop Joe Marler and interim RFU chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.
Former England star Joe Marler his hit out at the ‘dinosaurs’ within the Rugby Football Union amidst the scandal currently engulfing the sport in England.
Chairman Tom Ilube resigned from his position on Friday after it was revealed that governing body bigwigs took hefty bonuses despite significant financial losses.
Chief executive Bill Sweeney currently remains in his role but is under pressure to follow Ilube out of the door.
Interim replacement
Former World Rugby boss and England captain Sir Bill Beaumont has stepped in as RFU chairman on an interim basis, but it is a move which has been ridiculed by Marler.
The former prop, who retired from professional rugby last month, took to X (formerly Twitter) with two dinosaur emojis when it was first reported that Beaumont was going to replace Ilube.
He then followed that up with a couple of sarcastic comments, leaving no doubt as to what he thinks about the current state of the RFU.
The 34-year-old wrote: “The sport is so ‘progressive’………”, before he later added: “Looking forward to hearing his (Beaumont) modern visions for English rugby.”
The RFU have consistently been accused of being an ‘old boys club’ and the latest scandal will not help shake those views.
Former chair Martyn Thomas has been a critic of the current regime and recently put his name to an open letter which called on resignations in the wake of the pay row.
‘Clearly needs to go’
“Sweeney clearly needs to go, on the basis of the decisions that have been made and the expenditure that’s been involved,” Thomas told Planet Rugby on Friday.
“I will be very surprised if the Council don’t pass a vote of no confidence in him. And if they do and his position becomes untenable, it’ll merely be how much is the cheque going to be to disappear.
“I think there has to be, unfortunately, a clear out,” added the 80-year old. “Personally, I’d ask the Council at their meeting to pass a resolution of no confidence in the chief executive to require him to go.
“I would then say, ‘Look guys, as far as the rest of the Board is concerned, I suggest we reserve judgement. We concentrate on getting the right people in place to find a CEO that can transition the union properly from the amateur game to the professional game.
“I don’t think you need to rush into it because Bill won’t actually alter anything. He’ll keep a steady hand on the tiller without making any changes.”
READ MORE: RFU Chair steps down amid salary scandal with Sir Bill Beaumont return potentially on the cards