THE arrival of Nigel Melville in a new role as executive chairman of Premiership Rugby's investor board is a welcome appointment – not least because the former England captain and scrum-half has a depth of rugby knowledge far greater than PRL's previous senior administrators.
However, Melville is likely to find the investor board – inhabited by numerous bigego owners – is a difficult paymaster to satisfy.
One of the first and most contentious issues he will face, and will have to clarify quickly, is where he stands on the thorny issues of promotion- relegation, and ringfencing.
In Melville's previous role as the RFU's director of professional rugby, and interim chief executive, he was clear that he strongly supported promotion-relegation, and opposed the idea of a ringfence around Premiership.
It will be intriguing to see how Melville has managed to square that position with his new job.
