• £29m in bailout loans not expected to be recovered
• England full-back Furbank doubtful for Six Nations

Premiership rugby clubs who “have been teetering on the edge” are set to come under further scrutiny by the government over the repayments of their £124m Covid bailout loans.

A report by the National Audit Office details how the Department for Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS] awarded 26% of its £474m loans to Premiership clubs, including £41.6m to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish, who have all since gone bust. According to the report, they are three of nine borrowers who in total received £46.1m and their collective demises mean that the DCMS does not expect to recover up to £29m in loans awarded.