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The RFU remains braced for a difficult financial year, despite announcing a profit of £9 million on last season’s operations.

The collapse of the corporate market continues to hit hard, even though the revenue produced by the completed South Stand, including a Marriott Hotel, is a significant step towards making Twickenham a business 365 days a year.

“They’re a solid set of results,” Francis Baron, the RFU chief executive, said of a balance sheet for 2008-9 that shows turnover of £119.2 million, an increase of 20 per cent on the previous year. However the results were influenced heavily by two additional internationals at Twickenham last season, whereas this campaign will feature only next month’s three games and two home matches in the RBS Six Nations Championship.

Of the three November internationals, those against Australia (November 7) and New Zealand (November 21) are all but sold out and an attendance of 75,000 is anticipated for the clash with Argentina (November 14). “The corporate market is pretty flat and may not come back for 12 months,” Baron said.

Even so, the union will be encouraged that attendances for Guinness Premiership matches have shown an average increase of about 17 per cent and Harlequins have sold more than 20,000 tickets for their December 27 meeting with London Wasps at Twickenham, when they hope to come close to the stadium’s capacity of 82,000.

The sport has also demonstrated a capacity to attract sponsorship, the latest addition being LV=, the insurance, investment and pensions group that has given its name to the reconstituted Anglo-Welsh tournament for the next two years. That competition, involving the 12 Premiership clubs and the four Welsh regions, begins next month.

Meanwhile Gloucester are away to Sale Sharks in the Premiership this evening, attempting to reverse a string of poor results against opponents whom they have not beaten at Edgeley Park since 2002. It is also a significant game for Mike Tindall, who returns from a hamstring injury suffered against Leeds Carnegie on October 4.

Should Tindall demonstrate his fitness, he has every chance of selection for England against Australia. The outside centre berth is between him and Dan Hipkiss, of Leicester, with Tindall’s experience and physical presence balanced against a chequered fitness record in recent years. Sale’s midfield includes Andy Tuilagi, who must face an RFU disciplinary panel on Tuesday after being cited for a dangerous tackle during the defeat by Northampton last weekend.

(Source: Timesonline.co.uk)