The fate of Bill Sweeney, the embattled chief executive of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), will be decided post-Six Nations after the governing body climbed down and agreed to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) 24 hours after rejecting an initial request.

On Thursday, the RFU was accused of “postponing the inevitable” after rejecting a vote of no confidence in Sweeney on technical grounds. The governing body claimed that the rebels, who had support from 152 clubs and were calling for a termination of Sweeney’s employment “as soon as practicably possible”, had only supplied a list of the clubs rather than two signatories from each. Hence, the RFU claimed that the rebels’ form did “not comply with the relevant requirements and [was] therefore invalid as a requisition for an SGM”.

On Friday evening, however, the RFU confirmed that it was “in the process of validating additional information that had now been provided to request an SGM” and that “a date would be announced in the next two weeks” for a meeting to be held after the culmination of the men’s Six Nations.

Sweeney, who is facing the greatest revolt of any RFU chief executive in the modern era, has been in the eye of the storm since it emerged that he was paid £1.1 million, including a £358,000 long-term incentive plan bonus, after a year in which his organisation announced 42 redundancies and record loss to reserves of £37.9m. Five other executive directors shared a bonus of around £1m. An independent review of the long-term incentive plans has also been commissioned.

“The RFU is in the process of validating the additional information that has now been provided to request a Special General Meeting (SGM),” the governing body’s statement read.

“The notice to request an SGM contained a significant number of inaccuracies, however, the RFU respects the right of its members to call for an SGM and for their views to be heard.

“A date for the SGM will be announced in the next two weeks and it will take place after the Guinness Men’s Six Nations has concluded.”

Sweeney still retains full confidence of the RFU

RFU sources have confirmed that Sweeney still retains the full confidence of the executive board and that the SGM is likely to take place in March or April.

Reacting to the news, Sir Bill Beaumont sent an open letter to England’s clubs. Beaumont was appointed as interim board chair after the resignation of Tom Ilube last month in light of the scandal, with the former England captain describing the current situation as a “very serious moment for English rugby”.

“It is very clear the game wants and needs unity, and it is my priority to help to bring the game together,” Beaumont wrote.

“Unity does not mean no challenge or debate. I hear and empathise with some of the concerns around the payment of a long-term incentive plan. I want to understand how decisions were taken, and it is right that an independent review of the process has been commissioned.

“This is a serious moment for the game of rugby in England. There have been demands for change without clarity on the real reasons why, or proposals for an alternative vision. There has been a call for a Special General Meeting and we will respect the right of members to have their views heard. 

“Our sport has a long history of infighting and we sometimes lose sight of what is best for rugby as a whole. Whatever we do next, it needs to be for the good of the English game. 

“We need to listen and be supportive of one another. That is why I will be hitting the road on a nationwide tour of rugby clubs in January and February, so we can debate and agree a united way forward.”