The Rugby Football Union has announced a 10-year high revenue of £228m in its latest financial accounts, but returned a small overall loss of nearly £2m.

This marks a significant improvement from the £42m loss in 2023-2024, which sparked a furore that threatened chief executive Bill Sweeney’s position.

Sweeney’s salary is £700,000, which includes a bonus, but not from the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) scheme, which proved so controversial this time last year when he took home £1.1m in total.

“This has been a year of progress amid challenges,” Sweeney said.

“We’ve made genuine advances on and off the field, yet we know parts of the game remain under real pressure.”

The latest accounts, which cover June 2024 to June 2025, is the first year of a four-year cycle, with the improved financial outlook helped considerably by seven home men’s internationals in that period.

Conversely, part of the losses in 2023-2024 can be attributed to the high costs of preparing for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, coupled with only five games at Twickenham.