Tom Ilube has stepped down as Rugby Football Union chairman, pre-empting the possibility of a grassroots rebellion forcing him out over the scale of the organisation's executive bonuses.

Ilube, who was appointed in August 2021, faced the possibility of a vote of no-confidence in his leadership as a motion to sack him gathered support among England's community clubs.

The RFU chairman is the only permanent member of the body's remuneration committee which oversees the pay awarded to all employees on a basic salary of more than 180,000 a year.

"I have decided to step down from my role as chair of the RFU as recent events have become a distraction from the game but will stay on to ensure a smooth transition to a new chair as soon as one is in place," said Ilube.

Several newspapers have reported that former World Rugby chair Bill Beaumont, a Grand Slam-winning England captain in his playing days, could return to the RFU in an interim role., external

The RFU's latest accounts, published in November, revealed chief executive Bill Sweeney had been paid a total of 1.1m despite the organisation posting record losses.

Sweeney was paid only 430,000 in 2020 - his first full year in the role - when he took a voluntary 20% pay cut for three months and opted not to take a bonus to limit financial pressure during the pandemic.

However, a three-year incentive plan put in place in 2021, which offered the possibility of large rewards if the RFU's performance hit certain goals, has sent his pay soaring to seven figures.

The RFU's record losses came just two months after the RFU announced the latest round of redundancies.