... this season. RFU vote. Story breaking on BBC.
I do hope that is for this season only.
Gloucester must be delighted
So, let's start trying to work out what format we'll be having next season. Here's the runners & riders:
1. Simple ladder playing every other team home & away with one team having a rest each round. Means two more weeks added to the regular season (24 rounds instead of 22). Possibly easiest to plan, although there'll be teams that want to make sure they're playing in certain weeks (e.g. Big Game for us). Plus it would mean that someone's going to be unlucky over the Christmas/New Year time. With an even number of clubs, every club was guaranteed one home fixture over the holiday period (generally their best attended/most financially beneficial apart from certain derby games). Now it'll take a fair bit of shuffling to manage that. Adding in the extra two weeks to the season means there's more chance that the Prem Cup will be de-emphasised to something akin to the A-League, just to fit in the Premiership games without impacting on the summer tour etc. This is the most likely scenario
2. Two pools, one of 7 one of 6. Each club plays the teams in their own pool Home & Away, & the teams in the other pool either home OR away. Would mean 17 regular season games, then top two from each pool go into the knockout phase. It would give more free weeks to fit in the Prem Cup along with better rest periods for the players. Again, it will take a little juggling to try to make sure the clubs get equal numbers of home games (I think it may be impossible for EVERY club to get the same number of games, but I need to do some maths to confirm that. It's an unusual proposition, but it might actually be a good idea from a player welfare perspective.
There may be other permutations, like a three pool system, but I doubt the PRL would want to shake things up too much for fear of alienating BT, the Fans, etc.
I do hope that is for this season only.
I'd imagine it will be until the Cheats get back into the Premiership.
I'd imagine it will be until the Cheats get back into the Premiership.
Presumably that's why they're moving to a 13 team league next season - they expect Sarries to win promotion comfortably.
Or option 3, it stays at 12 teams. Given not a single Championship game has been played yet, how/why are they definitively stating there will be promotion?
Promotion should be on merit. Sadly, money talks and looks like automatic promotion for Sarries regardless.
This is the RFU statement on it:
RFU COUNCIL VOTES IN FAVOUR OF NO PREMIERSHIP RELEGATION
Posted 20 Minutes Ago
RFU
The RFU Council today cast a strong majority vote in favour of no relegation from the Gallagher Premiership or the Greene King IPA Championship for the 2020/21 season.
The key points of the vote are:
At the end of season 2020/21 there will be no relegation from the Premiership into the Championship, and no relegation from the Championship into National One.
Provided the winner of the 2020/21 Greene King IPA Championship is eligible for promotion under the current Minimum Standards Criteria, the 2021/22 season to consist of 13 teams in the Gallagher Premiership and 11 in the Greene King IPA Championship.
Holistic new minimum standards on and off the pitch for promotion to the Gallagher Premiership will be developed between now and the end of May 2021 with involvement and approval from Council which will be designed to promote sustainability in the professional game.
Council members considered the impact Covid-19 has had on all areas of the game, including the earlier decision to suspend promotion and relegation in the community game and the Gallagher Premiership cancelling a significant number of matches in the 2020/21 season.
These cancellations have resulted in a material impact on league positions which could mean relegation based on cancellation not on field merit.
Over the next four months the RFU, Premiership Rugby and Championship representatives will work on recommendations for changes to the season structures for 2021/22 and beyond for both the Premiership and Championship.
It is hoped that proposals will include a different approach to promotion and relegation from the Gallagher Premiership.
The aim will be to retain the ambition of clubs in the Greene King IPA Championship and below and to continue to allow a route to promotion to the Gallagher Premiership. New minimum standard criteria, investment in facilities and club funding will be discussed.
The domestic calendar will be reviewed, which will also allow additional preparation time for the England senior men’s team ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023.
Player welfare will be central to the proposals and the RPA will be consulted on the development of season structures.
It is likely that any season structures may also include a further moratorium on promotion and relegation for three or four seasons, after which the structure will be subject to further review. Those proposals would be subject to a vote of the RFU Council before the end of the 2020/21 season.
“The RFU Council has taken time to understand and discuss all the factors regarding no relegation for this season so that we act in the best interests of all levels of the game," said RFU President HH Jeff Blackett.
"We want to ensure a healthy elite game to support successful winning England teams that generate income to stimulate and preserve the game across all levels.
"The Council will continue to be closely engaged with the proposals from the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the Championship to ensure we maintain the integrity of the future league structures for England Rugby.”
Note the bits I've put in Bold. There's going to be tinkering with the Minimum requirements not just for next season but going forward after that. Plus they're not ruling out relegation being on hold for more than one season.
Or option 3, it stays at 12 teams. Given not a single Championship game has been played yet, how/why are they definitively stating there will be promotion?
Promotion should be on merit. Sadly, money talks and looks like automatic promotion for Sarries regardless.
They are definitively stating it will be 13 teams with a side promoted from the Championship.
They are definitively stating it will be 13 teams with a side promoted from the Championship.
And what if the Championship isn't played or completed in time? They seem determined to get the cheats promoted anyway....
I don't know, I don't work for the RFU! Just saying what they've put in their statement.
Really not keen on two pools.
In terms of clubs missing out on fixtures over Christmas and New Year - that assumes that there will be crowds back by then, which seems pretty unlikely at the moment
Really not keen on two pools.
In terms of clubs missing out on fixtures over Christmas and New Year - that assumes that there will be crowds back by then, which seems pretty unlikely at the moment
I'm not keen on unbalanced pools (6 v 7) but I'm thinking of what works when you're trying to factor in all the games that need to be played from the Premiership, European , and International commitments. *If* as I expect the plan is that a few seasons down the line we're going to expand again to 14 teams in the Premiership, then purely from a player welfare standpoint I think 2 pools of 7 is going to be better than doing what the French have where the players have only a few weeks after the finish of the season before they're back at it. It's not ideal, as you'd end up with one less home game in alternating seasons, but it prevents the whole thing becoming too unwieldy to fit in summer tours, particularly a Lions tour.
My preference was 16 teams (no relegation). Two regional pools of 8 to play home and away plus one fixture against the other 8 (4 home and 4 away). that gives 22 fixtures with 11 at home. Then the top two from each pool enter the playoffs. The championship would be semi-professional only.
Potential North Pool: Sharks, Falcons, Wasps, Tigers, Saints, Warriors, Doncaster, Gloucester
Potential South Pool: Quins, Irish, Salaries; Bath, Exeter, Bristol, Ealing; Pirates or Jersey
or
West Pool: Sharks, Warriors, Gloucester, Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Wasps Pirates or Jersey
East Pool: Quins, Irish, Salaries, Ealing, Tigers, Saints, Doncaster, Falcons
To be really funky you could swap after every two season from North/South to East/West and back.
bbc.co.uk
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