Sorry if I am being thick here, does that mean that even if Falcons finish second they will still be the 13th side as they are a stakeholder in the Prem???
Nope, it's a fair question to ask. It *should* be whoever wins the Championship next season, whether that's Falcons, Ealing, Cornish Pirates, Jersey, etc. I have a sneaking suspicion that if they come second, there'll be some finagling around criteria to ensure that whoever won wasn't allowed to come up. That said, Newcastle must be favourites to win by quite a margin at the moment.