No promotion Again

The wider membership had no appetite for this route either 

No it isnt

As others have said look no further than National League 1 & 2. A very good standard of rugby all played Saturday at 3 o'clock or there abouts.

In my opinion the Championship has had an identity issue for years. Watching the Championship since Hartpury joined we've had the relegated side from the Prem almost certain to go back up along with a side who broke the rules and was going back up whatever, mixed with a few full time clubs chasing a place at the top table that never comes. Then you have the ever presents like Bedford & Nottingham along with the likes of Pury, Scottish & Richmond looking over thier shoulder to avoid the relegation if there is relegation.

A Premiership with an odd number of teams? Something wrong there.

You're lucky with Championship at Bedford & Ampthill, Cambridge in National 1 not too far and Bedford Athletic in lower leagues.

I'm happy with National 1 standard, although it would be great to have a knockout Cup Competition with Championship clubs as a measure.

Be great to have England Counties touring again!

I blame the East Stand overspend of £25m+

Ealing withdrew legal action last year on a promise that a practical solution would be found. Yet what was agreed was simply a reiteration of the previous 10,001 criteria, with the minor concession that actual construction might be delayed by a season if planning permission was in place. No prospect of sustainable phased ground expansion over time.

Whatever one’s feelings about Ealing’s low crowds and lack of market for a further Premiership Club in West London, I say good luck to them if they are finally going to take the Premiership’s protectionist and anti-competitive methods on in the courts. It is time these things were put to the proof.

I’m sure I read last year that they’d taken on some very expensive counsel and were in a great position to take on PRL and the RFU. Then they dropped the threat and we had the quotes from the RFU about the need for sustainability which looked like a move in the right direction.

In the aftermath of the Wasps and Worcester debacle and the RFU’s hounding in front of the DCMS their adherence to a (largely) unchanged set of criteria doesn’t sit well with the wider rugby-supporting and sporting public.

I hope Mike Gooley wipes the floor with them. When Bournemouth secured promotion to the Premier League and their lovely (little) ground didn’t meet the League’s minimum standard rules the League rewrote the rules.

I remarked to my husband this morning that said meeting could be interesting. Particularly with the more outspoken leaders in the Championship, thinking especially of my own club Nottingham- Mr Bow isn’t exactly the shy and retiring type when it comes to subjects like this and it will be very interesting to see what the verdict is. 

As for Ealing, I read the column in the Rugby Paper too and I have to agree with hoping that Sir Mike and his big scary London lawyers wipe the proverbial floor with the RFU. About time someone stood up to them. 

More chance of the JERSEY RED RUSCKIES. with your Russian connections .