Premiership II plans announced

The disdain shown to the Championship Clubs in my opinion is deplorable as shown in how Cambridge and Chinnor were treated.

Don’t be surprised then when the likes of Worcester, Wasps & Irish resurface to restore the old guard with ready made plans to have stadiums in excess of 10,000 and I know Worcesters already is.

I really believe they don’t care about the Championship or any leagues below.

While self interest dictates proceedings, the clubs will be grateful for pickings like beggars, being thrown bones to the floor by the Kings and courtiers at the high table in the dark ages.

Why not just admit the three aforementioned clubs directly into the Prem and let the Championship clubs and below have their own control?

Rugby is alive and well in the National Leagues but aside from the established clubs and a few exceptions no one comes near 10,000 in attendances.

I have been in Clifton Lane with more than 4,000 in it, packed to the rafters with temporary stands etc and an absolutely fantastic atmosphere when we played the likes of Quins and Saracens. This is what Rugby is. Not watching the likes of London Irish playing at the Madejski Stadium with 4 or 5 thousand rattling around in a 20 odd thousand stadium. 

When will these people learn? This is not football. Sure some teams get great attendances but they will not get them at every game, unlike the Internationals and most of the established clubs in the Prem, with the exception of Sale & Newcastle. 

From the attendances I have been able to find Newcastle average around 5,000 (some more, some less) which in itself tells a story. How long have they been in the Prem now? Quite a long time. Not a Rugby city.

 How many clubs outside the current Prem get crowds even half the 10,000 ? Sure if teams go up there might be the novelty factor, but consistently…I think not, and certainly not when the poor club starts getting a few beatings.

This is the Prem by the way. I have not even mentioned Championship attendances yet.

The criteria is absolute tosh and needs to be called out for the sham that it is.

Wake up!!! Why are they trying to kill the club game below the Prem? It would be better if they did nothing.

Exeter & Worcester are relatively new and are exceptions, but most of the rest such as Leicester, Gloucester, Bath have always played at level 1. 

Harlequins, Newcastle, Sarries and Sale have only fleetingly been outside the top flight in the last 30 years. Bristol more so, but they always got back…..after a few beatings from Roth along the way😜

Saracens for me was the worst of the bunch where, I recall during Covid, a restricted season 2020/21 of 11 games in the Championship was put together to secure them promotion, with a season starting in March!!!

Would they have done it for Pirates, Ealing or Roth? I think we all know the answer to that.

I must admit I did smile when Sarries lost 25-17 at Pirates in their first game that season. For a moment I wondered what would have happened if they finished second? Oops they did. They had a play off over two legs with Ealing. Playing a star studded squad they hammered Ealing, with the likes of Farrell and Vinopola in their team. Ealing never stood a chance.

The Prem is a mess. Don’t let them ruin the Championship too and the proud clubs in it who work their hind legs off to get where they are, just to let some so called failed big names in. 

As I said just parachute those who can achieve those attendances ( in a proper Primary Rugby ground- not football stadiums) into the Prem and let them sort the mess out. Then let the rest get on with proper club Rugby.