Season over

I don’t see any point in debating about play offs. RFU have declared the season over which means no more Rugby.

It is not like football where they are still advocating trying to complete the season, but sooner or later, whether they like it or not, a line will have to be drawn on that.

However, there are some difficulties with just declaring the season null and void, such as, Saracens have been relegated. Canterbury and Hull Ionians are relegated. Caldy are promoted. There may be more but to null and void the season would be grossly unfair in the case of Caldy in particular.

However, it then starts to get a little fuzzy in terms of the powers of the RFU because I believe, being a secondary sport compared to football, there would be a lesser appetite (not to mention money)for legal battles in so far as clubs below the Premiership are concerned, possibly with the exception of Newcastle & Ealing.

Given what has happened with Saracens, they must go down. In the Championship, Newcastle have won every game and Leeds have lost every game. Now I understand that technically neither are both over or under the line yet, but realistically are Newcastle going to be caught? Are Leeds actually going to win a game given the thumpings they have already had in every game, never mind win the several games they would need to win to have even the remotest chance of catching anyone?

The answer to this is a profound no.

National 1. Although Richmond are clear leaders it could be argued that they could still be caught by a number of teams. At the bottom, Hull Ionians and Canterbury are relegated. They cannot catch Moseley.

Rotherham are currently in the 3rd relegation spot four points behind Moseley with 5 games to go. Moseley are in free fall and Roth are in better form, having been 13 points behind Mose quite recently. Both run ins are quite tough but the odd bonus point here or there could make all the difference. It is not cut and dried. 

In Division 2  North,Caldy have won the league but with 5 games to go, realistically any of 3 teams could still get 2nd place.

In Division 2 South, with 5 games to go, 4 teams could still theoretically win the league. Not cut and dried.

In these cases if I had the decision, 

Caldy would be promoted Hull Ionians would be relegated to balance the North, both Roth and Mose would stay up, and (here’s a curved ball) Canterbury would also stay up on the basis that there is no clear winner in National 2 South, or put another way, unlike Caldy in the North there is no outstanding team in the South. There is a significant gap between Nat 1 and Nat 2. 

The only other option is to write off the season and everyone starts again in the same league, which in my opinion would be astonishing as it would shatter Caldy and Newcastle and would give totally undeserved reprieves for Saracens and Leeds.