Premiership II plans announced

Only 3 teams haven’t posted the championship response on their website/socials; Ealing, Hartpury and London Scottish. Hartpury don’t even have their team news on the website so will let them off. Not sure if anything can be read into the other 2…

If there ever was a singular identifiable reason to dismiss the RFU's hogwash and absurdity of a franchise model for Premiership 11 Caldy's win yesterday over a full time and in form Doncaster Knights is it.

Big Eddie wrote: If there ever was a singular identifiable reason to dismiss the RFU's hogwash and absurdity of a franchise model for Premiership 11 Caldy's win yesterday over a full time and in form Doncaster Knights is it. Caldy's squad of part time players comprised: - 4 players who came through Caldy's mini and juniors  - 12 players who are local lads and have played for Caldy through the National Leagues culminating in the promotion to the Championship in 2022 - 4 lads who live locally and joined Caldy this season from lower league sides  - 1 player from Cheshire who was playing for Jersey and has now returned home - 2 dual registered players from Sale Sharks (1 starting and 1 on the bench) Of the above 23 players 5 stepped up from Caldy's 2nd xv for the Doncaster game Isn't this what club rugby is all about? Players which the local community can recognise and get behind to go on a journey based upon merit not some boll**ks franchise criteria based on branding, facilities and some other unfathomable criteria which will not include 'merit'.  Bill Sweeney should come to Paton Field and explain to the 1,500 plus supporters who regularly attend Paton Field why their enthusiasm and passionate support isn't wanted by the rFU and they should instead support 'Wasps' or 'Worcester' or Darlington Mowden Park. Sweeney's recent comments are patronising, insulting, undemocratic and self serving This franchise model must not succeed!!

It's much like the vanity project that was rugby X. A fast 5 a side game that could be played in small areas and reach a new demographic and audience perfect for inner-city schools. The problem is that 90% of all target inner-city schools don't have facilities that allow any contact sport to be played. Lots of bluster and marketing and talk of expanding the game but absolutely no research done beforehand. 

Robb wrote: London Scottish do seem to have a bit of a tie up with Civil Service RFC by the fact that the Scottish 2nd XV seem to have priority on the CS first team pitch and they appear to have funded a new 3G there. So perhaps there is a plan in the pipeline?

I presume LS are waiting to be told by Quins which way they should go - bearing in mind half their team are DR or Loans from Quins.

Is it possible that the PR2 will be filled with Premiership 2nd teams - they have access to qualifying grounds and need somewhere for thereAcademy players to play.

Would also mean more RFU money coming their way.

Monkey Magic wrote: Robb wrote: Camquin wrote: I am told he was at lunch at the RAG. I do not know if he stayed for the match. If he did, he would have seen a match played in good spirits between two well-matched sides. Both assembled on a miniscule budget. Scottish do not own the RAG, so I do not believe they have any plans to develop it. Cambridge, certainly, could not bring Grantchester Rd up to Premiership standard. So, if that is a requirement, we would both be out. I am sure our chairmen will have made a case, possibly in more diplomatic words than I would have used.   London Scottish do seem to have a bit of a tie up with Civil Service RFC by the fact that the Scottish 2nd XV seem to have priority on the CS first team pitch and they appear to have funded a new 3G there. So perhaps there is a plan in the pipeline? London Scottish do not have a 2nd XV - only half a 1st XV !! That is all they have- hence an average of 11 DRs/loans per game this season.   The London Scottish Lions are a separate club hence LS had to loan a forward from them even though they are  level 7 or 8 ( who sat on the bench) to fulfil the front row criteria for the Ealing game

Edited by Robb - 24 Dec 2023 at 19:17

Is it not a good idea to put down in writing a template of what the Championship sides want going forward. I can start things off. Please feel free to add some ideas, mock my suggestions, and suggest amendments, but let's see if we can build up a blueprint.

I am assuming the premiership will remain a ten club outfit.

I am suggesting the Championship becomes a 14 team league, with the top three teams from National League One joining in.

TEAMS
1.     Ealing Trailfinders
2.     Coventry
3.     Bedford
4.     Doncaster
5.     Cornish Pirates
6.     Hartpury College
7.     Ampthill
8.     Caldy
9.     Cambridge
10.     London Scottish
11.     Nottingham
12.     Chinnor
13.     Rams
14.     Plymouth Albion

PROMOTION AND RELEGATION
•     There will be no play offs.
•     The team who finishes top of the Championship will be promoted to the Premiership, swapping places with the bottom team in the Premiership.
•     The team who finishes top of the Championship must have a ground capacity of 5,001 plus.
•     The two teams who finish bottom in the Championship will be relegated and replaced by the top two sides in National League One.

SQUADS
•     The squads for each Championship side cannot exceed 35.
•     Full details of the squad must be submitted one week before the first game of the season.
•     The introduction of a transfer window in January every year.

FUNDING
•     The RFU will fund each club with a minimum of £500,000 per annum.
•     A TV contract will be agreed to show live Championship matches with the monies being split equally between all the Championship sides.

Just a bit of fun really with a serious hidden side.

The Championship teams stick together and the franchises are dead in the water and so is the RFU, this is a  war, sadly there are rarely winners in such situations.