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    Posted: 20 Mar 2020 at 13:38
The RFU have released a statement confirming that the season for level 2 clubs and below is now over.

"In order to provide clarity and to assist with immediate and longer term planning, the Rugby Football Union is announcing the end of the 2019/20 rugby season for all league, cup and county rugby in England.  The only exception to this is the Gallagher Premiership, who we are in active discussions with to review possible best next steps.

When current government advice on social distancing measures changes, we will naturally encourage rugby training and friendlies to recommence.  

I would like to personally thank everyone for their swift actions in suspending rugby activity, this is not an easy time and I know many of you will have concerns that go beyond the game.

We are working through the implications of ending the season early and have instigated a thorough process to ensure fair and balanced outcomes for the game.  We will communicate these outcomes by the middle of April. While we would like to provide all the answers now, we need some time to get it right for the best interests of the game.  Rest assured we are working on this as a priority and we will continue to send weekly updates to clubs."
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Saw this on ESPN, and they added that Newcastle were being promoted. I'd love to know how the RFU can continue to plan a funding cut to the Championship when the teams are now losing a huge chunk of their 2019/20 revenue. Unless the 6 nations fixtures are cancelled, then the RFU should have the money to keep these clubs afloat.
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Sorry to hear this, but sadly not too surprised. I feel that the Premiership will have to follow suit because this virus isn’t going away overnight. Stay safe everyone.
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Originally posted by gerg_861 gerg_861 wrote:

Saw this on ESPN, and they added that Newcastle were being promoted. I'd love to know how the RFU can continue to plan a funding cut to the Championship when the teams are now losing a huge chunk of their 2019/20 revenue. Unless the 6 nations fixtures are cancelled, then the RFU should have the money to keep these clubs afloat.

Amusingly, got a copy of Ealing Trailfinder times through the letterbox just as I posted this.
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Originally posted by gerg_861 gerg_861 wrote:

Saw this on ESPN, and they added that Newcastle were being promoted. I'd love to know how the RFU can continue to plan a funding cut to the Championship when the teams are now losing a huge chunk of their 2019/20 revenue. Unless the 6 nations fixtures are cancelled, then the RFU should have the money to keep these clubs afloat.

The line highlighted is definitely premature at this point. We await news in mid-April apparently...

Whereas the Welsh have just said the season is cancelled. No-one goes up, and no-one goes down, because no-one was mathematically guaranteed to go up or down. Pontypool had won 16/16 in the Championship, similar to Newcastle in our league (15/15), although their lead only 5pts against Newcastle's 18 (with a game in hand)...

Some really tough leagues that even a qualified 'pools panel' might struggle with. Our Island neighbours Guernsey leading their league on pts difference with 4 to play, and the 3rd-placed side only 3 pts behind - sort that out!
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What a season

Delayed start
Stupid cup no one wanted played first
RFU announce funding cut
Ends early

All clubs will have lost a lot of money, I imagine the Blues have lost 4 home games and a lot of money, with gate receipts, matchday sales and sponsorship, maybe refunds. I'd guess at least £250k+.

Only bonus is that now they have months to work out how to structure it better for next season.
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Originally posted by islander islander wrote:

Originally posted by gerg_861 gerg_861 wrote:

Saw this on ESPN, and they added that Newcastle were being promoted. I'd love to know how the RFU can continue to plan a funding cut to the Championship when the teams are now losing a huge chunk of their 2019/20 revenue. Unless the 6 nations fixtures are cancelled, then the RFU should have the money to keep these clubs afloat.

The line highlighted is definitely premature at this point. We await news in mid-April apparently...

Whereas the Welsh have just said the season is cancelled. No-one goes up, and no-one goes down, because no-one was mathematically guaranteed to go up or down. Pontypool had won 16/16 in the Championship, similar to Newcastle in our league (15/15), although their lead only 5pts against Newcastle's 18 (with a game in hand)...

Some really tough leagues that even a qualified 'pools panel' might struggle with. Our Island neighbours Guernsey leading their league on pts difference with 4 to play, and the 3rd-placed side only 3 pts behind - sort that out!

Sadly there is no real fair way. In my view, they could freeze the leagues as they are except for if a club has 100% earned promotion and if a club in the league above is 100% relegated then they can just simply switch them.  In Guernsey's case that can't happen otherwise Wimbledon and Rochford will have the solicitors on the phone.


Edited by Robb - 20 Mar 2020 at 22:43
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Obviously this has ramifications all the way down the league pyramid. 

By making the statement that the season is over means, to me, that teams stay placed where they currently stand for the purposes of determining promotion and relegation. However, the season being over, means that no play-offs can be played to determine who joins the automatically promoted teams. The RFU have two options:
1. Declare, that as play-off games could not take place, only one or two teams instead of two or three (dependent on the pyramid level) would be promoted (Thereby reprieving one team from the league above from relegation and denying one of two teams from being promoted). 
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2. Using the criteria currently in place in determining who would have got home advantage in the play-off, declare that team as the second or third team to be promoted.
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Either way, someone is going to be hacked off and there are of course appeals procedures that can be made, but I guess that it would be difficult to overturn a decision, once made. 
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My club are in this play-off position scenario and would stand to gain under option 2. Coincidentally, and not that this should have any bearing whatsoever, we played the other side involved in a pre-season friendly, winning 32-26. 
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Any other views come to mind ? 
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Apart from moving from Nat 1 to the Championship there is no great financial advantage to being promoted. More clubs promoted at the end of last season have struggled than have thrived. Given the totally unknown financial circumstances that clubs will be in at the end of this crisis period - how much debt they are now in, how many sponsors have withdrawn, how many players no longer have jobs, how many members do not renew subscriptions- would clubs close to the top of their current league not want to stay there rather than dive into the unknown of a league higher up with higher travel and potentially higher player costs? Could clubs offered promotion decline it?
WR sorry but pre-season friendlies are meaningless in this context-but nice try!
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To be fair to myself I did say it shouldnt have any bearing. Just such a coincidence in this case. Great point about clubs declining promotion, given the parlous situation that many may find themselves in. I think that clubs should and will re-evaluate what could possibly happen next season in respect of the things you mention. On the topic issue of how the RFU decide I hope they are canvassing the clubs involved and giving as much attention to the grass roots and community clubs as they do to the fat cats in the Premiership. That however is threaded and embedded elsewhere in this forum. 
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I don't see how you can just draw a line when the plug was pulled and say whoever is top of "x" division wins the league (and presumably with it automatic promotion). There are very few Leagues, if any, where all the teams have played the same number of games. Whilst I believe a "Pools panel" would probably be the best way to predict likely winners etc I do not believe the RFU will be remotely "a*sed" to carry out such a laborious task right down the pyramid. Average points per game has its merits but takes no account of the form teams who may have started slowly but have worked themselves to the fringes by winning every game since November whilst some who began strongly have tailed off but still head their respective Leagues (there are many examples around the Leagues)
Alternatively it would seem an ideal time to implement the changes to the League structure although the RFU may argue that the review/consultation process has not yet been completed (as if they're going to take any notice anyway?!?!) - even if they do this they still have to come up with a way of determining final league positions - see above. Implementation would spare many clubs the ignomony of relegation and give promotion to many clubs down the ladder (especially 5 to 4 where 10 clubs will be needed to boost Level 4 from 32 to 42 meaning 1st placed, 2nd placed, and some 3rd placed teams will go up from the Regional Prems) 
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Originally posted by Thatbloke Thatbloke wrote:

I don't see how you can just draw a line when the plug was pulled and say whoever is top of "x" division wins the league (and presumably with it automatic promotion). There are very few Leagues, if any, where all the teams have played the same number of games. Whilst I believe a "Pools panel" would probably be the best way to predict likely winners etc I do not believe the RFU will be remotely "a*sed" to carry out such a laborious task right down the pyramid. Average points per game has its merits but takes no account of the form teams who may have started slowly but have worked themselves to the fringes by winning every game since November whilst some who began strongly have tailed off but still head their respective Leagues (there are many examples around the Leagues)
Alternatively it would seem an ideal time to implement the changes to the League structure although the RFU may argue that the review/consultation process has not yet been completed (as if they're going to take any notice anyway?!?!) - even if they do this they still have to come up with a way of determining final league positions - see above. Implementation would spare many clubs the ignomony of relegation and give promotion to many clubs down the ladder (especially 5 to 4 where 10 clubs will be needed to boost Level 4 from 32 to 42 meaning 1st placed, 2nd placed, and some 3rd placed teams will go up from the Regional Prems) 


Just a thought, although I understand your point re current form, teams that had a good start to the season (in dry fast conditions) then form slipped in heavy mid-season conditions could argue they would be likely to end the season well in conditions similar to those at the start, whereas teams that did well in the mud might not do so well on dry faster end of season pitches.
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Fair point Raider999 - maybe the "boffins" could come up with a "mud factor weighting"? 😂😂
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There will come a point when the RFU can say that the league can start on X date. For those clubs who are in a promotion or relegation scrap why not have pre-season play offs to decide who goes up/ down.
Where there are more clubs then a semi with the higher placed team at home, then a 2 leg final.
Just a thought and it would mean that rugby decides the placings.
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Difficult as many clubs base their recruitment - and wages - based on the league they are in. Clubs need to know as soon as possible but the RFU will take their time. 
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Originally posted by Brizzer Brizzer wrote:

There will come a point when the RFU can say that the league can start on X date. For those clubs who are in a promotion or relegation scrap why not have pre-season play offs to decide who goes up/ down.
Where there are more clubs then a semi with the higher placed team at home, then a 2 leg final.
Just a thought and it would mean that rugby decides the placings.


It would then be too late for fixtures to be done, teams to sign players good enough for the level they will play at a couple of weeks later.

RFU have made it clear.   T H I S   S E A S O N   I S   O V E R - N O    P L A Y   O F F S
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There are some good suggestions as to what to do with relegations and promotions..........but unfortunately you are all wasting your grey cells....!!! the RFU will decide what will happen so we will just have to wait and see what a total and utter clusterf%ck they will make of it....... Just look at the Leeds affair last season, the Saracens affair and the Championship mess.....
Leeds to be promoted to the Premiership( so many Yorkshiremen in the RFU)
Saracens to remain in the Premiership....
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Richmond deducted 105 points....just for having the barefaced audacity to question the RFU over the Leeds debacle!!!!
Who knows what the Really Fu%%in Useless will do...
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Rant No. 2......
We all love the game of Rugby.....we all want our teams to do well......promotion and glory are so important to so many........
But look at the bigger picture.......over the next 4-5 weeks thousands of people could die in the UK, families devistated by the loss of life, communities wrecked by unemployment. Just look at what is happening in Italy and Spain.........We all love Rugby, the game will still be there in months to come whilst many people will not.
If lawsuits proliferate it will only line the pockets of dispicable lawyers........
Into the second day of Prohibition.....looking for a Speakeasy 
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Originally posted by Toulouse Toulouse wrote:

Rant No. 2......
We all love the game of Rugby.....we all want our teams to do well......promotion and glory are so important to so many........
But look at the bigger picture.......over the next 4-5 weeks thousands of people could die in the UK, families devistated by the loss of life, communities wrecked by unemployment. Just look at what is happening in Italy and Spain.........We all love Rugby, the game will still be there in months to come whilst many people will not.
If lawsuits proliferate it will only line the pockets of dispicable lawyers........
Into the second day of Prohibition.....looking for a Speakeasy 
I absolutely agree, with close to 1000 people dying in the U k yesterday, all the Premiership can worry about is trying to figure out how they can start playing again. Get responsible, season over, start again in September (possibly)
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