Gloucester are fighting it out to try and make top 4 and the play offs but need to face Saracens who are trying to get top spot

Leicester are top but play Wasps who have a remote chance of Top 6

Exeter (at Quins) and Sale (at Bristol) are also trying to make the Top 6

Saints v Newcastle - one trying to stay in the top 4 and the other having an outside chance of coming bottom.

Then Worcester v Bath, the big winner takes all with the loser getting… oh wait it’s just a dead rubber which would have been a sell out and now have virtually no one turning up at present.

https://twitter.com/worcsfaithful/status/1531295153868226561?s=21&t=OkLf97ROHVrHguo74E9aVA" rel="nofollow - https://twitter.com/worcsfaithful/status/1531295153868226561?s=21&t=OkLf97ROHVrHguo74E9aVA

What a weekend it could have been, every game had something in it. Now only one that doesn’t!

Everyone says that they don't want to see London Welsh repeated, but if they don't, then the easiest way around that is to not force teams to move to football grounds where they lose a big chunk of their revenue. Both of Wus/Bath deserve to be relegated.

In all honesty, I really hate the idea of a promotion/relegation playoff. Neither team will be able to recruit correctly, and are therefore much more likely to yo-yo back down. The argument that you needed to be rid of the playoffs in the Championship had some merit (although I didn't like it at the time), as it allows teams to start recruiting earlier.

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of our play-off win over Pirates at the Kassam.  In that first year in the Premiership we won five games, had five points deducted and still finished on 23 points, 10 points behind Worcester, who had won the same number of games.  But nobody remembers how well we did that year because it's overshadowed by what happened two years later and the subsequent fallout from that season.

But the most important thing is that every other ambitious club in the country has (hopefully) learned from our mistakes, and those clubs should never be penalised for our stupidity.

As someone who went to every home game at the Kassam that season (actually I went to most home games probably for all three seasons - helpful that they were mostly on Sundays*), it still feels that LW were shafted by the points deduction, that was where the tails went down. Although, I'm pretty sure that the last game of the season was against Worcester, who LW beat, despite having already been relegated? Or did I dream that?

Anyway, LW should be well proud of the 12/13 season, and the 13/14*. I remember the hope and expectation at the beginning of 15/16, but then they got tonked in the first game, then I went to Bath away the next week (the sun was shining and I didn't fancy Mose's opposition so went to a rare Saturday LW match) and they got tonked again. It was clear right at the start of the season that it was hopeless.

*I lived in Oxford at the time, so premiership rugby on the doorstep was a temptation

Lyn Jones worked a number of miracles that season, he just couldn't quite work enough. Gordon Ross was immense too.

The other thing they could do is pay the promoted club the same as the others, not pay the relegated club and remove the need to buy the P-Shares by replacing the current company by one limited by guarantee, so the shares have a nominal value.

But they don't - and while their actions are not quite that of a cartel, which would be illegal, to a non-lawyer, it looks very close.

OldNick wrote: What has this thread got to do with the Championship?

Not a lot to chat about on this forum Old Nick so I think we need to be flexible. 

lack of promotion and relegation?

Clubhouse chat is nice and flexible.

It’s to do with whether there is movement to & fro between the Championship & the league above. This is of interest to many Championship followers, quite a few of whom (including you, ON) have commented on quite similar issues in the rival thread ‘Promoting the Championship’… 

Audience figures up this year? Do they mean attendance, compared to last year when no one was allowed in stadia? I can't believe that the number of eyes per week on rugby are up based on TV figures, especially as many fewer games have been shown on TV. I'd be surprised if Worcester vs. Bath gets 5000 attendees.

You can’t believe that viewing figures are up despite more games being on itv/channel 4 than previous years? The Sale/Leicester game had close to a million viewers. 1 game drew about 5 times the standard viewing figures. That audience rising, I’d assume, also includes the amount of people watching highlights on YouTube. The number of fans at stadiums is down about 200,000 over the season compared to the last full season, although that doesn’t take into account of the last game of the season yet to take place or the covid cancellations that took place. So even then, the statement that the figures are up is probably true. 

It was the right decision in order to preserve the 13 clubs that have existed within the Premiership. It's a miracle that they've survived after what has gone on over the last few years.”

and (as usual) stuff all those below the top table who suffered as least at much, with level 2 crippled by mandatory testing and no crowds and level 3 and below losing a full 18 months of fixtures...

This last round of Prem rugby games, only 2 have any consequence as there is no relegation battles going on. In one of those Sarries fielded a 2nd/3rd team as they’ve already qualified in 2nd place in the league, and they are playing a side that could come fourth, depending on the other match, Sarries lost 54-7, but it didn’t matter, to them.

I will say hats off the Leicester who had already finished top, but still fielded a first choice team.

This will happen every year, a string of pointless games at the end of the season, unless we keep relegation to the Championship open, it’s only the money men who want ring fencing.

Money men with no interest in the game whatsoever it would seem too, turgid dead rubbers as long as "their" investment is safe. The game is dying on it's feet, seems Wasps have not paid dividends due and windup orders are in place for certain parts of their financial empire(no idea what it all means) and the RFU/PRL seem to be just sweeping it under the carpet.

Bath and their modern stadium, relegated.

Ealing and their antiquated ground, promoted.

Oh, hang on...

PRL and the RFU are very good at sweeping things under the carpet. Particularly when Mr Wray provides the broom remember.

 any team who comes top at the end of the season should win it outright , end of story

Equally the cost of a half decent ticket was crazy for a neutral. £50 or £60? A joke.

Last time I saw a Prem. game, Lynagh was still Saracen's Fly Half. Looks like that won't change any time soon.

It was the right decision in order to preserve the 13 clubs that have existed within the Premiership. It's a miracle that they've survived after what has gone on over the last few years.”

and (as usual) stuff all those below the top table who suffered as least at much, with level 2 crippled by mandatory testing and no crowds and level 3 and below losing a full 18 months of fixtures...

Level 2 crippled by mandatory testing - all in order to play half a season to get the Cheats promoted!