No Championship club will be promoted to the Gallagher Premiership after Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders failed to meet the standards required to compete in the top flight.
Both Doncaster and Ealing had applied for top-level status in the event of winning the Championship and gaining promotion, however the two applications have been turned down.
The two teams remained well in the hunt to earn the promotion spot, with Doncaster top of the table on 67 points, whilst Ealing sat seven points behind in third.
A key component to meet standards was having a stadium that could hold at least 10,001 spectators, with Doncaster and Ealing’s grounds both only currently just over 5,000.
As a result, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) found that neither of the applying clubs had ‘formal planning permissions’ to expand, or had the power to ground share with a bigger venue.
In a statement the RFU said : “One of the minimum standards criteria is that the stadium must hold a minimum of 10,001 fans…
“Ealing Trailfinders does not currently have a licensed capacity, but the ground holds approximately 5,000 with 2,115 seats.
“Doncaster Knights currently has a capacity of around 5,183 with 1,926 seats.
“As a result, the independent audit has found that neither club has successfully met the Minimum Standards Criteria based on capacity (as well as other factors).”
This means that the Premiership remains as a 13-team league for another season, whilst only one team will make the move up from National One to the Championship.
Do you believe the Premiership should move to a 14-team league? Let us know in the comments section below.
Despite the failed applications RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney revealed that the governing body still remained open to expanding the Premiership in the future.
He said in a statement: “The RFU and PRL would welcome a Championship club being promoted to create a 14-team Gallagher Premiership league.
“In the past, clubs with home grounds which would not meet the Minimum Standards Criteria have nominated other grounds, under a ground-share agreement to provide a bridge between a club developing its own facilities to provide safe, compliant participation in the Premiership.
“The RFU and PRL would like to support and encourage all Championship clubs to continue to develop their proposals for the expansion and development of their grounds including the submission of formal planning applications.
