Premiership Rugby chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor has insisted promotion and relegation will return to the top flight.
Championship winners Ealing Trailfinders were denied a place in the Gallagher Premiership next season after their ground failed to meet the minimum capacity requirement meaning no club will come up from the second tier of English rugby's pyramid.
In light of the financial impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on professional rugby club finances, an agreement had already been made to suspend relegation from the Premiership this season, with Saturday's match between Worcester Warriors and Bath Rugby at Sixways likely to decide who finishes bottom of the pile.
But Massie-Taylor said the league is still committed to expanding the top tier from 13 to 14 teams, after which promotion and relegation will return.
“The intention was that we were moving to a 14-team league so it was disappointing that Ealing didn’t pass the standards and come up,” Massie-Taylor told the Telegraph.
“The expectation is that there’ll be promotion next season, then the agreement is promotion and relegation after that. That was what was agreed by the RFU council.
“It is still the intention to have relegation going forward after this moratorium that was really important from a Covid recovery perspective.
“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.”
