Wasps, the two-time champions of Europe, face changing in cow sheds if they take up their place at the foot of English rugby’s pyramid.
They will play at clubs where opponents share the same dressing room and take on teams whose post-match regime is less about ice baths than downing yards of ale.
This is the fate awaiting one of the sport’s most famous names, one which won the Premiership six times and was coached by Ian McGeechan, Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards. Star players included Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley, Josh Lewsey and Matt Dawson yet Wasps went bust in October with debts totalling £95 million.
