Exclusive: Championship threaten to revive play-off system and add to Saracens woe

SARACENS‘ expected procession back into the Premiership might have to negotiate extra hurdles with Championship clubs threatening to restore the play-offs.

Nottingham chairman Alistair Bow has warned the measure could be taken in response to the controversial funding cuts announced by the RFU and Premier Rugby Limited (PRL) for 2020/21, which would result in clubs losing over £130,000.

With PRL reducing their commitment to English rugby’s second tier, a proven breeding ground for top-flight players, Bow believes the Championship are within their rights to change the structure of the competition and revert back to play-offs, where the top four sides fight it out to decide promotion rather than the first-past-the-post system currently employed.

Bow told The Rugby Paper: “What we can do, and we’ve always been told it’s within our gift, is to change the structure of the competition in the Championship – albeit it does have to be signed off by the Professional Game Board – and put play-offs back in. That’s one of the options we will be looking at.

“PRL have reduced their funding from what we believe is in the current agreement, and on that basis, we believe we have every right to reintroduce the play-offs. The play-offs could be an opportunity for us to regain some of the lost income through some of the additional games.”

London Irish were the last side to go up to the Premiership via the play-offs, beating Yorkshire Carnegie over two legs in 2017.

Impoverished Championship clubs agreed to scrap the play-offs for three years, from 2018 to 2020, in return for a cash boost.

But now it seems everything is back on the table, as Championship clubs look to make up the shortfall of revenue brought about by the RFU and PRL cuts.

The play-offs satisfy the broadcasters’ wish for a showpiece end to the season and are almost universally popular among the clubs themselves, with the exception of the side relegated from the Premiership.

Confirmation of promotion so late in the day stymies recruitment and planning for the following season, although Saracens would still be expected to overcome that handicap more comfortably than most, even if the Championship introduces a salary cap to make life even more awkward.

“We’ve talked about putting a salary cap in place before, ” Bow revealed. “It is totally feasible. Whether it is feasible to get the relegated team down to that salary cap as well, that is debatable, but it doesn’t mean we can’t try it.”

Saracens’ recruitment for their first season in the Championship is currently a work in progress but The Rugby Paper understands that deals have been struck for Jersey trio, Namibian flanker Janco Venter, prolific try-scoring New Zealand winger Leroy Van Dam and tighthead prop Alec Clarey, who was also attracting interest from Gloucester.

Meanwhile, three of Saracens’ current first-team squad members are being linked with moves north, to Sale. The Sharks hope to sign prop Vincent Koch, loose forward Nick Isiekwe and scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth on permanent deals, the latter as a player-coach.

Former England international Wigglesworth has coached at Ealing Trailfinders for the past two seasons as well as having a stint with Canada at the Rugby World Cup, and a return to his original club is now on the cards.

JON NEWCOMBE