Uncertainty around Championship season could see Saracens return to Premiership

Relegated Saracens face the outcome of returning to the Premiership without playing a game in the Championship as part of expansion plans for the top flight of English rugby.

A 14-team Premiership would see Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders ready to compete in the 2021-22, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

For an initial £20m buy-in of Premierhip shares, Trailfinders would be able to join the league but would need to invest an additional £30m to meet certain criteria on stadium, training ground and infrastructure standards set by PRL.

It comes after the UK government announced a four-week national lockdown on Saturday, days after the RFU confirmed that all leagues below the Championship in Men’s rugby will not play in the 2020-21 season.

But there are fears within the Championship that the prolonged absence of fans will only contribute to even bigger losses if matches were staged.

The Championship had been mooted by the RFU to begin its season January, but the impact of the national lockdown together with the costs needing to be covered for a COVID-19 screening programme have the season looking obscure.

The report claims that half of Championship clubs would prefer to cancel the season and release their players in order to preserve their status, should a government bailout not be issued to support the RFU.

That would see PRL push to have Saracens promoted back to the Premiership as one of its 13 member clubs.