BEN WARD, rugby director of ambitious Ealing, has hailed the achievement of Cornish Pirates. And he has maintained his own club's ambition to upset Premiership rugby's old order by mounting a concerted promotion push.
Ealing are set to open talks with local football clubs about potential ground-shares from 2019 and, with a huge revamp of their squad nearing completion, Ward has warned Premiership relegation certainties London Irish to expect a challenge next season.
Ward told The Rugby Paper: “To have that stadium in Cornwall will be great for the Championship and ourselves, Yorkshire Carnegie, Coventry and Doncaster also have ambition to go up.
“Within three years I expect Coventry to have a Premiership-standard stadium and that's our aim as well. We're looking at opportunities to expand our training facilities, we're developing a very good academy and we're also looking at opportunities locally to potentially play at other stadia.
“Our ambition over the next couple of years is to become a Premiership side and with what's happening at Pirates and elsewhere, it will definitely pose some questions to the RFU and Premiership Rugby over the structure of the game.”
Ward added: “Personally, I think it would be totally wrong to start shutting out possibilities and ring-fencing the Premiership.
“Ealing won't be a London Welsh that throws a load of money at it and goes bust, we'll do it the right way by growing our crowds and revenue.
With 20 new signings already made, eight of whom are from the Premiership, including ex-Northampton back rower Sam Dickinson and centre Harry Sloan from Harlequins, Ward has still to complete his business ahead of next season.
He said: “I'll have one more from the Premiership to announce this week and a couple from abroad as well.”
