No team will be relegated from the Premiership this season following an RFU Council vote that ‘cast a strong majority' for a moratorium on relegation.
As exclusively revealed by The Rugby Paper on January 17, five Premiership clubs had sought legal advice over possible action that would be able to take against Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) and the RFU if they were relegated to the Championship amid a pandemic-affected season.
Despite TV broadcast partner BT Sport forcing the vote to be delayed by one week to air its concerns over ring-fencing, the RFU has announced there will be no relegation for 2020-21 – approved by a vote by its Council's 55 members.
It also confirmed that promotion from the Championship would remain in place and the Premiership will expand to a 13-team competition from 2021-22.
PRL and the RFU are believed to have given assurances to BT Sport that the moratorium will remain for one season only, as this season continues to see postponements due to Covid-19 infections lead to matches being called off and points split.
Darren Childs, chief executive of Premiership Rugby said: “We welcome today's decision and thank the RFU Council members for their support. The priority for everyone involved has been to protect the long-term sustainability and success of English professional rugby for the fans and clubs who have endured huge financial and sporting challenges throughout the last two seasons.
“The progress being made collaboratively with all our key stakeholders across the sport has been fantastic. Our focus remains on continuing to strengthen that alignment through transparency and dialogue around the long-term success of the game at a domestic and national level in England.”
The RFU have said Premiership and Championship league organisers will now meet with clubs and sponsors to contemplate the future of the top-level competitions, as Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Britain tops 13.5m first doses.
Speaking about the RFU Council vote, RFU President, HH Jeff Blackett said; “The RFU Council has taken time to understand and discuss all the factors regarding no relegation for this season so that we act in the best interests of all levels of the game. We want to ensure a healthy elite game to support successful winning England teams that generate income to stimulate and preserve the game across all levels. The Council will continue to be closely engaged with the proposals from the RFU, Premiership Rugby and the Championship to ensure we maintain the integrity of the future league structures for England Rugby.”
More to follow…
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