ONE ring-fencing argument put forward was that the Premiership had remained highly competitive despite the jeopardy of relegation being removed by the RFU Council’s dire mid-season ‘vote’.
What it failed to recognise was that the move to increase European Cup qualification to eight Premiership teams galvanised everyone in the lower half of the table, bar Worcester. This meant that the overriding factor in Gloucester’s 31-7 win at Northampton in early May was not just a matter of professional pride, because they still had European Cup qualification to play for.
I...