Championship Rugby

[jimKRFC]

So no team up this year, premiership stays at 13, and unless a Championship clubs does expand their ground then I assume no rellegation either..

Have to say this is a bs decision.

[Mellsblue]

Ealing and Doncaster failed to meet minimum standards.

Largely based on not meeting 10,001+ capacity.

"Ealing Trailfinders does not currently have a licensed capacity, but the ground holds approximately 5,000 with 2,115 seats.

"Doncaster Knights currently has a capacity of around 5,183 with 1,926 seats." says RFU, confirming it.

Weird. Doncaster have passed previously. Iirc, their plan was to move to the football ground for half a season whilst a second stand was build.

[Banquo]

Ealing and Doncaster failed to meet minimum standards.

Largely based on not meeting 10,001+ capacity.

"Ealing Trailfinders does not currently have a licensed capacity, but the ground holds approximately 5,000 with 2,115 seats.

"Doncaster Knights currently has a capacity of around 5,183 with 1,926 seats." says RFU, confirming it.

Weird. Doncaster have passed previously. Iirc, their plan was to move to the football ground for half a season whilst a second stand was build.

Div 1 teams gutted

[Puja]

Ealing and Doncaster failed to meet minimum standards.

Largely based on not meeting 10,001+ capacity.

"Ealing Trailfinders does not currently have a licensed capacity, but the ground holds approximately 5,000 with 2,115 seats.

"Doncaster Knights currently has a capacity of around 5,183 with 1,926 seats." says RFU, confirming it.

Sooooo, the exciting Championship season has now become utterly worthless. Way to make a self-fulfilling prophecy, RFU.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

There’s still the final and the kudos of being champ of the Champ, but yeah.

[Mellsblue]

RFU statement on the subject is here:

https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/new ... -promotion

Does sound like both clubs fecked up and we should take in to account that PRL do want to go up to 14 teams; however, this bit sounds a lot like regs were tightened to avoid any wiggle room: ‘Standards have been in place for over 20 years and were refined last year to make the application of them simpler’.

Also, The Rec…….. ‘ provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators’…..

[Mellsblue]

Ealing and Doncaster failed to meet minimum standards.

Largely based on not meeting 10,001+ capacity.

"Ealing Trailfinders does not currently have a licensed capacity, but the ground holds approximately 5,000 with 2,115 seats.

"Doncaster Knights currently has a capacity of around 5,183 with 1,926 seats." says RFU, confirming it.

Weird. Doncaster have passed previously. Iirc, their plan was to move to the football ground for half a season whilst a second stand was build.

Div 1 teams gutted

???

[jimKRFC]

Although not affecting Bris, after years in the Championship, & mostly enjoying it, this feels like ring fencing by the back door.

Using this must have 10000 seats to be compliant with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA). However, if you look at the sports ground act (1975) then it only needs to be 5000 (thanks to a poster on the Bris site for this).

"A safety certificate sets the permitted capacity for a sports ground together with the detailed terms and conditions with which the ground management must comply in order to operate the sports ground at its permitted capacity.

The primary purpose of a safety certificate is to set the safe capacity of a designated ground or of a regulated stand at a non-designated ground.

Under the provisions of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 (the 1975 Act), county councils, unitary authorities, metropolitan or London boroughs are responsible for issuing and enforcing a safety certificates in respect of any sports ground in their area which has been designated by the Secretary of State.

These are sports grounds that, in his opinion, have accommodation for more than 10,000 spectators, or 5,000 in the case of Premiership or Football League grounds in England and Wales".

It stinks and Ealing and Donny should be appealing it.

[Banquo]

Weird. Doncaster have passed previously. Iirc, their plan was to move to the football ground for half a season whilst a second stand was build.

Div 1 teams gutted

???

Less promotion

[Puja]

RFU statement on the subject is here:

https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/new ... -promotion

Does sound like both clubs fecked up and we should take in to account that PRL do want to go up to 14 teams; however, this bit sounds a lot like regs were tightened to avoid any wiggle room: ‘Standards have been in place for over 20 years and were refined last year to make the application of them simpler’.

Also, The Rec…….. ‘ provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators’…..

"Neither Doncaster Knights nor Ealing Trailfinders proposed ground-share arrangements in their applications."

I'm moving away from blaming the RFU for this one - that is utterly schoolboy from both clubs. As the RFU statement rather pointedly implies, the standards have been around for 20 years, they're not a secret, and were even simplified last year. They've not failed on anything byzantine or unexpected, but on something that, as Mells noted, Doncaster have found arrangements for in the past.

To have not arranged a ground share possibility and instead to try and trade on, "We'll expand our stadium if we go up, promise," is amateur hour. Hopefully announcing it this early is to give the clubs a kick in the backside to appeal and resubmit and pass at the second attempt.

Easy to see how Doncaster can fix it - just go back to what they planned a few seasons back when it was sharing with the football club for a season. Less obvious to see what Ealing could do as a stop-gap. Ground share with Harlequins perhaps? Not sure Quins would be thrilled at that idea.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Div 1 teams gutted

???

Less promotion

Ah, yes, this is true.

[Banquo]

???

Less promotion

Ah, yes, this is true.

we had a semi- phnaar- sniff, but less so now.

[Mellsblue]

Less promotion

Ah, yes, this is true.

we had a semi- phnaar- sniff, but less so now.

I’m hoping for Sale FC or Caldy for selfish logistical reasons.
Cambridge v Bedford would’ve made a for a good derby.

[FKAS]

RFU statement on the subject is here:

https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/new ... -promotion

Does sound like both clubs fecked up and we should take in to account that PRL do want to go up to 14 teams; however, this bit sounds a lot like regs were tightened to avoid any wiggle room: ‘Standards have been in place for over 20 years and were refined last year to make the application of them simpler’.

Also, The Rec…….. ‘ provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators’…..

"Neither Doncaster Knights nor Ealing Trailfinders proposed ground-share arrangements in their applications."

I'm moving away from blaming the RFU for this one - that is utterly schoolboy from both clubs. As the RFU statement rather pointedly implies, the standards have been around for 20 years, they're not a secret, and were even simplified last year. They've not failed on anything byzantine or unexpected, but on something that, as Mells noted, Doncaster have found arrangements for in the past.

To have not arranged a ground share possibility and instead to try and trade on, "We'll expand our stadium if we go up, promise," is amateur hour. Hopefully announcing it this early is to give the clubs a kick in the backside to appeal and resubmit and pass at the second attempt.

Easy to see how Doncaster can fix it - just go back to what they planned a few seasons back when it was sharing with the football club for a season. Less obvious to see what Ealing could do as a stop-gap. Ground share with Harlequins perhaps? Not sure Quins would be thrilled at that idea.

Puja

Agreed. Surely the football club in Donny would have been happy for a few extra quid in rent and match day earnings whilst Donny sort their own ground out. The TV revenue Donny would have got hold of would have sorted the costs of that. You'd have thought it would have been win/win for the two Donny clubs. Particularly with no other clubs in the Championship looking likely to pass the audit and go up they could get a few years in the Prem before Ealing sort themselves out.

[Banquo]

Ah, yes, this is true.

we had a semi- phnaar- sniff, but less so now.

I’m hoping for Sale FC or Caldy for selfish logistical reasons.
Cambridge v Bedford would’ve made a for a good derby.

yes, our loss to Caldy was a bu55er.

Quite an amusing fixture for us, as most of our best players in the 80's used to go to Bedford, and we used to play pre-season friendlies with them. I did couple of pre-season sessions there. Had to run up and down a massive hill for about 2 hours carrying a prop on your back; fck that, I thought (so did he, I reckon )

[Mellsblue]

we had a semi- phnaar- sniff, but less so now.

I’m hoping for Sale FC or Caldy for selfish logistical reasons.
Cambridge v Bedford would’ve made a for a good derby.

yes, our loss to Caldy was a bu55er.

Quite an amusing fixture for us, as most of our best players in the 80's used to go to Bedford, and we used to play pre-season friendlies with them. I did couple of pre-season sessions there. Had to run up and down a massive hill for about 2 hours carrying a prop on your back; fck that, I thought (so did he, I reckon )

Ha! I think I know the hill you mean and I was subjected to it for four straight pre-seasons.
Did you get to train with Rayer and/or Guy Fletcher?

[Banquo]

I’m hoping for Sale FC or Caldy for selfish logistical reasons.
Cambridge v Bedford would’ve made a for a good derby.

yes, our loss to Caldy was a bu55er.

Quite an amusing fixture for us, as most of our best players in the 80's used to go to Bedford, and we used to play pre-season friendlies with them. I did couple of pre-season sessions there. Had to run up and down a massive hill for about 2 hours carrying a prop on your back; fck that, I thought (so did he, I reckon )

Ha! I think I know the hill you mean and I was subjected to it for four straight pre-seasons.
Did you get to train with Rayer and/or Guy Fletcher?

way before that- also went to watch Paul Turner coach them. Very innovative for the backs.

[fivepointer]

RFU statement on the subject is here:

https://www.championshiprugby.co.uk/new ... -promotion

Does sound like both clubs fecked up and we should take in to account that PRL do want to go up to 14 teams; however, this bit sounds a lot like regs were tightened to avoid any wiggle room: ‘Standards have been in place for over 20 years and were refined last year to make the application of them simpler’.

Also, The Rec…….. ‘ provide a good quality, safe environment for spectators’…..

"Neither Doncaster Knights nor Ealing Trailfinders proposed ground-share arrangements in their applications."

I'm moving away from blaming the RFU for this one - that is utterly schoolboy from both clubs. As the RFU statement rather pointedly implies, the standards have been around for 20 years, they're not a secret, and were even simplified last year. They've not failed on anything byzantine or unexpected, but on something that, as Mells noted, Doncaster have found arrangements for in the past.

To have not arranged a ground share possibility and instead to try and trade on, "We'll expand our stadium if we go up, promise," is amateur hour. Hopefully announcing it this early is to give the clubs a kick in the backside to appeal and resubmit and pass at the second attempt.

Easy to see how Doncaster can fix it - just go back to what they planned a few seasons back when it was sharing with the football club for a season. Less obvious to see what Ealing could do as a stop-gap. Ground share with Harlequins perhaps? Not sure Quins would be thrilled at that idea.

Puja

Yep. The clubs have been sloppy and unprofessional.

Its fair to wonder why a 10k capacity is required when many Prem clubs dont reach that number of attendees. But thems the rules.

Tough on Doncaster as they've just hosted the u20s and i think have staged a womens international too.

[Mellsblue]

yes, our loss to Caldy was a bu55er.

Quite an amusing fixture for us, as most of our best players in the 80's used to go to Bedford, and we used to play pre-season friendlies with them. I did couple of pre-season sessions there. Had to run up and down a massive hill for about 2 hours carrying a prop on your back; fck that, I thought (so did he, I reckon )

Ha! I think I know the hill you mean and I was subjected to it for four straight pre-seasons.
Did you get to train with Rayer and/or Guy Fletcher?

way before that- also went to watch Paul Turner coach them. Very innovative for the backs.

I thought you’d be about the same era. I would’ve loved to have seen Rayer in action and Fletcher was a Bedford (Blues and School) legend. Still, at least I’ve trained on the same hill as a Rugby Rebels legend

[Banquo]

Ha! I think I know the hill you mean and I was subjected to it for four straight pre-seasons.
Did you get to train with Rayer and/or Guy Fletcher?

way before that- also went to watch Paul Turner coach them. Very innovative for the backs.

I thought you’d be about the same era. I would’ve loved to have seen Rayer in action and Fletcher was a Bedford (Blues and School) legend. Still, at least I’ve trained on the same hill as a Rugby Rebels legend

It was early 80's .....

[Mellsblue]

[

Tough on Doncaster as they've just hosted the u20s and i think have staged a womens international too.

Yep, they’ve had 2 or 3 woman’s internationals. That said, Goldington Rd has too and nobody would suggest it’s suitable for Prem rugby. Not that it should really be about anything other than results on the pitch.

[Mellsblue]

Turns out Ealing don’t even have a safety certificate for the ground! Amateur hour.
Confirmation that there will only be one up from Nat 1 but there is talk of expanding the Champ to 14. Reading between the lines it will depend on whether the Prem - Champ cup comp comes to fruition.

[Puja]

Apparently both are appealing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/60590815

Doncaster can't use the football ground, as it's a venue for the Rugby League World Cup, so they're talking about a ground share at Hull KR, which is quite a distance away, until Castle Park can be expanded. Not sure the RFU will go for that one - it's well over an hour's drive away from the town.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

If Rugby League World Cup grounds are ruled out then they’ll be struggling in that part of the world. That said, Wasps’ and Falcons’ grounds are being used and Rotherham United’s ground, capacity of approx 12,000, and Hillsborough, capacity approx 35,000, aren’t. Hillsborough is 45mins and Rotherham United 30mins.
All that said, the most important fact I discovered during my research is that St Helen’s ground is called the Totally Wicked Stadium.

[Puja]

If Rugby League World Cup grounds are ruled out then they’ll be struggling in that part of the world. That said, Wasps’ and Falcons’ grounds are being used and Rotherham United’s ground, capacity of approx 12,000, and Hillsborough, capacity approx 35,000, aren’t. Hillsborough is 45mins and Rotherham United 30mins.
All that said, the most important fact I discovered during my research is that St Helen’s ground is called the Totally Wicked Stadium.

That is indeed the most important lesson that we should all learn from this.

I think the issue is that Wasps and Falcons don't have another tenant to try and juggle alongside the league world cup. You're right that Rotherham would seem to make more sense than going all the way to Hull, although from the sounds of their soundbites, Doncaster reckon they'd have Castle Park up to snuff by the start of the season - don't quite know how they think they'd manage that.

Hillsborough would be a pea rolling around the inside of a barrel though. It's close, but way too big.

Puja