Questions over Champ playoffs with only two clubs applying for promotion

• Ealing and Doncaster Knights have applied

• Formal removal of relegation still to be ratified

Arguments behind the scenes about the proposed transformation of the top tier of English club rugby into a franchise-based league are intensifying with just two Champ clubs now eligible for promotion this season. Only Ealing Trailfinders and Doncaster Knights have applied formally to be promoted to the Prem, with Worcester Warriors having declined to do so.

A Rugby Football Union spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Worcester have taken the decision because the club is still “getting back on its feet” after its financial collapse in September 2022 with debts of more than £25m. But with Ealing unable to satisfy the Prem minimum standards for the past two seasons, and with Doncaster off the pace in 10th place, it raises fresh questions about the raison d’être of the scheduled new end‑of‑season Champ playoffs, unveiled this year amid much fanfare. Continue reading...