Falcons staying up

[MJ Chairman]

Welsh winning 23-14 at half time in first leg in Cornwall.

[Jimmy Skitz]

All down to having the right to play on the ground when Premiership rugby dictates! Rubbish rule in my opinion as I am sure Wasps, Irish, Sarries and Sale do not have this right and thus should be relegated! RFU sort it out by lending a hand to teams who want to better themselves! I now hope Pirates win to ease the Welsh and that the cornish council agree to a stadia for the pirates to play!

it would be another ground share though as the £24m stadia would be for both the Cornish Pirates and the local Football team, luckily the latter is non-league I believe so they'd be able to give the guarentee to the RFU.

those complaining about this rule should remember that it was 1 of the main reasons Tigers didn't end up co-owning and ground sharing the King Power Stadium with LCFC

[MJ Chairman]

Welsh will be taking a 16 point lead back to the Kassam for the home leg.
The feeling on Sky was they have 14 days to appeal the decision, and could even go down the legal route.

[BJ.]

Premier rugby has to have some ground standards.

As an example, I cannot imaging Bedford hosting a premiership rugby match at Goldington Road. The pitch has a 20m west-to-east slope, the ground holds no more than 4500 comfortably, almost all standing and the surrounding area has little parking. Imagine if 3000 leicester fans turned up! Nothing against Bedford, I go regularly and saw 12T there three years ago, but the ground simply isn't suitable for premiership rugby.

If the ground only holds 4500, then that's the number of tickets you make available with a set percentage for the visitors. Somehow I can't see 3000 Tigers supporters turning up and trying to force their way in without tickets: after all this is Goldington Road, not Hillsborough.

As I've said before, all the average rugby supporter wants (besides a good match) is a pint, a pie and a pee. If a club's endeavours within the whitewash warrants promotion, I find it galling that it is unduly hampered by what goes on outside the whitewash.

[Old Hob]

Premier rugby has to have some ground standards.

As an example, I cannot imaging Bedford hosting a premiership rugby match at Goldington Road. The pitch has a 20m west-to-east slope, the ground holds no more than 4500 comfortably, almost all standing and the surrounding area has little parking. Imagine if 3000 leicester fans turned up! Nothing against Bedford, I go regularly and saw 12T there three years ago, but the ground simply isn't suitable for premiership rugby.

If the ground only holds 4500, then that's the number of tickets you make available with a set percentage for the visitors. Somehow I can't see 3000 Tigers supporters turning up and trying to force their way in without tickets: after all this is Goldington Road, not Hillsborough.

As I've said before, all the average rugby supporter wants (besides a good match) is a pint, a pie and a pee. If a club's endeavours within the whitewash warrants promotion, I find it galling that it is unduly hampered by what goes on outside the whitewash.

I entirely agree. At a ground with few tickets there would be some disappointed supporters but the revenue for the club would usually be maximised allowing for growth later.

This smells of a private members' club refusing entry to anyone new.

[Fritzvanheerden]

is it good news for deano ??

I am sure he might have wanted to build his team with a season under his
belt before they take on the established clubs in the prem.


To be honest this is a ridiculous situation - the championship playoff
system is a joke and should have been scrapped rather than revised.

Ok exeter have been a credit to the prem but bristol should have been
promoted last season, this season bristol should have been promoted again
but were pipped at the stupid slog of the playoffs.

ok the rules are in place so cornish pirates vs london welsh
both could add variety and spice to the prem and newcastle have been just
getting by for seasons upon season - the teams below are probably so demoralised by now.

I understand how it goes but other teams have terrible grounds for different reasons - either poor facillities, location, football dominated, and a few including tigers use temporary stands (i know its a tiny one and teams like bath use them). I think this needs to be challanged legaly by london welsh as I am sure it can be overturned or changed so this rotten system can be changed. all rugby clubs are different how with one such as pirates / london welsh grow into a force if they keep getting hammered back for success ?

*All the clubs in the prem are very different *

I think quality control is important not to belittle the RFU as rugby
union and the premiership is brand and a successful one and to be maintained
it needs to ensure we don't appear to weaken it but i think the introduction of near teams and places for fans to visit and watch can only enhance the experience and newcastle would come back up again anyway.

it seems a bit of farce

[Kinoulton]

I would prefer a Bedford type ground where a packed crowd would create atmosphere, rather than have a few thousand voices echong round some football ground which is far too big.

It would be better to promote a "small" provided they could submit a business plan showing how their revenue would be used year on year to improve the facilities over maybe 5 years.

That way, even if they are relegated in their first seaason, they haven't bankrupted themselves.

[Phil B]

I have yet to hear any evidence which supports the view that London Welsh should be denied. Pleased that they are appealing on both fronts. Good luck to them, should they win the playoff, of course!!

[Jimmy Skitz]

I have yet to hear any evidence which supports the view that London Welsh should be denied. Pleased that they are appealing on both fronts. Good luck to them, should they win the playoff, of course!!

on what criteria have the failed anyway, even in the EPL, if a team (as Fulham once did) gets promoted with an unsuitable ground they have a 2 year grace period to bring it up to standard before any offending sections are closed, can this not be equally applied to the Championship clubs in Rugby? Or is the RFU trying to keep it more of an old boys club?

[jgriffin]

I have yet to hear any evidence which supports the view that London Welsh should be denied. Pleased that they are appealing on both fronts. Good luck to them, should they win the playoff, of course!!

on what criteria have the failed anyway, even in the EPL, if a team (as Fulham once did) gets promoted with an unsuitable ground they have a 2 year grace period to bring it up to standard before any offending sections are closed, can this not be equally applied to the Championship clubs in Rugby? Or is the RFU trying to keep it more of an old boys club?

The latter I'm afraid. Was it Rotherham who were first in a long line of refused sides? After they won every match or all but one I think. I gave up on rugby blazers (RFU, PRL or regions) a long time ago, alas.

[voice of the crumbie]

I heard London Welsh Chief Exec being interviewed briefly on Radio 4 this morning. He was saying they have undertakings in place with the Kassam Stadium owners that satisfy the primacy of tenure conditions. So an appeal could be interesting.

[Cardiff Tig]

Hasn't it been stated that they need a back up ground which was one of the conditions they failed on.

[kingneptuneii]

I thought it was because the sandwiches in the corporate area didnt contain Lochmuir smoked salmon, and that 1 of the urinals was 3.7mm too close to the one on its left...

[physiodan]

I thought it was because the sandwiches in the corporate area didnt contain Lochmuir smoked salmon, and that 1 of the urinals was 3.7mm too close to the one on its left...

Unfortunately that was not the case. It was that one of the urinals was 3.7mm to close to the one on its right.

[Will S]

The system is a joke and should London Welsh win the playoff then they do deserve to go up. Having said that Newcastle have produced some outstanding players over the years and I can't help but think that the game in general would benefit more from Newcastle remaining in the premiership (being one of only two northern teams in the Premiership) than another London club.