Championship playoff a farce?

Not helped by the Jeff's insistence on excessive ground capacity requirements, (although as I see it the TV companies must have adequate lighting standards and that H&S and peeing facilities should be adequate for all sides), the foolishness of the Championship playoffs are:

1. That teams that can't fulfil (or even promise and prove its promotion option) before the playoffs start should lose their right to enter the contest.
2. English rugby is not a franchise system - if promotion and relegation is not a given, then it plainly (rightly) open to open mockery and disdain.
3. Two hundred and forty-two league games during the regular season should be enough to give an indication of a ranking. The best qualified team even after the playoffs should get promoted. No ifs no buts.

How can Newcastle even begin to plan for next season? Not only do they know if the Championship champions will be promoted, but they don't know if Wasps will go under (and what happens then?).

And then there is the small matter of Championship relegation which this season could construe to overturn its 242 games.

data source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/tables/4777167.stm

I do think that the highest placed team should get promotion but I would have the playoffs of 4 as per the prem.

To think that Bristol won the league by 10pts but lost on a 2leg game so don't go up is stupid.

In 1992 Yugoslavia topped its group and quailifed for the finals of the euros. As they were not allowed to enter (for political reasons) Denmark who finished second went in their place (and happened to win it)

How about the top Championship side playing the bottom premiership site in a two legged dogfight.

The winner gets to play in the premiership

TrailApe wrote:How about the top Championship side playing the bottom premiership site in a two legged dogfight.

The winner gets to play in the premiership

Financial constraints would mean that the Jeff side would almost always win TrailApe.

We all know by march who is and isn't able to go up (except Welsh this year).
Top two teams that can go up have a one off game and the winner gets promotion.

You can then have the championship playoffs with the top for teams.

If Exeter and Wus both stayed up and held their own is there that much of a gap between Bristol and Newcastle.

If you did what Trail suggested, the one off game should be played at the Championship side home thus giving them an advantage

Financial constraints would mean that the Jeff side would almost always win TrailApe

If they are good enough then they are good enough - if they are not good enough, is it fair to let them play with the big boys? Surely it would be a good indicator of their capability by beating the 'worst' team in the Premiership.

If they can't - what's the point of letting them up? I cannot see what extra improvements any side can make in the close season that can improve their ability to survive in the Jeff.


How about going a step forward, the bottom four of the premiership and the top four of the championship having a round-robin tussle to fight for premiership places.

6 team play off would be nice. Like the Top 14. 3-6 play, then the winners of that play 1 & 2 and then a final. Quick, simple and all the excitement one would need.

Maybe the league winner should be an automatic place in the final and the four lower placed clubs should play-off to meet them in a final...?

That is an idea used in Yachting for the Americas Cup.

TrailApe wrote:

Financial constraints would mean that the Jeff side would almost always win TrailApe

If they are good enough then they are good enough - if they are not good enough, is it fair to let them play with the big boys? Surely it would be a good indicator of their capability by beating the 'worst' team in the Premiership.

If they can't - what's the point of letting them up? I cannot see what extra improvements any side can make in the close season that can improve their ability to survive in the Jeff.


How about going a step forward, the bottom four of the premiership and the top four of the championship having a round-robin tussle to fight for premiership places.

Well a number of things come immediately to mind about this Trail:

A round robin between eight sides would require a number of additional games : presuming H/A fixtures between Jeff/Championship teams would require six extra fixtures each. And as the Championship sides are on Championship budgets and Jeff sides on Jeff ones, I suggest that the cash would count even more.

Squads are defined by budgets twelve months previously. And that would inevitably favour even more the Jeff sides.

The fact is that relegated sides tend to sell and promoted sides buy to adjust to their new circumstances.

Think the same system as now, 1 up 1 down but without criteria. I dont understand why a club coming up have to meet these criteria? If you come out top of the championship then whether you have a 10,000 seat stadium or a 200 capacity ground with standing only on the sidelines with a portaloo then so what?
Only the good lighting aspect do I think a club should be forced to do.

I think that the top team should come up, simples.

The stadium rule is wrong, dare I say it but Bath have a temporary stand so what’s stopping other clubs from putting up temporary stands in for a season or two until they commit to a bigger stadium, Premier rugby and the RFU should be doing more to help clubs like Pirates and London Welsh if they win the Championship, it’s the only way clubs and the game can grow.

From the aspect of should promotion and relegation exist and work in a one up one down manner, then yes it should and the PRL and RFU should do everything possible to aid it. That is their chosen and much lauded system. The system that they think suits Englands rugby needs.

I really dont understand why the governing body, PRL, should be so negative to the concept of promotion and relegation?

The first thing that should happen is finding a sponsorship deal for the Championship. The funds raised should be ploughed into club development. All 2nd tier clubs should be assisted to varying appropriate degrees if they declare a wish to be considered for promotion (some clubs don't and wouldn't even if helped). The entry criteria should be restricted to the minimum requirements necessary for player and spectator safety. As long as those are met the size of the ground etc should be low in the priorities. The farce of the play offs should be dropped entirely in favour of the league winner winning automatic promotion.

In the long term I would like to see a club cup competition on much the same open lines as in RL and wendyball open across the two leagues.

As things stand it is all farcical with every chance that this year Newcastle will be saved the drop and no new blood will be introduced to the Jeff counter to the spirit of the structure. I don't know what next years arrangements will be but I hear that it will change but I doubt that the RFU will show anymore respect for the Championship than they have up til now which is zero.

In a 12 team league the top team should always go up. If they desperately want a playoff system for commercial reasons then expand it to 14 teams and have the next top 4 battle it out for the second promotion spot.

gowales wrote:In a 12 team league the top team should always go up. If they desperately want a playoff system for commercial reasons then expand it to 14 teams and have the next top 4 battle it out for the second promotion spot.

A two up, two down system would not be anathema to me from a 14-side Championship to a 10-side Jeff.

Things are going to get tougher in the Championship with potentially more teams looking for promotion. You presently have Bristol, Welsh, Carnegie in the hunt. Welsh may or may not be there next season but if not then Falcons will and it would seem that Scottish have ambitions too. The case for a two team relegation and promotion could get a lot stronger.

If you want the game to expand and improve you need a strong Championship and that means getting behind it and providing an environment where the clubs involved can hope to achieve decent revenue levels. Sponsorship and television rights should be up there as top priorities for the RFU but they don't want to know. There's a cosy little set up that means the obstacles in the way of Championship sides are really tough to overcome for most clubs.

The Jeff is a very exclusive club with very few potential members on the fringes and the RFU are happy to leave it that way.

aitchw wrote:Things are going to get tougher in the Championship with potentially more teams looking for promotion. You presently have Bristol, Welsh, Carnegie in the hunt. Welsh may or may not be there next season but if not then Falcons will and it would seem that Scottish have ambitions too. The case for a two team relegation and promotion could get a lot stronger.

If you want the game to expand and improve you need a strong Championship and that means getting behind it and providing an environment where the clubs involved can hope to achieve decent revenue levels. Sponsorship and television rights should be up there as top priorities for the RFU but they don't want to know. There's a cosy little set up that means the obstacles in the way of Championship sides are really tough to overcome for most clubs.

The Jeff is a very exclusive club with very few potential members on the fringes and the RFU are happy to leave it that way.

'Fraid it's not the RFU, aithch - it's the PRL. The dominant clubs' cosy manipulative arrangement.

Sorry, yeah you're right. Me going off on one again and not thoroughly engaging brain. Thanks for the correction.

Championship playoffs changing next year to just the top 4. Two leg semis and a two leg final.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/18102034