Could/should Bedford get promoted?

A sloping pitch and an inadequate ground capacity wouldn't satisfy RFU/PRL requirements.

Is another LW promotion headache required?

Another unconsidered whatif stone that the PRL leaves unturned.

1 Newcastle 18 18 0 0 590 199 12 84
2 Nottingham 18 13 0 5 531 318 10 62
3 Bedford 18 11 1 6 535 379 10 56
4 Leeds Carnegie 18 9 0 9 469 403 14 50

Mike Rayer is doing some fantastic work at Bedford, I would love to see him back in Cardiff.

I think it would be a travasity if Newcastle were not promoted.

They are clearly the best team in the league, 22 points ahead of their nearest rival. Imagine they were to lose a playoff game and clearly the best team in the league didn't get promoted.

Promotional play offs for me should not be in a league that only promotes one team, (league winner should always be promoted).

If two teams could get promoted then fine, league winner gets one spot, bottom in league above gets regalated, and a mixture of second bottom in league above and 2nd and 3rd 4th in league below play off for the final spot.

I saw the Nottingham vs Bedford game back at the start of the year. Notts will be in the final against Falcons unless Leeds or Bedford manage to do some serious DR recruitment between now and then. I can't see Falcons blowing this, they have the biggest budget, the squad, the best coaching team and have got a great run going.

Next season will be the interesting one as LW will go down into a very competitive league. Probably why Bristol are recruiting so heavily now.

But Bedford cannot play at Bedford Sam.

Have they nominated a new venue?

So how much has the criteria changed since they were last in the premiership?

Does the infamous sloping pitch at Goldstone Road inhibit the kind of attractive rugby which would enhance the Prem as much as, say, the infamous narrow pitch at Welford Road?

I love Goldington Road with fanatical fervour.

It is a dump though.


Last season they chose not to apply as they are not ready (nor willing) for the Premiership. They got burnt so badly by Frank Warren and the guys who came in after, that the local businessmen who now run the club really just want to leave it as it is for now. A decent championship club that can live within it's means.

I don't think Bedford are looking for promotion.They are currently in a dual registration relationship with Saracens. I don't think it would be in either club's interests if Bedford are promoted at the moment.


http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/bedford-blues-boosted-by-saracens-trio-1-4917390

Bedford will be able to call upon James Short,Ben Ransom and Scott Spurling for their game vs Doncaster Knights.

Next season in the championship will be very interesting (assuming that Newcastle don't blow it now).

Whichever club comes down is likely to lose quite a few of its players and with Bristol and Nottingham looking to strengthen, there could be a real battle for the promotion spot.

Well obviously id be pretty gutted if we didnt go back up this season...but in not naive enough to know one bad performance could be a problem in the play offs.

I made my feelings quite clear when it happened to Britsol...it wasnt my animosity towards London Welsh it was the fact bristol rightly should have gone up.

I also agree...play offs work if there is more than one team going up...NOT when only one goes up. The team that wins the league should be promoted end of.

I also think at the moment we can offer more to the premier league than any of the other clubs in the division.

If only one side is to be promoted (and you'd have to understand that I have an inherent revulsion against playoffs per se), I'd argue that the RFU should heavily subsidise the 'slope' issue at Goldstone Rd.

I'd hate to see the old club leave its home.

But the issue of temporary stands etc. probably ought to be funded by the Blues themselves.

p.s.

I don't think Bedford are looking for promotion.They are currently in a dual registration relationship with Saracens. I don't think it would be in either club's interests if Bedford are promoted at the moment.

More than one club in the Jeff hive off players to lower leagues mate. The test ought to be whether it's parasitic or symbiotic.

Let's assume that Bedford win the play-offs but don't want/can't sustain promotion. Does that mean the relegated Jeff team stay up or do the highest placed Championship team go up?

Well then you get various scenarios Irish.

If LW finish bottom, should they be allowed to stay up after being found to have cheated?
Should the Falcons be promoted as the run away best team in the league.
Should bedford be allowed to ground share for the 1st season?

Personally ALL of this can be AVOIDED by simply granting the league winner promotion! Its absolutely ludicrous that as good as we are and as as strong as we are...we could not go up this season on one single bad performance in the Play offs!

GeordieFalcon wrote:Well then you get various scenarios Irish.

If LW finish bottom, should they be allowed to stay up after being found to have cheated?
Should the Falcons be promoted as the run away best team in the league.
Should bedford be allowed to ground share for the 1st season?

Personally ALL of this can be AVOIDED by simply granting the league winner promotion! Its absolutely ludicrous that as good as we are and as as strong as we are...we could not go up this season on one single bad performance in the Play offs!

to
All of this can be avoided Geordie by having those Championship teams that wish to be considered for promotion to agree and sign up at the start of each season to make known their ground proposals in the event of promotion known by 31st December. That would allow the RFU/PRL to accept/advise on required modifications/reject proposals.
Then give three months grace for clubs to ensure their ground proposals are acceptable.
Then the highest placed qualifying side can be promoted.

That would make the promotion issue more resilient year on year and avoid a recurrence of last year's debacle.

The RFU/PRL appear to be incapable of forward-thinking and flop into their reactive default mode mode of decision-making.

Tiger/Falcon, thanks for the info.

Would seem to me that the best answer would be to have two teams relegated from the Jeff, the Championship winners go up as of right and then some form of playoff regarding the second position, either within the Championship or or the top three Champ teams plus the Jeff 2nd bottom, or a mini playoff in the Championship followed by a playoff final with second Jeff side.

Personally I'd prefer a slightly expanded and ringfenced (on RL style 5 year franchises ) Jeff - the current sides plus Newcastle, Leeds, Bristol and Cormwall would be about right. Drop the LV cup to take up the extra games.