The big drop is coming…
ENGLAND’S biggest clubs have been told that one of them will be going down this season and there is nothing they can do to stop it.
Former European champions Leicester, Northampton and Bath are among a host of heavyweight teams gripped by relegation fear.
Almost halfway through the most competitive Premiership ever, seven of the 12 clubs are within four points of bottom spot.
Out of that uncertainty has come a recommendation from the top division elite to end promotion and relegation, with some keen to slam shut the trap door immediately.
The Rugby Football Union waded into the debate last night, and acting boss Nigel Melville wasted no time in slapping down the clubs.
Crushing talk of ring-fencing the league in mid-season, the former England captain said: “That’s called wishful thinking, isn’t it? Suddenly people want something to happen now. Well, no, that’s not how it works. It’s a competition regulated by the RFU.
“It’s not just about them in the Premiership. There are teams below probably investing to come up and also teams below them. The whole system is attached, so it has a knock-on effect all the way down.
“If you start shutting doors halfway through a season, it has a huge impact on everyone below.
“Should Premier Rugby want to change their structure, they can bring that to the Professional Game Board for a vote. It would then be put to the Council. But nothing is going to change as regards this season.”
Leicester are 10-time English champions but after being thrashed by Bristol on Saturday, caretaker coach Geordan Murphy said: “If we play that badly every week then
It will not change this season
relegation would be a factor.” Bristol boss Pat Lam feels relegation is bad for the English game, saying: “Everything is about survival whereas if you scrapped it you could get some serious development.
“Everyone is making decisions based on not going down rather than bringing the best English players through.
“If you look at the two best teams in the world, Ireland and New Zealand, they are similar with central contracts.”
❑ TED HILL has signed his first Worcester contract, 17 days after earning his first England cap.
The 19-year-old flanker marked his debut at Leicester in September with a matchwinning try which earned him a place at England’s training camp in Portugal, and he came on as a late replacement against Japan on November 17.
Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons said: “I can understand Eddie Jones wanting to give him that opportunity. He’ll be the better for the experience of working in the England camp and actually being involved in the Test 23.”