Abolishing promotion and relegation in English rugby goes against every fibre of my being.
But I think establishing PREM Rugby as a franchise league – a move that was approved by the RFU last week – is a change that’s required because it’s been clear for some time the established order hasn’t been working.
If you look at the overall state of the rugby ecosystem right now, it is quite clear the international game – which is the big driver of revenue – is in rude health.
That much has been made clear by this Six Nations. We’ve seen some brilliant rugby, full stadiums and huge television audiences.
But below that, things aren’t quite so rosy.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hit English club rugby hard, with Worcester, Wasps and London Irish all falling into administration.
Bath celebrate becoming PREM champions last season – in future campaigns there will be no relegation from the top flight
Ealing Trailfinders won the Championship last season but were unable to meet Premiership requirements for promotion. Saracens were the last team to be promoted, in 2021
The pandemic was an exceptional event, but it showed how precarious the PREM was with many clubs making monetary losses and surviving hand to mouth.
It was obvious then that things needed to change and although the PREM has made great strides since then, I think that remains the case.
I love watching the PREM. The quality of the rugby is excellent. It provides the sort of entertainment that makes you want to sit down in front of the TV and watch or go and support your team in person. But at a deeper level away from the on-field action, the league is crying out for greater financial stability.
It seems abundantly clear to me that the RFU and PREM Rugby have looked at Red Bull’s takeover of Newcastle and thought to themselves: ‘We need more of that.’
I can totally understand why. Their argument has been that serious investors like Red Bull haven’t wanted to get involved in English club rugby previously because of the threat of relegation and the huge impact that could have on a club’s finances.
I’m sure Red Bull would have known this decision was coming and now I wouldn’t be surprised to see other big players get involved.
That can only be a good thing for the game. Inherently, I am a firm believer in the idea of promotion and relegation.
I’m a big Chelsea fan and love the jeopardy that comes with the Premier League where the matches at the bottom of the league often have as much, if not more, riding on them than at the top.
The English football pyramid system allows for fantastic stories of teams rising through the divisions, just like we’ve seen with Wrexham in the past few seasons. There is no doubt turnarounds like Wrexham’s make for great theatre, but I think rugby has to accept that it is not like football in terms of financial backing so has to think outside the box and do things differently.
I’ve been critical of the RFU for many things, but at least on this occasion they and the PREM have acknowledged something needs to change and have implemented that. None of us know yet whether the idea to separate from Champ Rugby will be a success.
It seems abundantly clear to me that the RFU and PREM Rugby have looked at Red Bull’s takeover of Newcastle and thought to themselves: ‘We need more of that’
In football we’ve seen remarkable promotion stories, like Hollywood-backed Wrexham rising up the leagues. But rugby has to accept it doesn’t have the same level of financial backing, and must instead think outside the box
It is hoped that the PREM will be relaunched as a 12-team franchise league for the 2029-30 campaign and then expand to a total of 20 sides by 2040. Any team hoping to join the PREM in the future won’t do so by the traditional means of promotion from the Champ.
Instead, clubs will be assessed by a ‘criteria-based expansion and demotion model.’
This is the key part.
The reality is that for the past few years, there hasn’t been promotion and relegation in the PREM anyway. So, things aren’t changing too much in real terms.
What I do think is vital is that English rugby continues to retain a level of aspiration. It absolutely can’t be the case that the teams currently outside the PREM can’t have dreams of one day reaching the top table. I do hope the ‘criteria-based expansion and demotion model’ will lead to that.
I’d love to see the likes of Worcester, Wasps and London Irish back in the top flight one day with greater financial security. It’s what the game needs.
I do think the PREM – and English rugby as a whole – can benefit from it.