Premiership Rugby, who organize the Premiership Cup, have only invited the top 10 teams from last season’s Championship into what will be a streamlined 20-team competition, with National One champions Chinnor and last year’s bottom club Cambridge left out in the cold.
It was first mooted in May that only 10 of the 12 Championship clubs may be involved but the bad news was only confirmed to the two disappointed parties recently.
Both clubs have been offered a small amount of compensation – but nothing like enough to cover the loss of three home games – and are now scrambling around trying to find matches to fill the huge holes in their fixture list.
Easter, Chinnor’s DoR, has some choice words to say about the people running the game in England.
“Amongst all the celebrations of our triumph last year was the prospect of being in the Prem Cup, but rather than Prem Rugby saying ‘you’re welcome, you’re included, we want to help grow the game, have a little bit of time in the sun yourselves’, they have pulled the rug from under us. It is a cartel wielding its axe of power. It is anti-competition,” he said.
“The show is the show and it has been like that for the last 20 years in English rugby. If you’re not a top feeder you don’t really have much say in the direction you are going to go or how things should be done. You have got pretty inept people making decisions most of the time.
This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 11, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
