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RFU confirm Ealing Trailfinders won't be promoted to Premiership
By Ian Cameron
The RFU have confirmed that Ealing Trailfinders will not be promoted to the Gallagher Premiership after withdrawing their appeal of a decision that stopped the club from being promoted.
Ealing finished top of the RFU Championship, but the RFU said they did not meet the criteria for promotion.
An RFU statement reads: "Ealing Trailfinders has withdrawn its appeal of the decision of the RFU Board that following an independent audit, the club’s facilities do not currently meet the Professional Game Board Minimum Standards Criteria required for promotion to the Gallagher Premiership.
"The RFU has reiterated it will continue to collaborate with Championship clubs on the development of a sustainable Championship as well as a commitment of the Professional Game Board to review standards relating to minimum capacity ahead of the audit process next season."
Ealing Trailfinders said: “We have decided not to continue the appeal with the RFU appointed panel. We are disappointed that having won the Championship, we will not be taking our rightful place in the Gallagher Premiership.
"We remain humbled and grateful for the enormous support we have received from the wider rugby public during this frustrating process. Rest assured that Ealing Trailfinders remain more committed and passionate than ever in becoming a successful Premiership club and strongly believe in the circumstances we are dealt this is our best route forward in achieving that at the earliest possible date.”
Ealing Trailfinders said that they are confident that the Professional Game Board, having reconsidered the matter, will want to reform the Minimum Standards Criteria to "make promotion a real and affordable option for any and all Championship clubs".
"In Ealing Trailfinders’ view, the number of spectators for promoted clubs must be grown sustainably and over time so that promoted sides or those with ambitions for promotion are not forced either into speculative, rapid, unsustainable and unnecessary spending on unused stands or facilities or into expensive and over specified ground share deals which take them away from their core fan base, employees, volunteers and communities.
"Ealing Trailfinders expects the PGB’s review carefully to consider the case for reducing the required minimum capacity as well as allowing it to be achieved by newly promoted clubs in staggered increments, before adopting the MSC for the 2022/23 season."
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Dont know if the Irish players said it or not, but lets all be honest with ourselves, and hopefully both the Irish and French have healed by now, the Media did jump the gun, be realistic, according to 90% of the media it was a France and Ireland final, and the media had 1 of them winning the world cup, not even mentioning the All blacks? Just remember world cups are different, Australia was not the most in form cricket tean in the last cricket world cup, but they have a nack of winning when it matters. I wont go into whether what Etzabeth is saying is true, all I am saying is that its very easy for a team to get ahead of themselves due to the media. Nothing wrong with it, the media got the springboks over confident against England and we nearly lost that one.
Go to commentsHey Finn, Well done to the Junior Wallabies…a win is a win but it was a wet and scrappy game. Would be interesting to hear your opinion on two things from watching the game at the Not So Sunny Coast Stadium. Firstly, what is your opinion on the rule change of being able to call The Mark from a kick off and what is the reason for the change? Secondly, your thoughts on the lack of action for the high tackle on the SA fullback. I understand the TMO ruled that he had fallen into the tackle and the tackler didn’t have time to adjust but it was clearly shoulder on head and the Aussie 11 had not made any attempt to adjust his tackle height leading into the tackle. In my opinion he was never going to get his tackle technique correct to complete a safe tackle. If that tackle was made at a more senior and more scrutinised level would we have seen the same result?
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