Championship clubs want more talks on game's future

Championship clubs person called for much talks pinch nan Rugby Football Union (RFU) to effort and lick nan impasse complete nan early of nan master crippled successful England.

New proposals that are owed to commencement from 2025 person yet to beryllium agreed to.

The clubs are opposed to ringfencing nan apical tier and want much backing to guarantee a master 2nd tier tin stay viable.

They person besides been against plans for a franchise-based system saying they want to guarantee location is promotion and relegation.

"We proceed to activity urgent meetings pinch nan Board to talk our solutions, which we judge are deliverable and realistic," the clubs said successful a associated statement, external.

"In that regard, nan RFU Council, which is mandated to beryllium guardians of nan full crippled and meets later this month, should intervene, petition a reappraisal of our position, and thief facilitate a whole-game solution, peculiarly successful nan matter of promotion and relegation."

Championship winners Jersey Reds went into liquidation successful September leaving an 11-team competition.

They followed Premiership clubs Wasps, Worcester and London Irish, who each folded past season.

Earlier this twelvemonth Cornish Pirates said they were not capable to bring successful caller finance owed to nan ongoing uncertainty complete nan early of nan 2nd tier.

All nan club's players person a break clause successful their contracts astatine nan extremity of 2024 should capable backing not beryllium disposable for nan 2nd half of adjacent season.

Championship clubs person had their cardinal backing from nan RFU trim from £645,000 successful 2019 to £150,000 successful nan aftermath of nan Covid-19 pandemic.

They declare nan existent proposals will stock £4m betwixt nan second-tier clubs successful comparison to £33m betwixt nan 10 Premiership clubs.

"We understand and support nan request to stabilise nan apical tier of nan game, but our clubs must decently beryllium portion of nan structure," nan connection added.

"We person supplied a pathway for 200 players galore of whom are now family names (as good arsenic galore coaches, referees and administrators) to nan very apical of nan game.

"That pathway must not beryllium lost, because it underpins nan game."

The connection continued: "The only way to that stableness and sustainability is for nan full crippled to move guardant together.

"The PGP (Professional Game Partnership) is astir nan adjacent 8 years astatine a clip erstwhile nan crippled globally and nationally is changing rapidly, truthful this is simply a pivotal moment.

"If location are not changes now, it will beryllium excessively late."

In consequence nan RFU said it would beryllium "disappointed if Championship clubs chose to disengage successful nan process".

“A insubstantial co-authored by nan RFU and nan Championship was submitted up of nan April Council gathering and nan Championship clubs and its executive had agreed it would comply pinch nan proposals to activity towards a caller convention structure, title format and governance exemplary that could beryllium presented to nan RFU Council connected 14 June," nan connection said.

"[We] will proceed to activity pinch cardinal stakeholders up of adjacent week’s RFU Council meeting.”