Wednesday 19 June 2019 12:29, UK
An expanded 13-team Premiership and a promotion-relegation play-off with the winners of the Championship is being discussed, RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has confirmed.
The question of whether or not to retain automatic one up, one down promotion and relegation between English rugby union's top flight and second tier is one which rears its head annually, with Newcastle Falcons being relegated at the end of the 2018/19 season and London Irish being promoted back at the first attempt.
But rather than ring-fencing the Premiership for three years, as suggested by Bristol Bears owner Steve Lansdown, the idea being considered by the RFU, Premiership Rugby, the Championship and the Rugby Players Association would see an extra team added to the top division plus the introduction of a home-and-away play-off to decide promotion or relegation.
"There's a conversation going on at the moment where you could end up with a situation where you have 13 clubs in the Premiership and an end-of-season play-off between the bottom of the Premiership and top of the Championship," Sweeney told Sky Sports.
"It would be a home-and-away-type structure. It's not ring-fencing, so there is still the possibility to get up and that's being discussed.
"It's not a proposal yet, there are a number of parties in that - PRL, the Championship and us as well, and the RPA involved as well.
"There are a number of people having that discussion, it's moving along and we would need to take that as a proposal to council."
Alongside those talks are discussions over the use of players across teams in the two competitions and investment between the two leagues.
The financial state of the Championship was brought into the spotlight last week following the news Leeds-based outfit Yorkshire Carnegie had proposed a company voluntary arrangement with its creditors.
Sweeney gave assurances the RFU are closely monitoring the situation and that the club would be able to continue in the Championship for the 2019/20 season if a satisfactory agreement can be reached.
"You don't want to see it for a number of reasons," Sweeney said. "It's a tremendous facility up there, you don't want to see it for the geographical spread of rugby union because Yorkshire is a key county and we want to progress it there.
"We're aware of the conversations and we're staying very close to them. They're going into that CVA process. If they come out of that and are able to reach a good solution with their creditors, then they would remain in the Championship."
