London Welsh unsure of their status ahead of final – Rugby News Update
London Welsh, a club that plays in the Championship, the first tier of English rugby, are unsure of their status ahead of their final against the Cornish Pirates on May 23, with the return leg on May 30.
The Aviva Premiership, the top tier of rugby in England has minimum criteria for promotion from the first tier. The London Welsh club is in with a chance to join the elite rugby clubs, if they win the final against the Pirates, who are not vying for promotion
even if they were to win the final.
They visit the Pirates at Mennaye Field ground on May 23, a stadium where they lost by 21 points during the regular season, before showcasing the Kassam Stadium in Oxford for the return leg on May 30, a stadium they want to make their permanent home if they
are to achieve promotion. Their regular stadium is the Old Deer Park ground, but that ground does not meet the minimum criteria for holding Premiership matches.
Speaking about the promotion and the use of the stadium for the match, a London Welsh statement read, "London Welsh have taken this opportunity to showcase the Kassam Stadium because it is one of the grounds where the club could play next season if they
are promoted to the Aviva Premiership. It is the home of Oxford United F.C. but the stadium was always designed for rugby as well as football. It offers high quality playing and spectator facilities plus excellent floodlighting which was a factor in the club's
decision."
London Welsh have submitted an auditor’s report to the Professional Game Board, and they met last Thursday to determine, with initial reports coming out that the group was divided, with representatives from the Premiership Rugby questioning the candidacy
of the club.
The Rugby Football Union will decide hours before the first leg if the club meets the minimum requirement for promotion; however, the Kassam Stadium does meet the criteria, as it has a capacity of 12,000, along with hosting two Challenge Cup finals in the
2000s.
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