London Welsh will appeal the decision of the RFU – Rugby News Update
The Rugby Football Union has ruled against the promotion of London Welsh, a club that plays in the Championship, the first tier of rugby in England.
The Aviva Premiership, the top tier of rugby in England has stringent minimum criteria for promotion into the league, and a ruling came just before their first-leg final against the Cornish Pirates. They won the game 37-21 against their rivals but they had
to endure the disappointment of the ruling, but the club has vowed to appeal the report.
The head coach of London Welsh, Lyn Jones, was naturally disappointed with the ruling but insisted that he is paid to get the players motivated, and achieve results.
He said, "The players sat down and spoke about the disappointment and the unjust decision but I'm sure this story is going to roll for the next few days and I think it is best for me right now to keep my comments on the field."
He also congratulated the team on doing a good job, weathering the storm in the early part of the match and being able to apply themselves to achieve victory.
However, the London Welsh chairman, Bleddyn Phillips, has insisted that they will appeal against the decision within the two-week window that they are afforded. The major sticking point is the tenancy of Kassam Stadium, which belongs to Oxford. He said that
the stadium is top quality, which has hosted the Amlin Challenge Cup Final, and ticks all the boxes for a proper stadium.
Speaking further about the stadium he gave references to other clubs that share stadiums in the Premiership as well, such as London Irish, Saracens or Sale. He said, "I think there are three or four who share with football association grounds and for whom
there seems to be no problem in satisfying that primacy of tenure question. To the RFU, who might say that those were specific exceptions made for those clubs a few years ago...”
The Cornish Pirates were naturally deflated after the defeat and will look to overturn the deficit in the return leg.
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