Friday 27 March 2015 10:13, UK
Promotion and relegation are crucial to the Premiership, says Sky Sports pundit Dewi Morris.
While English clubs are considering ring-fencing the Aviva Premiership, the battle at the top and bottom of the Top 14 looks set to go down to the wire.
There are six rounds remaining in the Top 14 and every team has something to play for. Lyon and Castres are fighting for survival, and teams as low as Brive and La Rochelle – who are 11th and 12th respectively – have an outside chance of making the top six.
Should things change in clubs like Nottingham and London Scottish, such as financial investment, they should have the opportunity to push for promotion.
With the bottom two teams relegated, the Top 14 is guillotine-like. That’s the way the French like it, and the excitement at both ends of the table is something English rugby should pay attention to.
Premiership clubs are trying to protect themselves by increasing the number of teams to 14 and scrapping promotion and relegation. I don’t think that will even happen, and it shouldn’t. Yes, London Welsh have had a wretched season – they’ve paid the price for moving so far away from the squad that beat Bristol in last year’s Championship final – but Exeter Chiefs are looking good for a semi-final spot just five years after being promoted.
In a sort of perverse way, I think the threat of relegation is brilliant. I was speaking to Rob Andrew recently and he said he ranks steering Newcastle Falcons to safety in the late ‘90s as one of his best achievements. The relief was amazing.
There are seven games remaining in the Premiership and if you’re not in with a chance of breaking into the top four, it’s cigars and vin rouge time. London Irish and Newcastle play on Saturday in a dead rubber and they can simply throw the ball around like England and France did last weekend, and not worry about the consequences.
You’ve got to have something to play for, no matter what end of the table you’re at, and there should always be an aspiration for a Championship club to get promoted. There always has to be a tangible chance that you can go up.
With the exception of Worcester and Bristol, a lot of Championship clubs aren’t ready for the Premiership, but that doesn’t mean you shut the trap door. Should things change in clubs like Nottingham and London Scottish, such as financial investment, they should have the opportunity to push for promotion.
Having watched a lot of Championship rugby, there is no shortage of talent in the second tier, from players to coaching staff. For example, Lee Blackett will join Wasps from Rotherham at the end of the season. I believe he’s one of the best coaches in the Championship, if not the whole of English club rugby. He has done superbly well at Rotherham, turning them into a top-four side on a meagre budget, and he deserves his chance. He’ll be sorely missed by the Titans but greatly appreciated by Wasps.
If the Premiership was increased to 14 teams it would probably spell the end for the LV= Cup, and that would be criminal. It’s provides up-and-coming players with a great opportunity for game time in a strong competition. People love watching it and the viewing figures back that up.
At the moment the season is congested. England were without any Northampton or Saracens players last June for the first Test against the All Blacks, and should the Premiership be extended there will be even less time for international players to have any rest. I understand rugby is a business but it has to be marshalled well. We’re seeing so many players forced into retirement because of injuries, and that will only worsen.
Going back to the Top 14, there are two fantastic games on Sky Sports on Saturday as Stade Francais host Clermont Auvergne and Toulon tackle Toulouse. Stade have won just one of their last five games in all competitions, which was against Bordeaux on March 7. They’re not playing well and have lost their last two home games against Oyonnax and Grenoble. They’ve never lost three successive home games in the professional era.
Clermont are top of the form league having taken 20 points from their last six matches. They’re in superb form, with their only loss in their last eight outings coming against La Rochelle in January. If Toulon and Clermont win this weekend I think the top two is a done deal.
For people who are not interested in French rugby, it’s worth having a look at those two games. Some of the big stars will be back after the Six Nations. They pay big bucks for the big players in the Top 14; it’s time for them to put their hands up.
Watch Stade Francais v Clermont Auvergne live on Sky Sports 3 on Saturday from 1.30pm, and Toulon v Toulouse live on Sky Sports 1 (red button) from 3.35pm
