Leeds coach Neil Back and fly-half Ceiron Thomas celebrate their Guinness Premiership survival © Getty Images

As ever with this time of year, the issue of relegation has resurfaced with renewed calls to bolt the Premiership trap door for good - but Premier Rugby have introduced a new element to the debate with the suggestion that it may be time to expand English rugby's top flight to 14 teams.

First things first - promotion and relegation must always remain. Full stop. No debate. Just look at the agony and ecstasy on display at Headingley last weekend as Leeds and Worcester battled for survival. Enthralling drama that would otherwise be a meaningless end of season clash. And if you need further reason, cast your eye to the admittedly rather convoluted Championship play-offs where the Premiership class of the likes of Bristol and Exeter are pushing for promotion and who deserve their chance to tackle the elite.

Premier Rugby will always point to the financial instability that the prospect of relegation generates and tell us that clubs are unable to create viable, long-term business plans with the fear of possible relegation hanging over them - but let us not forget this is sport, not business. But that same threat should keep the club owners on their toes and ensure they are constantly working to find a winning mix on the field and an equally attractive proposition off the field for fans, sponsors and broadcasters.

A Premiership closed shop may have been a viable option in the early days of professionalism with a franchise-based system similar to the Super 14 but 15 years down the line that is no longer a possibility with so much invested by so many into the leading clubs across the country. No one is going to walk away at this stage and an increasing number of clubs want their piece of the pie.

As a result Premier Rugby are keen to scrap relegation and expand the Premiership cast from 12 to 14 teams and fund that step via the next broadcasting deal which is up for renewal in 2012. A pipe dream. The Rugby Football Union moved quickly to quash any fanciful ideas by insisting that Premier Rugby are legally bound by the long-sought agreement finally signed a couple of years ago and ensures status quo until at least 2016.

It's not often you find high praise for the RFU on these pages but English rugby's governing body demand such for their directness on this issue. "If you have 12 shops and no one's making much money, you don't rush out and open another two shops," said RFU chairman Martyn Thomas earlier this week before adding, "You might close two." And how right he is. With maybe just a couple of clubs making significant profits in the current climate, attendances not exploding across the board no matter what Premier Rugby would have us believe and the actual rugby only recently reaching a standard worth shouting about, it does not make financial sense to introduce some new clubs to the mix and in effect water down the product.