Writing in The Independent, Chris Hewett believes it was no surprise to see the Rugby Football Union demolish the Premiership fraternity's tentative moves towards an expansion of the top league.
"This joint assault on the expansion idea may heighten the tensions between the union and its elite clubs, which, despite [RFU chief executive Francis] Baron's insistence that relations had "never been better", are rarely anything other than strained.
Although the Premiership teams deny that an end to relegation has reappeared on their agenda, the truth of the matter is that it never went away. Some club chairmen and chief executives identified relegation as a serious barrier to business development more than a decade ago and have not changed their minds. Now, with Worcester contemplating a costly descent into the second-tier Championship, the issue is live once again."
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