Robert Kitson evaluates the merits of relegation in the Guinness Premiership prior to Leeds' meeting with Worcester in The Guardian.
"No wonder Gary Hetherington, Leeds Carnegie's chief executive, sounds tense. Tomorrow's game against Worcester is, he says, the biggest in the club's history, with huge implications for the sport in England. Avoiding relegation from the Guinness Premiership will be worth £1m to his club, possibly more. Worcester, five points adrift at the bottom heading into the penultimate weekend, can sense their own best-laid plans going horribly pear‑shaped. "It's like the Christians and the Lions," mutters Hetherington. "There's a macabre fascination about it."
"But hang on. Not everything is quite what it seems in the Premiership's annual macho game of chicken. There are some juicy conspiracy theories floating around and the juiciest goes like this: if Worcester finish bottom and Exeter Chiefs win the inaugural Championship play-off final, it would leave two of Premier Rugby's senior shareholders (Worcester and Bristol) outside the magic circle. Some predict that would precipitate a rapid rethink and give birth to a 14-team Premiership, possibly split into two conferences. Fanciful? Not according to informed sources close to the debate.
"Whatever unfolds, the whole sacred concept of relegation has rarely looked less secure. Traditionally, we have all been reared on the integrity of the Rugby Football Union pyramid, or at least the possibility that any ordinary Joe from Rotherham to Old Reigatians can dream the dream if he unearths a kindly millionaire backer. According to Hetherington, such romantic ideals are increasingly Jurassic. "The current system is so debilitating for clubs," he argues. "With the spectre of relegation hanging over you, it becomes impossible to get ahead in terms of your support base and player retention."
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