Senior competition structure 2007/8

A Competitions Review Group (CRG) has spent the last yer looking at the structure or senior cups and leagues and has now issued some proposals for next season. These do not actually seem to be on the website (well I cannot find them) but can be summarised as follows:

• The current "Premier 1" will become "The Championship". This will become a "closed" league of eight "geographically spread" teams, thus enabling all players to be able to play top level rugby.
• Championship clubs required to sustain development plans that would make them responsible for the growth and development of rugby in their region (not just their club). Failure to do so would result in relegation and replacement by another club.

• Below this there will be two leagues of eight - "Premier 1 North" and "Premier 1 South",
• Feeding these leagues would be Premier North 2 and Premier Midlands 2 (feeding Preimer 1 North), and Premier South East 2 and Premier South West 2 (feeding Premier 1 South).
• And below that league here would be a regional leagues structure of two or three levels.

• The top four teams in the Championship will play off for the "Super Cup".
• The winners of Premier 1 North and South would play-off for the "Premiership Cup"
• There would be a "Regional Cup" available for other teams to enter.

• In addition the top 88-100 players will be invited to play in a "Super League" consisting of three English and one Celtic qualified teams.
• All "Premier" leagues to play to full IRB rules, other leagues to play to U19 rules.

Comments to RFUW@therfu.com by 14th November (yes - next week!)