Promotion and relegation is a must, there should always be a pathway to the top for any club with the ambition and drive to get there. What we do not want to see however is another London Welsh shambles, and to be fair it is still sad to see how professionalism hurt teams such as Blackheath, Coventry, Orrell and West Hartlepool to mention but a few. People do mention the lack of support from the RFU and other entities to the grass roots game, but our club level sport is not a massive National or global entity, and we must also accept that only very few have chance of making it as the appetite and appeal of the clubs in the lower leagues is much much less than football for example. Indeed just one division below championship games attendances are around that you would see in level 6-7 of the football pyramid (ie National league north/south, Isthmian premier). This is not good for income through exposure, sponsorship, ticket, clothing revenues and general overall revenue etc. Even the Gallagher Premiership has attendances that match lower levels of league 1 to top of league 2 with its footballing counterparts.
It is that underlying fragility that we must admit and accept when we look towards promotion and relegation. Do I like moratoriums for promotion, relegation, definitely not. But a more considered approach with the play offs to decide promotion and relegation. With - and although it seems unfair given the problems with Ealing gaining promotion due to certain criteria not being met - Due diligence to prevent another London Welsh episode, I think it’s not as easy a subject, nor cut and dried decision to have promotion and relegation as we may consider it to be.