London Welsh “not eligible for Premiership” shock

Posted on May 23, 2012 in London Welsh

In a shock decision, the RFU has ruled that London Welsh have not met the Minimum Standards Criteria for entry to the Premiership.

The Rugby Football Union’s Board of Directors has considered the findings of the independent audit report requested by London Welsh, which determines a club’s eligibility for promotion to the Aviva Premiership in line with the Minimum Standards Criteria (MSC).

The report, carried out by independent auditors, found that London Welsh has not met the MSC for the Aviva Premiership. The independent auditors identified various failures, including not having Primacy of Tenure at their nominated ground. This states that a club must demonstrate that they can host home fixtures at the time stipulated by Premiership Rugby and/or the host broadcaster.

The RFU Board ratified the findings and agreed, should London Welsh win the RFU Championship final following the second leg on May 30, they would not be eligible for promotion and Newcastle Falcons would remain in the Aviva Premiership.

Cornish Pirates did not choose to have an independent audit of the Mennaye Field and so do not fulfil the criteria for promotion should they win the final. As a result, there will be no promotion from the RFU Championship this season.

London Welsh have the right to appeal and would be required to do so within 14 days of this decision.

The Minimum Standards Criteria are set by the Professional Game Board (PGB) – a joint group from the RFU, Premiership Rugby, RFU Championship clubs and the Rugby Players’ Association. They are designed to ensure high standards across the Premiership are maintained both on and off the field.

Nigel Redman to join Worcester Warriors from RFU

Posted on May 22, 2012 in Worcester Warriors

Nigel Redman is to leave the RFU and return to Worcester Warriors as the new forwards coach of the Aviva Premiership club.

The move ends his eight years working for the Union as an RFU National Academy Coach, England Under 20 head coach and Elite Coach Development Manager.

The Cardiff born former Bath and England lock left Sixways to become a National Academy Coach in 2004 and coached the national Under 21 and Under 19 teams before leading England Under 20 to a Six Nations Grand Slam and a Junior World Championship final in 2008.

Since then he has worked with Head of Elite Coach Development Kevin Bowring to support the development of coaches in England teams,  the National Academy, Premiership and Championship clubs, and academies.

Redman, an RFU Level 5 Coach and a graduate of the UK Sport Elite Coach Programme, links up with former Bath and England teammate Richard Hill in July.

Nigel Redman said: “It was a tough decision to make but I’m passionate about coaching people and I’m excited about what is happening at Worcester and want to be part of that process.

“Kevin Bowring, Rob Andrew [Professional Rugby Director] and Nathan Martin [Professional Rugby General Manager] at the RFU have been very supportive in getting me to where I am and in making my decision, and now I’m looking forward to working with Richard Hill, the coaches, players and people at Worcester.

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London Welsh claim Premiership eligibility “satisfied”.

Posted on May 11, 2012 in emb, London Welsh

By MARTYN WINTERS. The board of London Welsh have issued a statement claiming they would be “eligible for promotion”  to the Aviva Premiership if they win the championship.

Even though Welsh have never played in the Premiership, they have experienced a revival in their fortunes under the guidance of former Ospreys coach Lyn Jones and now look to return to the former glory days when the likes of JPR Williams played for them and they were one of the most feared sides in Europe.

Speculation that the Exiles are looking at a ground share with Quins at the Twickenham Stoop is gaining ground in the media, but both parties are remaining tight lipped. Harlequins are the only Premiership “London” club to actually play in the Greater London area, with London Irish, Saracens and Wasps sharing football grounds near the capital (respectively Reading, Watford and High Wycombe) and it seems more likely that Welsh would seek a similar arrangement outside the GLA.

Bleddyn Phillips (pictured), Chairman of the club, says the Exiles have co-operated fully with the consultants appointed by the RFU and Premiership Rugby and have given them every assistance to conduct an audit on the two grounds they are considering for use next season in the event of them winning the Championship.

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RFU to stream London Welsh v Bedford Blues LIVE

Posted on May 3, 2012 in Bedford, Championship, London Welsh

The RFU Championship, now in its third year, enters the most exciting knock-out stages to date as the four semi-finalists battle it out to claim the title in England’s second tier of professional rugby.

Following the closest league stage in the competition’s history, Bristol Rugby, Bedford Blues, Cornish Pirates and London Welsh pushed through to the knock-out stages and will now play a two-legged semi-final, with the highest aggregate score securing a place in the final on May 23 & 30.

Sky Sports HD will broadcast both legs of Bristol Rugby and Cornish Pirates encounter at The Memorial Stadium and The Mennaye, respectively, while RFU.com will show London Welsh vs Bedford Blues LIVE on Sunday May 13, KO 1500.

Adrian Battersby, Head of Technical Services at www.247.tv, who will broadcast the fixture, commented:

“We are delighted to have been asked to stream the semi-final at Old Deer Park. We have streamed a few games for RFU.com now, including England Women and England U20, but I have a feeling this could be one of the most exciting encounters we’ve been involved in! Unfortunately, due to a prior booking, we were not available to film the first leg at Goldington Road on Friday night, but I’m confident the streaming from Old Deer Park will satisfy supporters of both sides."

Joe Pecchia, Digital Project Manager for RFU.com, commented

“This is another fantastic step forward for our digital channels, and particularly for the RFU Championship. The competition has really gone from strength to strength over the past 18 months and we’ve seen a real rise in interest, particularly on Twitter. With the Bristol game kicking-off at 1245 and London Welsh available on line from 3pm, supporters can look forward to a RFU Championship marathon on May 13!”

RFU Championship semi-finals

• Bedford Blues v London Welsh, Friday May 4, KO 1945 – Updates via @RFUChampionship
• Cornish Pirates v Bristol Rugby, Monday May 7, KO 1205 – Sky Sports HD
• Bristol Rugby v Cornish Pirates, Sunday May 13, KO 1245 – Sky Sports HD
• London Welsh v Bedford Blues, Sunday May 13, KO 1500 – www.rfu.com/ChampionshipLive

RFU Championship Final

RFU announce partnership with BMW

Posted on Apr 12, 2012 in English Rugby, RFU

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) today announced a new four-year partnership with BMW Group UK as the Official Vehicle Partner from September 2012.

BMW Group UK will invest in various levels of the elite game through an integrated partnership to become the Official Vehicle Partner of England Rugby, title sponsors of England’s elite age grade development programme and front of shirt sponsors of the England Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 squads.

The partnership sees the world’s leading premium automobile manufacturer make a significant investment in the continued development of the next generation of English players.

Outside of its commitment to development and support of the England teams, BMW Group UK will also engage rugby supporters and BMW and MINI customers through the RFU’s digital channels and at Twickenham Stadium on international match days.

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to be entering into a new partnership with BMW Group UK, a company renowned both for the excellence of its vehicles and for supporting the development of athletes. As one of the leading global automotive brands who pride themselves on performance, we are really looking forward to working with them at various levels from September.”

Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group UK, added: “This new partnership is an excellent result for the RFU, BMW, our dealers, customers and, crucially, anyone who plays or follows rugby. The game is a perfect brand fit for us and this news comes as a natural extension of the work we have already done to support some of the UK’s leading sports stars."

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster has overseen the development of English players over the last four years in his role as RFU Head of Elite Player Development. “Putting in place the right player development programmes is critical if we are to make England successful, not just in 2015 but beyond,” said Lancaster. “We are now seeing the fruits of our age grade representative structure and BMW’s support of that will be a massive boost to them.”