WRU and drinks events at breweries

Reorganisation of the WRU Premiership is afoot. It will go down from 14 teams to 10 next season. The 4 “relegated” teams will form a new National Championship division along with the top 6 from each of Division One East and West.

Now, you’d think this would be based on results this season. But you’d be wrong. The complex set of criteria (“meritocracy calculations”) includes the awarding of points for finishing positions in each of the last five seasons, along with other criteria.

The decisions have all been taken based on these criteria. Letters have been sent by the WRU. Which means that we are back of playing for fun. Just like in the old Merit Table days. Now, all we need is the resurrection of the Floodlit Alliance and we will all be in clover.

Good news, if hardly unexpected, is that Ebbw Vale will play in the newly coined National Championship in 12/13. Confirmation is on the Ebbw Vale RFC website.

The reformed ten team Premiership for the 12/13 season will be: Aberavon, Bedwas, Cardiff, Cross Keys, Llandovery, Llanelli, Neath, Newport, Pontypridd and Swansea.

And the National Championship teams are: Bargoed, Blackwood, Bonymaen, Bridgend, Carmarthen, Ebbw Vale, Glamorgan Wanderers, Llanharan, Narbeth, Newbridge, Pontypool, Tata Steel, Tonmawr & UWIC. 

There will be promotion and relegation in the National Championship and Divisions 1E and 1W from 12/13, although the four displaced Premiership clubs will be safeguarded from relegation for the first two seasons. But promotion to the Premiership is something of a dark art, with it being based on “criteria which can be amended by the WRU year on year”. WTF?

Now that’s all very straightforward then. How long do you give it before another reorganisation comes along? Two years?