It's wrong.... they won the league by 8 points yet won't go up. Stupid rule to have this play off and it should be scrapped. Unfair...
I have always considered that play offs are grossly wrong. To play a season of football or rugby for eight to nine months and finish top, second and third if more than on to be promoted, of the pile should be sufficient to decide promotion. I wonder if this stupid system will ever be introduced to the English Premier Football League? Can one imagine SAF finishing first and then agreeing to give those who finished as low as fourth, another bite? NO, but that is what happens in English Rugby. It is a farcical method of deciding promotion. If it continues, let's not bother with a season from August/September to end of April and just have this silly knockout cup in May.
Just got back from the game and, although Bris were on top for most of tonights' game, Welsh did have the upper hand over the two games. The scoreline tonight flattered them a bit (Robinson was crap with his kicks tonight, 2 late tries) but they certainly deserved the victory over the 2 legs. It does seem grossly unfair that you can win the league but still have to play off but them's the rules I suppose!
Hey, I'm very pro Bristol and the rules are stupid but everybody was aware of them, surely at the seasons start, what if Bristol had won promotion under the same conditions, would we all be complaining..? Good luck next season when they play on god's acre..?
Obviously, we would be ecstatic Wiz and I wouldn't be on here, I would be getting ****faced somewhere! As a supporter of City and Bris, I bloody hate sodding play offs!
Totally agree. Bris need a goal kicker to win promotion and stay up! Until they get one who can convert 90% of kicks, they will continue to fail!
The season is planned out that way to do with international matches, if you have a team with over half internationals you play x amount of games without a full squad, so you could effectively finish second or third because you've got the better players. That's the reasoning behind it. Would make more sense to have international breaks like they do in football. And the winner goes up the next three play off against the second from bottom of the prem league. But like everything the prem teams won't vote for that as it could impact them. But 12,000 fans was a good turn out for them. But also we knew they were doomed once Red Robin declared his support
Your explanation of the reason for play offs is valid in the Rugby Premiership. But surely not at second tier level?
Only going on what I was told, and when you think about it it's the logical reason why they would agree to it. Just read wiki and no mention of what I said, it's supposed to give the clubs more revenue with the extra matches. But I think it's a stupid rule that some twat from TV must of thought off.
Perhaps they should have some sort of rule about stadia and crowds. I'm sure London Welsh are going to set the prem alight in the Kassam Stadium (average crowds this season app1,300 I believe) and Bristol would have brought three high profile derbys with Gloucester, Bath and Exeter!! hey it's the premiers loss and I'm not bitter about coming from a City where we are becoming great at falling at the last hurdle and having a team that eventually wins it's league but still manages to cock it up!!!! Oh well there's always next season!
So another failed venture by Steve Lansdown as well, albeit on a ground now immortalised for the words abject failure. Maybe it'll be better next season as Wiz says Bristol had the biggest budget and it still proves that money doesn't, and can't buy success
I thought that clubs being relegated from the prem. get parachute payments which enabled Welsh to keep and get some half decent players.
LONDON Welsh playing in Oxford? They must be the MK Dons of rugby. Could SL afford to buy Man City or Liverpool and move them to Ashton Gate?
With Ryan Jones there next season, and a few more additions they could win the league again to lose at this hurdle. It's a stupid system that has to looked a, and hopefully changed to benefit a team winning the marathon not the final sprint. Also didn't London Welsh play at Readings ground or is that London's Irish?
Rugby is a joke, for a start they play with this weird shaped object! Lol...the biggest joke of all, you win the marathon, then have a sprint against the next three clubs to decide promotion, idiotic if you ask me!
Don't really think you can call it a joke sport, I don't watch as much as I used to. I used to follow Gloucester home and away for a season or two but my love for City drove me back. But the atmosphere at international's is up there with the best I've ever encountered. Cardiff on international day is my favourite time at sporting events. I suspect Cidered Abroad could also vouch for that one. But as they say each to their own. Best bit I like is for 80 minutes they all pretend they ain't injured as opposed to football playing for 90 minutes feigning injury.
