Mooted club returns great for game - Premiership boss

The boss of Premiership Rugby has welcomed the prospective return to professional rugby of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish.

The three clubs went out of business during the 2022-2023 campaign, but have all applied for a place in a revamped second-tier Championship next season.

"That is great for rugby, and good for the Premiership," chief executive Simon Massie-Taylor told BBC 5 live.

"The more rugby brands there are in the country, the better it is for the sport."

The second tier of English rugby will expand from 12 to 14 clubs next season, with the Rugby Football Union opening a tender process and welcoming expressions of interest by Sunday, 13 October.

Wasps and Worcester are now owned by businessman Chris Holland, while Daniel Loitz, the director and main investor of Hokulani Limited, says he is in talks to resurrect London Irish.

However, there are various hurdles to overcome before any of the clubs are re-established in professional rugby, with all rugby creditors needing to be paid in full.

"The main criteria is that they need to pay off their rugby creditors, and that includes people like the players who were massively affected," added Massie-Taylor.

"So that is important to the RFU, along with a load of other standards. But a competitive second tier makes the Premiership more competitive, and we are really supportive of that.

"I am also encouraged by the fact investors are looking to invest in rugby clubs and we have helped with that in allowing an easier transition for clubs to move into the Premiership."

New RFU rules give Championship clubs an extra year to ramp up their stadium capacity. Promoted clubs now have until their fourth season in the Premiership to have the ability to stage matches in front of 10,000 spectators., external

Meanwhile, Massie-Taylor says a radical shake-up of domestic rugby will only happen if the new concept is financially and commercially compelling.

The powerbrokers of the game have been in talks about a possible British and Irish league or a merger between the Premiership and the United Rugby Championship in a bid to future-proof club rugby.

Speaking before the Premiership's "Derby Weekend", Massie-Taylor says it would take a lot to abandon the status quo but has confirmed conversations are ongoing.

"We are really proud of our league and where it stands and the competitiveness and the history around it and the rivalries," he explained.

"So for any change to happen the benchmark is very high. But you do need to think long-term, and the future of club rugby and where does it sit.

"What we are doing is just good practice. We share offices with the Six Nations and the URC so we are able to have that dialogue with influential parties pretty openly."

Among the fixtures this weekend, Gloucester host Bath, Leicester host Northampton and Harlequins face Saracens, with the matches scheduled during football's international break to maximise exposure.

"When you look at the competitiveness of the league and the unpredictability of it as well, you really have to hold on to things like that because they are really important," Massie-Taylor added.

"This weekend is a good example of it with the 'Derby Weekend', and a load of rivalries that go back sometimes 150 years.

"You have to think very long-term when it comes to any kind of change, and you have to think about all the other stakeholders in the game.

"So it is not an immediate thing. But we are very confident in, and proud of, the Premiership."