Lyn Jones’s men will play in the Aviva Premiership next season – in place of the relegated Newcastle Falcons – after the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) decision to deny them promotion was overturned.
They will play their home games next season at Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium.
Congratulations!
London Welsh RFC are set to find out today whether their appeal against the Rugby Football Union’s decision to prevent their promotion has been successful.
The Exiles won the Championship after a two-legged win over the Cornish Pirates last month, but were denied the opportunity to replace Newcastle Falcons – who finished bottom of the Aviva Premiership – when the RFU decided the Richmond-based club did not meet the league’s eligibilty criteria.
The hearing had been due to take place a week ago, on June 21, but all sides agreed to push back the date to today.
Welsh hope to play their home games at Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium if their appeal is successful. Their Old Deer Park home is too small to host top-flight games, and Lyn Jones’s side had proposed a similar arrangement to Premiership sides including London Irish and Saracens, who share with Reading FC and Watford FC respectively.
Wales’s women completed a successful few days last night as they recorded a comfortable 5-0 win over Israel in their Euro 2013 qualifier Group 4 encounter at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.
Nearly 1,000 fans watched Wales thrash Israel at the Racecourse Ground to move to second in their Euro 2013 qualifying group, behind the unbeaten French. Picture: Flickr, blogdroed
Bristol Academy striker Natasha Harding recorded a first-half hat-trick as Israel suffered another thrashing – they have now conceded 33 goals in just seven qualifying fixtures, and even trailed Scotland 7-0 at half-time of their encounter last weekend.
Sarah Wiltshire and Hannah Keryakoplis also made their mark on the scoreboard as Jarmo Matikainen’s side moved ahead of Scotland in the Group 4 standings – although Scotland, who have two games in hand, will regain second spot if they get a point from their fixture tonight against the Republic of Ireland in Cork.
As Wales prepare to kick off against Australia in Brisbane this morning (GMT), they will have to produce quite a performance to outdo that of the junior side.
Wales under-20s yesterday beat the ‘Baby Blacks’ of New Zealand 9-6 in the group stages of the IRB Junior World Championships in South Africa – inflicting NZ’s first ever defeat in the tournament, which they are looking to win for a fifth consecutive time.
And the result came just a year after Wales were on the wrong side of a 92-0 hammering to New Zealand in last season’s tournament.
But Wales had to come back from a 6-3 half-time deficit, at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, with two penalties from Dragons’ winger Tom Prydie – the second with just 15 minutes to go – as well as an earlier one from Ospreys’ outside half Matthew Morgan enough to secure a famous win.
Morgan’s opposite number Scott Eade kicked a pair of penalties for the favourites.
Wales have already beaten Fiji in the tournament, and a win over Samoa would see them win the group and confirm their place in the last four of the tournament.
Wales have only been in the last four on one previous occasion – during the inaugural tournament in 2008, which they hosted. The side finished fourth that year.
New Zealand have always dominated the tournament, beating England in the finals of the 2008, 2009 and 2011 tournaments (38-3, 44-28 and 33-22 respectively). In 2010 they beat Australia 62-17.
Despite the recession, it seems Welsh rugby is doing alright.
The WRU must invest – and end the uncertainty surrounding the regional game – if the game is to continue to thrive at all levels
The WRU, which hopes to be debt free by 2021, today announced it would be investing £3.5m in rugby across Wales, including funding facilities for schools, grassroots clubs – up to £50,000 for each club – and the upkeep of the Millennium Stadium.
WRU Group Chief Executive Roger Lewis said today:
Working together for the benefit of all of Welsh rugby has to be the answer.
Quite. But money needs also to be set aside for the regional game, which has suffered through dwindling crowds and an exodus of top players to better-paid leagues.
Read more about the windfall at the blog run by An Early Bath‘s friend Trolley Boy.
An Early Bath 