You could not have written last night’s script. Chris Pennell, Worcester’s favourite son and a man who stood by them throughout relegation despite being one of the best operators in his position in the country, scores a last minute try, and Ryan Lamb nervelessly slots the conversion to draw the game on the night, and give Worcester a one point win on aggregate over the two legs of the final.
In terms of pure drama, it was right up there with anything we have seen in the sport. But the utter devastation and disbelief on the faces of the Bristol players painted an entirely different picture.
It is fitting that just one point should have separated these two sides, for they have been largely inseparable for the majority of this Championship season. They have sat so far above the rest of the league that at times it has been farcical. They finished some 30 points clear of the chasing pack and both scored over 300 more points than their closest rivals.
That only one of them can be promoted, then, is immeasurably cruel and even more so when you consider that it is heartbreak for Bristol in the final for a second season in a row. But really, they should never have been in this situation again.
It is painfully obvious that both of these sides are worthy of Premiership status. The abject failure of London Welsh to be anywhere close to competitive in even one game in the Premiership this season only makes this truth even more acute.
Bristol have finished top of the pile for the last two seasons, and despite the close attentions of Worcester and London Welsh, it has been reasonably comfortable – they finished eight points clear of Welsh last season and six clear of Worcester this time around, beating the eventual champions home and away.
Play-offs in the Premiership can be explained away – the final has become a true spectacle and draws in the crowds, and the money, to help grow the game. It also helps offset the times in the calendar when some sides have players away on international duty, meaning you still have a shot at the title even if all your top players are missing for swathes of the season and you suffer a blip in form.
Neither of those arguments apply to the Championship. The final is played over two legs, at the homes of the two finalists, serving only to add one extra gate’s takings to the coffers. A drop in the ocean compared to a season in the Premiership, of course. And 99% of the players in the league do not receive call-ups for international periods.
This season, almost from week one, it has been obvious that Bristol and Worcester would occupy the top two spots. Knowing the play-off system, it becomes almost pointless who finishes first and who second – which surely just makes a mockery of the league system in itself.
Bristol beat Worcester home and away in the regular season – to turn around and then say they have to do it again in a play-off competition is both bonkers and unecessary – have they not already proved themselves to be better?
Bristol should have been promoted last year, after walking the league season. That would, in all likelihood, have led to Worcester doing the same this season, and both would be competing in the Premiership next year. Instead, Bristol will have to go through the motions for another nine months to get to another play-off final, and the only couple of really meaningful games in their season.
The Premiership ring-fencing is a debate for another time, but the scrapping of the Championship play-off system is one that should be had now.
Dylan Hartley’s four week ban means he will miss all of England’s World Cup warm-up games as well as their first encounter of the tournament proper against Fiji. He will be sorely out of match practice by that stage, so to include him in the squad would be a significant gamble.
That said, it is one Lancaster will likely take. In Tom Youngs he has a readymade replacement for the starting shirt – the Leicester hooker has both the form and the experience to slot in seamlessly. But below that, things are a bit more worrying, with Rob Webber horribly out of form and both Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George (should he be called up) lacking in any meaningful international experience. To go through the entire tournament with either of those three as back-up hooker would represent an even greater gamble.
Lancaster will name three hookers in his final squad of 31. Provided Tom Youngs and whoever is named as the third option can remain fit over the summer, Hartley, with all the experience that 66 caps brings, should be safe.
By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
This raises the question – what actually defines a better team? From an English/European perspective where, in particular in sports like Football & Cricket, the winner of a round-robin is called the “champion” and considered the best side, we have this inherent idea that the most consistently good side throughout a season in relatively insignificant games is the “best team”. Yet is this actually true?
Can it not be argued that rather than the playoffs being a “money-spinning” feature, they are actually a means by which the best side in the league is found? I’m not saying that the playoffs are necessarily a good thing, but only that the whole idea that the best side is the side which finishes top of the round-robin isn’t something which should be assumed.
Why bother having a round Robin type tournament? You may as well have a tennis type seeded knock out tournament and then you take away from that the 2 teams in the final as the best competing. Any side on any day can beat any other side, and that is exactly what sport is about, performing at any given to time to prove you’re the best
I think that the “Grand Final” type, money-spinning event works well for the top of the pyramid. A showcase, end of season event, where the top teams battle it out to be the best labelled the country.
I think that a promotion to the elite level is a different matter completely. The team going up should be the team that is the best over the course of a season, purely in order that they are then best positioned to be consistently competitive at that level.
Last season proves this far more than this season of course. Last season, Bristol were the best team in the league, but for whatever reason, failed spectacularly to close out the season at the end. This, of course, is the beauty of sport, and this unpredictability is to be celebrated.
However, as a means by which to decide which team is fit to perform at the elite level it is completely flawed, for exactly the same reason.
It is surely no coincidence that this determination of who gets promoted happens at not one of the other 103 divisions below the IPA Championship, each one of which has a Champion, who finishes top, and then goes up.
With the Bristol team currently employing more Welsh internationals than London Welsh, is it any wonder that their fans have to see them lose a match they could/should have won in heartbreaking circumstances during the last play of the game?
Watching Wales get pipped at the post in the dying minutes against South and Africa and, in particular, Australia has almost become a national past-time.
Charles,
Your comment says much more about you that about the match. Here are some things to think about:
1) Wales beat South Africa last time they played.
2) Just two Welsh players started for Bristol yesterday (Peel and Robinson). Neither has played for Wales since 2011. Matthew Morgan came on as replacement and scored a try.
3) Worcester used an equal number of Welsh players (Jonathan Thomas and Jean-Baptiste Bruzulie started). Joe Rees made an appearance from the bench.
4) Your comment shows you to be an unknowledgeable bigot.
Hi Patrick,
Wow, not sure how to respond to your post. Mine was intended as a tongue in cheek, I share your pain, remark from a Welsh fan. Wasn’t meant to be a mendacious or definitive ruling. Clearly not been interpreted as such and apologies if it’s bothered you, but no need to say it reflects badly on my character or that I’m a bigot.
1) Can’t argue with that, although I was referring to the South African defeat in Nelspruit last year, and the several Australian defeats in 2014 and 2012.
2) Can’t argue with that either, but I could point to the previous fixture which was again lost in the dying minutes, where Henson, Ryan Jones, Gareth Maule, Matthew Morgan and Dwayne Peel all started (with Nicky Robinson on the bench).
3) That I did not know. I will hold my hands up and admit lack of knowledge there. I only knew that Jonathan Thomas was Welsh.
4) Unknowledgeable maybe, but bigot I have to take some umbrage with I’m afraid.
In other news, really feel for Bristol. Must be like being a Gloucester fan in the mid noughties – topping the regular season table but never getting their hands on that trophy.
“Mine was intended as a tongue in cheek, I share your pain, remark from a Welsh fan.”
Ah! I didn’t pick up on that! My apologies.
That changes my interpretation of your comment completely. I wrongly assumed that you were not a Welsh fan and were using this as an opportunity to shoehorn in a needless dig based on nationality, hence the accusation of bigotry that I unreservedly withdraw. With this new information, I see that it was actually gallows humour that was intended to be self-deprecating, inclusive and empathetic.
Apologies again. I was far too touchy.
Mea culpa,
Patrick
Apologies wholeheartedly accepted Patrick. I did imagine that was the case and glad all is well. Here’s hoping we see more of Wales winning big matches and no more Bristol-esque heartbreaks.
Said it before and I will say it again there should not be playoffs for top spot in The Championship, London Scottish and Rotherham Titans finished so far behind Bristol and Worcester they shouldn’t even be in the picture.
You then look at The Premiership and Newcastle/London Irish are allowed to saunter across the line because London Welsh have been that awful.
The answer is as clear as the nose on your face Championship Winner Up, Bottom place in The Premiership down second in The Championship play off against second bottom in The Premiership for the second spot.
It gives the second place team something still to play for and the second bottom team something to play for to avoid which in turn increase competition in the Premiership.
the same should apply from National League 1 to The Championship.
ProD2 got their promotion system spot on – too bad that arrogant Brits will never look across their channel for experience, even if that experience is very positive
arrogant? Is this someone else from Enoch’s stereotyping class?
Oh guest the view must be so nice from that ivory tower.
Sure your relegation and promotion system may be better but a lot of things are not
1. Moneyball vs salary cap
2. Big money imports vs Academies and national talent pool
3. 6 team playoff farce vs 4 team playoff farce
4. Weird 3 try lead BP vs Traditional bonus points
5. Club power vs country power
6. Huget not cited vs Hartley cited
p.s. I also like the average gates and passion of the fans in the French game
As a lifelong Bristol fan, of course I’m heartbroken. Again. But to be fair, we did lose our home leg of the final, and there are a raft of other issues, not least of which is our persistent indiscipline. We gave away three penalties, a penalty try, and picked up two yellows in the last 10 minutes of Wednesday’s game. Andy Robinson went off on one about the ref again, but that rap sheet is pretty inexcusable.
But back to the debate. The issue isn’t so bad this season, as Worcester were worthy opponents and winners, and deserve to be in the Premiership. But the woes of London Welsh, and the performance of the rest of the Championship sides against the likes of Bristol and Worcester, make the whole league something of a joke. I love watching sides like the Pirates, Bedford, London Scots etc., but they are simply playing at a lower level – and most could not even be promoted anyway! This is the cruel joke – in 2012 (not our best season admittedly) we went out in the semi finals to the Pirates, who couldn’t go up even if they wanted to.
I don’t want to see the end of promotion/relegation – I think the levels of competition in the Top 14 compared to the Pro 12 are enough to back up this argument. But with this ridiculous system where teams get relegated in order to just bounce back up, or the best team in the Championship (on paper) repeatedly fails to win promotion, it’s getting harder and harder to argue against it.
As someone that played for and has supported Bristol since,I was floored by the last 10 minute turn round by Worcester. Nick Robinson and Dwayne Peel have enough international experience between them to have closed that game out. It really is inexcusable. The massive downside to loosing this game is no promotion. At least if you’re in the Premiership and you loose a final, you’re still in the premiership. When they buy players they need to go after guys that are still in their prime, if that means searching the International market with a fine tooth comb then so be it. There will only be a tiny amount of quality English players that that would play for a championship side in their early to late twenties. On his day Tom Varndell is a great finisher, but he has struggled to get in the Wasps team;in terms of England aspirations, that ship has long sailed and his defence is questionable. Hope I am proved wrong but I don’t think the recruiting process is working. If you have the financial backing that Bristol have they should walk into the premiership. If you look at the templates of Saracens and Bath,( with wealthy benefactors ) outside of being payed they are looked after very well off the pitch. As in business if you see something that works, replicate it.