London Welsh win Appeal! Newcastle to be Relegated

are they changing their name to oxford welsh then? i thought high wycombe was pushing it but then reading & now oxford???

Oxford as a home for rugby does make some logical sense as it is right in an arc of Rugby clubs, but without anything notable of it's own. The trouble is it simply isn't a particularly big city and it's hard to see if any real rugby following develops. I'm not a fan at all of teams moving cities, even though this one has put rugby a lot closer to me for next season, but it has to be said that Welsh were hitting a brick wall in Richmond. I have a nasty feeling this will only last for one season anyway.

The plus side is that the bottom team has been relegated and the Championship champions have been promoted. I hate the idea of a closed shop and I hate the idea of a closed shop that is supposedly open even more so. I do feel for Newcastle in the way this has been handled though - they should be relegated, but also should have known their fate straight away not over a month later.

With uncanny (and most unusual) perception, I posted this on the London Welsh- Door Closed thread a few weeks back

"The Prem may have picked on the wrong person to have a spat with here. LW Chairman Bleddyn Phillips is a partner with mega-bucks City law firm Clifford Chance; reportedly not known for blinking early, if at all."

Well done to welsh on winning their appeal. Cant see how they are going to compete on the pitch though. I wouldn't be that surprised if they don't win a game. There was more Cornish pirates fans at Oxford in the semi. No intimidating home venue, reckon they will set the record for a high handicap in the prem. Might see +40 at a big side in good weather

It was clear as cymro said that they had massive legal punch. Cant help but think myself they would rather have had a few million damages to promote the club than actually get promoted.

I think they'll take it. Will almost certainly be relegated (unless a non-qualifier wins the Championship), but will do well on the TV money, and the exposure and growth of the LW Brand (somewhat mothballed since the 70's).

They can then regroup season after next and plan for a return. A bit like West Brom in footy a few years back- they went up knowing full well they would come straight back down one year, but it was part of a 5 year plan which seems to be working well so far.

On the downside, it of course means only Sale north of the midlands.

London Welsh, who urgently need to recruit Premiership-quality players now that their promotion from the Championship has been confirmed, are willing to restart talks with former Wales utility back Gavin Henson, who was linked with the club last season.

Back for more? Gavin Henson may land up at London Welsh in the Premiership Photo: PA
By Brendan Gallagher10:30PM BST 30 Jun 201229 Comments
Henson had his contract with Cardiff terminated in April after an alcohol-fuelled incident on an early-morning flight form Glasgow to Cardiff following a RaboDirect Pro 12 match.
“We haven’t spoken to Gavin since much earlier in the year, but we are obviously now very much in the market for players of proven quality and Gavin Henson has proved himself to be that time and time again,” said London Welsh managing director John Taylor.
“It is certainly possible that we will be back in touch but in that event London Welsh would need assurances from Gavin that he is prepared to buy into our team ethic, our pay scales and that we would not just be a base for his other careers.”
Joining London Welsh could offer the last possible opportunity for Henson to be rehabilitated into the game, not least because the Exiles director of rugby, Lyn Jones, worked closely with the player during his best years at the Ospreys and seems to understand his complex personality better than most.
Jones was one of the few who spoke up for Henson when he was sacked in April: “They could have invited Gavin in to explain himself but he wasn’t invited into the hearing, he was sacked on the spot,” Jones said at the time. “They decided to make an example of him, which is fine, but now they need to be consistent with this, throughout the sport.



That would b one way to ensure relegtion immediately again

Cymros suggestion is a good one- take the cash and dont spend too much. Accept that you are going to struggle and do the best you can. Can they resist the temptation to spend the cash on Kolpaks and assorted other wasters in a likely doomed attempt to stay up? Article above seems to suggest not

You don't stay in the Premiership without plenty of power up-front and that's where Welsh have to invest very quickly. Henson, even if he was still any good, means nothing. Welsh looked to me like a team that had plenty of ability to score tries, but would get steamrollered in the Premiership and I have a feeling that is what will happen as they don't have the time to build their pack. Spend little, endure, then return stronger may well be the plan.

I remember Rotherham spending to try and stay up but failed to win a match one season out of their two in the top flight.  Virtually bust the club.  Unlikely Welsh will ever be a proper prem side playing in Oxford so best to ensure they make decent money in their one season in the top flight.

Rugbyman, do the decent thing.  Buy a season ticket and support your new local team!

Quite like the characters who have emerged in this play especially Bleddyn. A lot of the old troops regrouping . Oxford is not much further than Reading where the Irish Exiles play and this may work. London Welsh remains a big brand, hence the jeering at Twickenham whenever we feature in anything. They remember us and are afraid.

There must be a few players in wales who would fancy playing for LW.