• Ealing and Doncaster Knights have applied

• Formal removal of relegation still to be ratified

Arguments behind the scenes about the proposed transformation of the top tier of English club rugby into a franchise-based league are intensi­fying with just two Champ clubs seemingly now eligible for promotion this season. Only Ealing Trailfinders and ­Doncaster Knights have applied formally to be promoted to the Prem, with Worcester Warriors understood to have missed the deadline.

A Rugby Football Union spokesperson suggested on Tuesday that the absence of Worcester’s name reflects the reality that the club is still “getting back on its feet” after its financial collapse in September 2022 with debts of more than £25m. But with Ealing unable to satisfy the Prem minimum ­standards for the past two seasons, and with ­Doncaster off the pace in 10th place, it raises fresh questions about the ­­raison d’être of the ­scheduled new end‑of‑season Champ playoffs, unveiled this year amid much fanfare.