Jersey's victory over rivals Ealing Trailfinders in April brought them one step closer to the RFU championship. Photo: Rich Chapman
Leading the championship in the era of the closed Premier League is a double-edged experience. Among the festivities come search questions. This year's winners feel disrespected by decision makers. Like the rest of the league, they remain in the dark about next season's format.
A 43-15 win over Ampthill sealed the Jersey Reds' title on Saturday, the culmination of a long season and a decade of steady progress on the island. But disappointment was added to it.
Harvey Biljohn's voice remains slightly husky. The hangover was gone, as was the cup semi-final against the Cornish Pirates on Friday night. However, it was bittersweet to beat the Ealing Trailfinders and climb to the top of the Tier 2 table.
Not only are Jersey ineligible for promotion due to the Premier League's minimum standard criteria, leaving a sense of emptiness in their monumental achievement, but as negotiations over the Professional Gaming Agreement (PGA) continue, the league's future is also fraught with uncertainty. .
«Over the past few years, all that could be taken away from us was the flow of support and funding,» says Biljohn, who arrived at the club in the midst of a relegation battle in 2014.< /p>
“Despite this, we have been able to maintain this trajectory and I have to ask the question: why do we not deserve the promotion? We won the games we needed. We're not in the same situation as the Worcester or the Wasps. In my opinion, they struggled to keep the squads together because they were trying to meet the criteria of a premier league team.
“We did everything right. One of the core values of RFU is respect. Can I request compensation differently?»
Jersey beat Ampthill to win the title. Photo: Rich Chapman &# 39;It all upsets me'
The lack of transparency regarding the involvement of the Wasps, for whom Biljohn played in the 2000s, has left Championship teams in limbo over their 2023-24 commitments. Various provisional match lists have been circulated, with several hints that there will be as many as 14 teams in the second tier. A relegation play-off against a team in last place in the Premier League was also discussed.
One drastic, hopeful change would be for the Premier League Cup to swallow up league teams. Still, the pervasive feeling among second-tier clubs — especially in the midst of episodes such as back pay at the London Irish and no relegation from the Premier League — seems like a weary bewilderment.
“Right now we have an odd number in the Premier League,” says Biljohn. “We have championship clubs waiting for the opportunity while Premier League clubs [London Irishmen] are waiting to be paid. We were told to prepare for a 13-team championship, presumably with Wasps, but the preliminary match lists show 26 rounds for 14 teams.
“How do we get to that number from 12? And if the championship is not valued, how can it be used as a landing pad for teams that are going to be relegated from the Premier League, write off their debt, and then come back? I'm just disappointed with all this.”
More than 3,000 fans turned up at Stade Santander International for Jersey's season-defining 19-13 win over Ealing last month, and just under 2,800 turned out to watch the hosts lift the trophy by beating Amptilla. Biljon claims these figures are a good fit for the island's population of 100,000 and believes his budget is «about the fifth or sixth largest» in the Championship.
Many stakeholders agree on the importance of a solid second tier as a tool for the development of the English game, and Jersey has a role to play in this regard. They prefer to take the youth on loan for the whole season, and this season three people have settled into the first team. One of them, James Dun, was one of the best long-range rowers in the championship according to Biljohn and will return to the Bristol Bears ready to play under Pat Lam.
'We can' do not take players to a higher level'
Of course, Jersey has been a launching pad for many promising professionals. Productive forward Tomy Lewis will return to the Scarlets after a great season, continuing Biljohn's long tradition of finishing school. However, a change of tactics may be at hand. Now Biljon wants to keep the team. And he calls for clarity.
«I'm not saying Jersey is going to rise up and rock the Premier League,» says Biljohn. “I say that we have not been given the opportunity to plan accordingly because we do not know what the landscape looks like. We are an ambitious club that strives to play at a new level. How can we do this without knowing what funding sources we have? We worked within the budget of the championship, without money from the RFU, and we came to the top against all odds. We want to know what we need to upgrade.”
Much depends on those who write and finalize the structures of the leagues. Among the concepts put forward for 2024-25 was a two-division system, Premiership One and Premiership Two, that would keep relegation intrigue while sharing a couple of elite professional tiers. In the meantime, Ealing announced his intentions by hiring Geordie Reid and Billy Twelvetris ahead of the summer. While his side could still win a league and a cup this campaign, Billon doesn't shy away from the question of motivation for next season. Jersey's success, unfortunately, has a tinge of regret.
«We'll be defending champions next season, so we'll be the goal and cup final for everyone in the championship.» — Biljohn. speaks. “If we were promoted to the Premier League, it would be a cup final for us every week. We will continue to believe in our rugby program. I will try my best to support our coaches and support staff and look to rugby players who have the talent to play at the next level. The sad thing is that we may be losing these players, but you can't envy them if they want to test themselves at a higher level, and we can't take them there.
«In general, sustainability is what the Championship clubs have shown is something else. There are a number of rugby players who are required to lead the English game, both in the premier league and the national team. Right now we seem to be going in the wrong direction.”
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