At the end of the season, there won’t be any Premiership clubs that are promoted from the Championship.
Ealing Trailfinders, Doncaster Knights did not meet the requirements for the top flight.
They were the only Championship clubs that applied to be promoted in the event they won the second-tier competition.
An audit revealed that neither club met the minimum standards criteria for capacity, among other factors.
Both clubs have the right to appeal against this decision.
One of the minimum requirements is that the stadium hold at least 10001 people. Trailfinders and Doncaster grounds have a combined capacity of approximately 5,000.
The Rugby Football Union states that neither club had “formal permissions” to build their stadiums. They also stated that they did not have groundshare arrangements in their applications.
This decision means that the Premiership will no longer be a 13-team league. However, the Champion for the 2022-23 season will now be the winner of National One.
If Doncaster or Ealing had been promoted to the top flight, then the Premiership would have grown to 14 teams starting next season.
Bill Sweeney, RFU chief executive, said that the PRL and RFU would love to see a Championship team promoted to create an 14-team Gallagher Premiership League.
“In the past, clubs without home grounds that meet the minimum standards criteria had nominated grounds under groundshare agreements. This was to allow a bridge between a club with its own facilities and the Premiership.
“The RFU/PRL would like to encourage all Championship clubs in their efforts to expand and develop their grounds, including formal planning applications.
The Championship title race was looking to be the most thrilling in recent history. Doncaster led the table with 67 point, four ahead of Cornish Pirates and seven ahead Ealing. However, both clubs had two games left on the Knights.