Ex-England star calls on PREM to end the ‘madness’ and add clubs from rival Celtic nation to the league

The top-flight division in English rugby is the PREM, and at present there are only 10 clubs competing; however, one former British and Irish Lion has suggested how the competition can expand to compete with the Top 14.

Stuart Barnes has taken to his Telegraph column to explain how the PREM could become the best division in the Northern Hemisphere and also to support a rival Celtic nation in their time of need.

The Top 14 has become the envy of all the other leagues in world rugby, and it may be due to the unique feature that it is one of the few that has relegation.

While the PREM still has relegation, no club has been relegated since 2020, as Saracens faced a heavy points deduction for salary cap breaches.

Yet when they were promoted the following season, no club went down after relegation was put on hold in light of Covid, and since then no team has dropped to the Championship.

Joel Kpoku of Saracens wins the lineout during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Worcester Warriors and Saracens at Sixways Stadium (Getty Images)

It has also been reported by the BBC that traditional promotion and relegation to and from the top-tier Prem will be scrapped from the start of the 2026-27 season.

Instead of earning a play-off shot at replacing the Prem's bottom side by finishing top of the second-tier Champ and meeting the top flight's minimum standards, ambitious clubs will instead apply to join and be judged across a range of criteria.

This has now led Barnes to contemplate Welsh clubs applying to help save the proud rugby nation and to help benefit the PREM.

At present there are four Welsh regions competing in the URC, but there are plans from the WRU for one of the clubs to cease due to the financial strain they are having with supporting all the sides.

Barnes said: “It is time for the madness to stop and Cardiff versus Bath to start. I have addressed the subject of the four Welsh teams joining the Prem on more than the one occasion. And, yes, the appeal for all four was more a cry from the heart than a realistic possibility.

“But what about two teams?

Leigh Halfpenny of Scarlets holds off the challenge of Jonathan Joseph of Bath during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool 1 match between Bath Rugby and Scarlets at The Recreation Ground on December 12, 2020 (Getty Images)

“It’s the perfect solution for all sorts of protagonists. First, the WRU (which has an Emergency General Meeting on Monday) could sorely do with some English assistance.

“On January 1, 2025, the WRU stood by their four professional teams. In the space of nine months, they went from four regions to two before the furious public reaction forced a backtrack to three teams.

“So come on Prem, help Welsh rugby fans, rugby administrators and yourselves.”

The URC may have to prepare to replace the departing Welsh region with another club from within Europe, with several options being presented, like London Irish, a side from Georgia, one from Spain or another South African team.

This is a huge decision for the URC, who seem happy with their current format; however, Barnes believes they should bring in two clubs, with as many Welsh sides departing to join the PREM.

Barnes said: “Here is how it works. England’s elite league adopts two Welsh teams. This leaves the bruised and battered WRU with only two professional teams on their books. Instead of splitting the finances three ways, the union will have an extra share to be split between the two who remain URC regions.

“The Prem would benefit from the amalgamation courtesy of growing crowds, great atmosphere and a sequence of rivalries on either side of the Severn. It could become the first serious rival there has been to France’s Top 14.

Demi Tapladze of Black Lion during the EPCR Challenge Cup match between Connacht and Black Lion (Getty Images)

“The removal of promotion for Championship clubs remains a flaw in the system, but with Scarlets and Cardiff theoretically adding local Celtic edge, the competition will fill stadiums and — in doing so — convince broadcasters to battle for rights.”

While this is just Barnes’ opinion and none of the administrators from either competition may take notice of the column, it is an interesting idea to solve a few problems for the PREM and the WRU while allowing the URC to help grow the sport potentially in Georgia and Spain.

The only thing URC fans may take exception to is that Barnes suggests that their league is inferior to the PREM and that the best Welsh club should play in the English competition.

Barnes said: “In an ideal world, at the season’s end the lower-placed URC and Prem Welsh teams would have a play-off, with the winner playing in a Prem, which will inexorably leave the other league behind because of the ridiculous flaws of the URC.”