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Championship final details confirmed in favour of appeal-threatening Saracens
By Liam Heagney
A threat by Saracens to appeal the decision taken following last weekend’s cancelled match versus Hartpury College has been assuaged after details for their two-legged Greene King IPA Championship final versus Ealing Trailfinders were confirmed with a favourable outcome for Mark McCall’s side.
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With a virus outbreak resulting in ninth-placed Hartpury being unable to play Saracens last Saturday and with isolation protocols preventing that game from being rearranged for this weekend, a decision was taken by the Championship’s disputes committee that the match should be considered as a 0-0 draw with no league points awarded to either team.
This was an outcome that perplexed Saracens who suggested they could appeal the decision. With no match points awarded for the cancellation, it meant that McCall’s 2019 Gallagher Premiership champions would finish in second place on the Championship table, five points behind the table-topping Ealing.
That situation left Ealing poised to be awarded home advantage at Vallis Way for the second leg of the promotion final due to their No1 finish.
However, with the potential for an appeal and the possible forced rearrangement of the cancelled Hartpury game adding an extra week to the already delayed season, it has now emerged that Saracens will have the all-important home advantage for the second leg of the final.
DISPUTE: Saracens could yet appeal the decision that has confused many.
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/t7fwVhGSDp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 31, 2021
A statement on the Championship website read: “Ealing Trailfinders and Saracens will compete in a two-fixture final to find the winner of the Greene King IPA Championship. Taking place on consecutive weekends in June, Trailfinders Sports Club, home of Ealing Trailfinders, will be the venue for the first leg of the final and Saracens will host the second at the StoneX Stadium.
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“Both matches will be broadcast live on TV, with BT Sport and Premier Sports each showing a match live. The two fixtures are: Sunday, June 13: Ealing vs Saracens (4.30pm, live on Premier Sports) and Sunday, June 20: Saracens v Ealing (3.30pm, live on BT Sport 2). The winner of the Championship final shall be the club with the highest aggregate score over the two fixtures.”
How last Thursday's Lions squad announcement played out at the Saracens training ground… and how they all felt over what happened to Billy Vunipola#LionsRugby #Lions2021
https://t.co/ERE9T0jOjm— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 12, 2021
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Asking the TMO for a compelling reason to overturn the on-field decision should be universal for all TMO involvements, and reinforced by the ref on every referral. TMO questions like "try or no try" should be phased out. Let's move to the idea of good and bad judgement, from the idea of right and wrong decisions. The TMO is there to help in cases where footage provides a compelling and rapid improvement to the refs assessment.
Go to commentsMagnificent game and well done Scotland. England came very close to winning this game, but sadly kicked the ball to the opposition and as a result Scotland scored their winning try. England really must stop kicking possession away.
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