Report: Prem Rugby consider adopting French end-of-season model

BBC Sport have reported that Prem Rugby could ditch home play-off semi-finals and play them at a neutral ground instead to maximise interest in the business end of the league season.

Northampton and Bath, the team they replaced as champions of England following Saturday’s 26-17 victory over Exeter, hosted this year’s semi-finals, as a reward for finishing first and second over the course of the regular season, and their grounds were both full to capacity (15,000).

The derby matches against Leicester and Exeter generated a raucous atmosphere and around £600-750,000 in extra revenue for the two clubs, but the BBC report says there is a consensus of opinion that they could be even bigger and better if taken to a larger stadium.

Prem bosses want to adopt the format used for EPRC competitions, the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup, as well as France’s Top 14, and play the semi-finals in one city on consecutive days, opening up the prospect of another expensive day out for fans. France’s Top 14 semi-finals have just been played at the 67,000-capacity Stade Velodrome.

Liverpool’s Hill Dickinson Stadium, which is due to host Fiji’s ‘home’ Nations Championship match against England next month, and iconic RWC 2015 venue, the Brighton Community Stadium, are thought to be two possibilities.

To appease clubs reluctant to change the current format, which has been in place for over two decades, a greater semi-final revenue split or prize money could be offered to clubs finishing in the top two.

“The semi-finals that we have just had were awesome in terms of the rugby spectacle, and they’re sell-out games with their home crowds,” said Prem Rugby Chief Executive Simon Massie Taylor.

“But I think they would sell out larger venues and neutrals would go as well. This is about the long term. In the long term, it will be more valuable if you are playing in bigger stadia.”

While commercially it could make sense, Prem clubs will be reluctant to give up home advantage. Of the 45 play-off ties played to date, only seven (15.5%) have been won by the visiting team, and the last two (Harlequins in 2021 and Exeter this year) both needed unbelievable comebacks to buck the trend.