Scottish Rugby SGM statement

23 Mar 2019

Scottish Rugby can confirm the placement of the Club XV’s of the Super 6 franchise teams and their position within the national league structure after a successful vote at the Special General Meeting held on Friday 22 March.

Member clubs voted resoundingly in favour of the Motion – outlined below – proposed by President Dee Bradbury on behalf of the Scottish Rugby Council which determined Club XV’s would play in National 1 from the 2019/20 season, when Super 6 commences.

An amendment to the Motion, proposed by from Currie RFC, to preserve the term ‘Premiership’ in competition wording was carried on the night.

Scottish Rugby President Dee Bradbury said: “I’d like to thank all the member clubs who attended this SGM and supported the work carried out by the Council and its Standing Committee on Governance, chaired by Gavin MacColl QC.

“The consultation process, the subsequent Report and the SGM has given our members an opportunity to have their say and contribute to the delivery of Agenda 3.

“By passing this Motion we now have a clear direction of travel for the arrival of Super 6 and the future league positioning of their respective Club XV’s for the coming seasons ahead.”

The Motion passed by member clubs was as follows:

MOTION

Proposed by Dee Bradbury, President of the Scottish Rugby Union, on behalf of the Council of the Scottish Rugby Union:

THAT pursuant to the Union’s Bye-Law 14.2.3 (and following the prior determination of the Council of the Scottish Rugby Union and prior consultation with the Clubs):

a) The “Club XVs” of those Scottish rugby clubs holding a Super 6 licence will play in National 1 in the season in which the Super 6 competition commences (2019/2020);

b) At the end of each of seasons 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, one club will be relegated from the Premiership (or successor league) to National 1, and one club will be promoted from National 1 to the Premiership (or successor league);

c) National 1 clubs will be promoted into the Premiership (or successor league) in accordance with their league positions at the end of season 2018/2019, so as to populate the 2019/20 Premiership (or successor league) with 10 teams. There will be no relegation from the Premiership (or successor league) at the end of season 2018/2019;

d) Relegation will take place from National 1 in accordance with the presently operating competition rules; and

e) Promotion and relegation will take place from National 2 and all lower leagues in accordance with the presently operating competition rules,

and that the Board of the Scottish Rugby Union be and is authorised to proceed to give effect to that determination through changes to the relevant National Competition Rules.

The following amendments were proposed by Currie RFC and seconded by Glasgow Hawks RFC. These were passed by the club members.

1.Motion paragraph (b). Twice in this paragraph the words ‘(or successor league)’ should be deleted, so that the amended paragraph reads as follows:

“(b) At the end of each of seasons 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, one club will be relegated from the Premiership to National 1, and one club will be promoted from National 1 to the Premiership.”

2.Motion paragraph (c). Three times in this paragraph the words ‘(or successor league)’ should be deleted. Additionally, a drafting error in the motion should be corrected for clarity by the insertion of the words ‘including the 4 existing Premiership clubs not awarded a Super 6 licence’ after ‘so as to populate the 2019/2020 Premiership with 10 teams’, so the amended paragraph reads as follows:

“(c) National 1 clubs will be promoted into the Premiership in accordance with their league positions at the end of season 2018/2019, so as to populate the 2019/2020 Premiership with 10 teams, including the 4 existing Premiership clubs not awarded a Super 6 licence. There will be no relegation from the Premiership at the end of season 2018/2019.”