Ring fencing is not the way forward, instead the RFU & PRL need to whip out their bundles of cash and start spreading it around fairly to those that need it

We are all aware of the reports that there may be ring fencing of the Premiership, and this has, of course, sparked fierce debate about whether it really is a good idea. I have already weighed in on this with some people via social media, but I've decided to write this blog as it seems to be such a contentious issue.

These reports gave me a sense of deja vu when they surfaced, as they seemed oh so familiar to those surrounding the salary cap in that they appear to hide and mask the bigger problems. With the salary cap debacle, the reports served the purpose of attempting to hide the fact that some clubs, who I shall not name but we already know, were being investigated for abuse of said cap. Now with these new reports, I feel they serve to hide the real issue with English rugby – funding, and in particular the way the RFU and PRL distribute funds to all clubs.

It's obvious to everyone who has an interest in the game that funding is completely unequal and unfair to many clubs, both in the Premiership and the Championship. This is the real issue that needs to be resolved – there is not enough pressure on the RFU and PRL coming from anyone, and there needs to be. Many people have made the argument that ring fencing is a good idea because the lower clubs simply cannot compete at top tier level, and they have no desire to even try. I completely disagree. First, who is anyone to suggest Championship clubs have no desire, or ambition? That is a ridiculous statement, of course they do. And second, why do you think they cannot compete? I'll tell you why – they aren't given enough money.

Exeter are an outstanding club in the Premiership, and have been ever since they were promoted. Yet if we cut off clubs from being able to get promoted, we are ending the chances for this to happen again with a different club. Sure, Exeter did have certain financial backing which allowed them to come up and compete straight away, but this just brings me straight back to the point I was trying to make. Teams can make it happen for themselves if they have the funding which, unless they have an independent financial backer of some sort, they are not receiving. Everyone, even those people who are not Exeter supporters, enjoyed seeing a Championship club prosper. How can you not? It's a great thing to be able to personally witness the rise of a club in front of your very eyes - it serves to remind everyone that any team can flourish under the right circumstances. But those circumstances have to include the right amount of money.

London Welsh are probably the major team that can help me demonstrate my point further. Unfortunately for them this season cannot have gone more terribly, however we are all aware of their intentions to attempt to get equal funding. They made it abundantly clear they view the system as being utterly unfair, considering they get around half the amount of money as a lot of the other clubs in the Premiership do. How do we expect them, as well as teams in the Championship, to even begin to compete when this is the state of affairs? Teams need access to adequate training facilities, as well as the ability to fairly compete for the top players when it comes to adding and expanding their team. Without this, it is essentially a given that a team will get promoted, stay up for one, maybe two, seasons, and then go straight back down again. This isn't how rugby should be – all teams should be given the footing they need to compete with ALL other teams. After all, competition is what rugby is all about. Take the Premiership this year as an example; it is exceptionally close between 2^nd and 7^th, closer than it has possibly ever been. What team wouldn't give anything to be able to take part in such a fierce contest? Those in charge of how the sport is run should be encouraging every team in the country to want to be a part of that, but money is a huge obstacle right now.

Ring fencing is not the way forward. Better funding is. I can guarantee if all teams are given the money they need, we will see fierce competition throughout the whole country in both the Premiership and the Championship. We may also be able to see some fresh faces in the top tier of English rugby whom we can actually expect to stick around for some time. Who doesn't want to see another Exeter-like rise? I know I do.

Ruck on,

Jess.