Worcester gear up for promotion

England Rugby Limited today revealed Worcester have met Zurich Premiership entry criteria and will be admitted into the top flight – subject to planning permission from their local council.

Worcester, champions of National League One, have a ground capacity of 6,000 - but a minimum of 8,200 is needed to secure promotion to the Premiership.

The club intend to increase the size of two temporary stands to meet the requirements but for this they must obtain permission from the Wychavon District Council planning officer.

However, Worcester club officials are confident the necessary authorisation from the council will be granted and a decision should be made by the end of next week.

Once they have been given the green light to increase their capacity, Worcester will be admitted into the Premiership – with relegated Rotherham dropping to National League One.

ERL, a joint body run by the Rugby Football Union and the 12 Premiership clubs, made their decision after consulting an independent auditors report.