THE GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP 2009/10 - SEASON STRUCTURE
The 12 clubs in the 2009/10 GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP are:
Bath Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, Harlequins, Leeds Carnegie, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, London Wasps, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints, Sale Sharks, Saracens and Worcester Warriors.
The GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP 2009/10 commences on the weekend of 4th/5th/6th September 2009.
During the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP 2009/10 points will be awarded as follows:
4 points will be awarded for a win
2 points will be awarded for a draw
1 point will be awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or less
1 point will be awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match
THE GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP SEMI FINALS AND FINAL
The GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP consists of 22 rounds with Round 22 taking place on Saturday 8th May 2010.
The club that tops the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP table after Round 22 will automatically qualify for home advantage in the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Semi Finals against the club that finishes 4th. The club that finishes 2nd will qualify for home advantage in the other GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Semi Final against the club that finishes 3rd.
The two GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Semi Finals will take place over the weekend of 15th/16th May 2010, and the winning clubs will go forward to the prestigious GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final at Twickenham on Saturday 29th May 2010.
The club that wins the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final will be GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Champions 2009/10.
EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION
Qualification for the Heineken Cup 2010/11 will be as follows based on results from the 2009/10 season:
- Heineken Cup Winner (if a GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP club)
- European Challenge Cup Winner (if a GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP club)
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final Winner
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final Runner-Up
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Semi Finalist
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Semi Finalist
- Anglo Welsh Cup winner (if a GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP club)
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP fifth place
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP sixth place
- GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP seventh place
In the event that the winner of the Heineken Cup, European Challenge Cup or Anglo Welsh Cup qualifies by being a GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP Final Winner, Runner-up or Semi Finalist, or in the event that there is no English winner of the Challenge Cup and/or Anglo Welsh Cup, then the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP fifth place club would qualify, followed by GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP sixth, seventh and so on.
There are six places for the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP clubs in the Heineken Cup, unless an English team wins the 2009/10 Heineken Cup in which case GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP clubs will be allocated seven places in the Heineken Cup next season.
Those clubs not involved in the Heineken Cup will play in the European Challenge Cup 2010-11.
PROMOTION/RELEGATION
As in previous seasons there will be automatic promotion and relegation between the club that finishes bottom of the GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP after 22 Rounds and the club that wins National Division One.
As in previous seasons this is dependent on the Entry Criteria which require certain minimum standards to be met across all areas of a professional club's business.
