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Rotherham's application amounted to a half-page document containing no commercial financial or operational

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Rotherham's application amounted to a half-page document containing no commercial, financial or operational terms. There was also the revelation that there was no agreement for a move to Millmoor. I was heartbroken at what happened last season.''Since Rotherham were promoted three years ago – they promptly went down – by the old method of a play-off, they were not only required to win the First Division but also to meet new criteria including the Catch 22 of proving principal tenancy of their venue, which should mean, in the case of ground-sharing with a football club, that rugby gets first call.Rotherham accepted that their Clifton Lane ground was not suitable and ostensibly made plans to share Rotherham United's Millmoor However, they failed to meet the criteria at every turn. We've been accused of all sorts and if they said we had Elvis Presley on the left wing and Father Christmas on the right I wouldn't be at all surprised. "We are much more professional now,'' Jim Kilfoyle, Rotherham's chief executive, said "We've learnt a lot and we're tougher and more focused The allegations are designed to divert us from our goal.

Howard Thomas, chief executive of the Premiership, said there was "no substance behind the grizzly headlines'' but added that he could not comment on what happens at meetings between the owners.The Yorkshire club are again favourites to finish top of the First Division – they have lost only one match in the last 14 months – and say that this time they would be ready to graduate. The allegation is that they were offered an extra incentive to stay down, with the Premiership clubs contributing to a kitty.Mike Yarlett, chairman of Rotherham, described the allegations at his club's annual meeting last Wednesday as "mischief making''. There will be no fudge.'' Rotherham's compensation for not going up last season was a "parachute'' payment of £720,000, two thirds of which has to be spent on improving facilities, which they have been receiving in instalments. "If people are breaking the rules they will be punished,'' Graeme Cattermole, chairman of the RFU, said "Whether it's a fine or expulsion it will be imposed. We've fought for years to get automatic promotion from the First Division and here we have this wheeze to ensure it doesn't happen.''The Rugby Football Union responded by asking Robert Horner, their disciplinary officer, to see if there was a case to answer under the umbrella charge of bringing the game into disrepute. Cecil Duckworth, the owner of Worcester in National League One and the Premiership's b? noire (which could make next Saturday's PowerGen Cup meeting between his side and Leicester lively), said: "I've no doubt there was a conspiracy to ensure Rotherham would not go up last season and the clubs have agreed to do it again this season. They went quietly into the dark night while the theorists looked for a conspiracy. Last week they found one, namely that a number of the clubs had been prepared to pay Rotherham not to join them at the top table.

When Rotherham earned promotion last season but were denied their rightful place in the Zurich Premiership after failing to meet the criteria, they seemed resigned to their fate. The club had to start again in the summer, with new coaches, new patterns and 12 or 13 players turned over It's taken us time just to settle in together Personally, I've got aspirations The short-term goal is to get Swansea playing well Maybe then the players will reap the rewards.". By being more successful, every player has a chance and that's what we're concentrating on, as a team. "We're keeping our minds on the job in hand, which is the rugby.

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