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Rugby Union

Lewsey backs Guinness Premiership playoffs

11/06/2008

Wasps star Josh Lewsey has said the playoff system used to settle the destination of the Guinness Premiership title is a legitimate end to the domestic season.

The England international described the playoffs as correcting the "somewhat draconian" system used before, where the team that finished top of the table on points were awarded the trophy.

The new method has courted controversy in recent months due to the fact that teams such as Gloucester and Bath, who have been near the top of the standings for most of the year, lost out in one-off games despite having the better overall performance across the whole season.

However, the two Guinness Premiership finalists - Lewsey's own Wasps side and Leicester Tigers - finished second and fourth in the table but still had the opportunity to win the trophy.

But Lewsey rejected the intimation that this system is unfair, saying a Twickenham final was "a final jamboree and a fitting culmination to what is a fantastic competition".

"On the final day, the trophy is given out at Twickenham rather than at some club ground a month before the end of the season," he told inthenews.co.uk.

Lewsey, who is promoting the Land Rover G4 Challenge, also said the playoffs ensured teams that suffered most from international call-ups were not unfairly discriminated against.

"Let's put it like this - if you wanted just a race to the finish, how can you justify playing internationals on the same weekend as league games?" he continued.

"All that does is encourage clubs to buy players who aren't English and aren't going to go away and play for England or for international call-ups.

"In the olden days, for my mind, it was somewhat draconian and the league could be over by April, therefore all the crowds diminished.

"This way, every team is playing for something at the end of the season, it generates more money for the sport and the quality of the rugby increases and increases as the pitches get harder."